A Visit Recap of San Juan County

Bike Utah’s 1,000 Miles Campaign Director and Intern, Chris Wiltsie and Bjorn Nichelson, recently completed a ride from Blanding to Monument Valley to meet with advocates about the potential of creating a bicycle-friendly facility.

Meeting with community advocates such as Jim Hook of Recapture Lodge and Molly Schmidt of Design Build Bluff and riding the region’s conditions, helped the 1,000 Miles Campaign gain a better understanding of how to serve the San Juan community. 

“Firsthand experience will always lead to better planning outcomes. We wanted to know what people were experiencing as they walked and biked through their communities. We will now be using these experiences to inform a planning effort throughout San Juan County.” -Chris Wiltsie, 1,000 Miles Campaign Director

San Juan County is situated in the southeast region of Utah, with a landmass of about 7,725 square miles and home to recreational hotspots such as national and state parks, monuments, and outdoor resources. 

With outdoor recreation creating an attractive quality of life; San Juan County reported a population of about 15,356 people in 2017 and a growth rate of 7.6 percent. The growing communities along the route would benefit from multi-use paths throughout their neighborhoods and main streets. The current infrastructure requires residents to walk/ride on dirt paths, on rough less than ideal terrain. Creating friendly paths would allow for improved neighborhood connectivity and continue to strengthen the community atmosphere that makes San Juan County one of a kind.

Do you have any follow-up questions about this ride? Would you like to learn more about the 1,000 Miles Campaign? Would you like to invite the 1,000 Miles Campaign to learn more about your community? Send an email to chris@bikeutah.org.