Like many folks in Illinois, I love to visit our national parks and monuments out West. But I just learned that our park experience may be drastically altered.
Unless they change their minds, the National Park Service is planning to open all the roads in Utah’s national parks and monuments to off-road vehicles, including ATVs and their beefed up cousin, UTVs, on Nov. 1. If this happens in Utah’s parks, it may be a stepping stone to national parks everywhere.
I am an off-road vehicle enthusiast. I own a $30,000 ORV. I have four-wheelers, snowmobiles and a ton of other motorized toys. I love to ride them, but I find there are more than enough trails for me to travel without having to open roads to ORVs in national parks.
I don’t always want to visit areas where off-roading is going on. Sometimes I want to hike, see critters, or just be in nature without the machines. There are times and places for both experiences. Let’s keep it that way.
Vicki Logan, Harvard, Ill.