One Voice FAQ:What the Tenth Circuit Ruling on Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante Means for Motorized Recreation
The Tenth Circuit did not reopen Bears Ears or Grand Staircase-Escalante to motorized travel, but it did reopen an important legal question.
On June 23, 2026, the court revived Utah’s challenge to the 2021 monument proclamations and sent the case back to district court. Current boundaries, road closures, travel maps, and agency rules still apply.
For motorized recreation advocates, the takeaway is simple: stay on designated routes, document access impacts, and stay engaged. This ruling is not a final victory, but it does put the limits of the Antiquities Act back in play.
The Trail We Leave Behind
The Rubicon Trail is on loan from our grandchildren.
That sentence has been following me around ever since I finished the trail. It keeps changing the way I look at things. If the trail is only on loan, then every volunteer weekend becomes a payment on a debt. Every newcomer we welcome instead of ridiculing becomes an investment. Every time we choose patience over performance, conversation over condemnation, or stewardship over spectacle, we make another small investment toward a future we may never personally enjoy.