Reflecting on a Milestone Year Together!

Hello Wasatch backcountry enthusiasts! 

As I reflect on this past year, I’m grateful for those who have supported the Wasatch Backcountry Alliance and helped to make our work possible. The Wasatch remains a place of inspiration, even with a lackluster start to the season. Advocating for access points throughout the Wasatch is emphasized when decent and safe turns are limited to low-angle upper-elevation zones. 2024 was a milestone year for the WBA. Thanks to the extra capacity of our first paid position and the passion from our volunteer board of directors, we accomplished a lot this past year including realizing our foundational goals: representing the backcountry community and advocating for access.  

We expanded our Trail Counting Program by 26% with the addition of new trailheads. This program quantifies Central Wasatch backcountry use to show stakeholders the importance of maintaining public access to these well-loved areas. Our Backcountry Shuttle has improved threefold. First, we received a permit from the Forest Service to drop off at popular trailheads. Second, the shuttle will be included in the Ski Bus Priority Access Program, meaning the shuttle will skip to the front of the road closure line on avalanche mitigation mornings. Third, we are rolling out a user-friendly app for managing reservations and contacting shuttle drivers. We educated the community through social media alerts, emails, community events, and our podcast. And most importantly, we leveled up our efforts to advocate for backcountry access during projects like UDOT’s BCC Study, the Tri-Canyons Master Plan, with agencies implementing new parking policies, nudging UDOT to plow backcountry parking zones, and negotiating with landowners in Cardiff Fork. We worked with UDOT to understand why so many “NO PARKING” signs were installed last season on the south side of the road near Spruces, and here’s the good news: most signs are now GONE, reopening those backcountry parking spots! It’s remarkable what a little extra capacity can achieve! Our successes this year highlights the power of collective action and the importance of having a dedicated voice at the table to represent our community’s needs.

Despite the ever-growing popularity of the Wasatch, the allure of these mountains endures. Whether you’re just starting out or have spent decades exploring every hidden drainage, the Wasatch offers something for all of us. Given the patchwork of public and private lands of which the backcountry in the Central Wasatch consists, increasing usage, and ongoing pressure to develop, continued access is not guaranteed without a group such as the WBA sitting at the table with stakeholders representing the voice of the backcountry community.

As we close out 2024, I invite you to join us in ensuring the Wasatch remains accessible for human-powered winter recreation. Become a member, donate, and/or volunteer your time—we’d love to have you as part of our growing team. Together, we can continue to protect the places we hold dear and make an even greater impact in 2025.

Here’s to another year of dawn patrols, trail-breaking, face shots, and shared stoke for the Wasatch backcountry. Thank you for being part of our efforts!

See you in the mountains,
Dani Poirier
Director, Wasatch Backcountry Alliance