RAF urges pilots to back BLM plan for Utah backcountry airstrips

The Recreational Aviation Foundation wants pilots to speak up on a federal proposal covering ten backcountry airstrips in southeastern Utah. The Bureau of Land Management is taking public comments through September 3, 2026, on a draft environmental assessment that will help decide whether the sites get formal designation for aircraft use.

Personal comments explaining why the airstrips matter to individual pilots would carry more weight than form letters, the organization said. Suggested talking points include the recreational value of the strips, their history, and the comparatively small footprint of aviation use next to other kinds of motorized access to public land.

The airstrips date back to mining operations. They've seen sporadic recreational flying since at least the 1950s, according to the group. Under the BLM's proposal, nine of the ten sites would be designated strictly for aircraft use. A tenth, known as Wee Hope, would be kept available for aircraft parking and turning maneuvers.

The draft plan also includes environmental safeguards. Maintenance work would generally be barred from March through July to avoid disturbing nesting migratory birds, and any upkeep would be carried out by the Utah Backcountry Pilots group together with the Recreational Aviation Foundation under BLM oversight.

The foundation argues the airstrips give pilots and passengers a low-impact route into remote public lands without the need for new roads. Visitors who land there typically go on to hike or camp, much as other backcountry travelers do.

Comments on the proposal are due to the BLM by September 3, 2026.