I talk a lot about public lands issues, including the most recent attacks on the 'Roadless Rule,' the United States Marine Corps attempting to seize Johnson Valley, as well as the fight to protect the 'Public Lands Rule.' And, yeah, I get it, it's a lot of doom and gloom.
But I do this because I love our public lands, and I spend an inordinate amount of time on them, enjoying them for what they are: ours. Which is why I'll always fight for them. We don't always have to be "The sky is falling!", however, and we can celebrate our public lands when we get the opportunity.
One great one is coming up on September 27th, which is National Public Lands Day. And to put even more emphasis on that day, our friends at onX are going to be hosting a set of trail meet-ups around the country to toast to public lands, do some stewardship and conservation work, get some like-minded public land owners together, and maybe, just maybe, give away a few cool prizes.
At least if you're early enough to the trailhead.
According to onX, "This coming Saturday, Sep. 27, we’ll be mobilizing 21 onX Offroad Trail Guides and employees to trailheads across the country to celebrate National Public Lands Day. For onX, the day is an opportunity to get outside and encourage good stewardship; and it’s also a big day for trail work and other conservation projects."
The waypoints are spread throughout the country, and for those who already have onX Off-Road, you can access the folder containing the locations right here. If you're on your phone, it'll automatically pull up your onX app and you'll get asked whether you want to access the folder for the locations. But no purchase is necessary if you're already a member, and you'll be able to see what's close by or somewhat close by. I mean, who's up for an adventure?
For those who don't have onX, but still want to be involved and hang out with some good public land owners, the 21 locations are as follows (with GPS coordinates).
- Georgia Traverse: 34.89385, -84.67175
- Echo Bluff State Park: 37.31059, -91.40628
- Pinnacle Mountain: 34.84, -92.49729
- Sand Hollow: 37.10294, -113.40333
- Four Corners OHV: 45.94534, -112.27591
- Eagle Valley Trail: 38.60599, -107.8878
- North Meadows: 45.53012, -111.85055
- Forks Trail Area: 33.60809, -82.07969
- Holcomb Valley: 34.30076, -116.89387
- Tajique Canyon: 34.7934, -106.37246
- Henstep Valley Trail: 40.83629, -77.18861
- Lost Trail: 43.28077, -116.57533
- Elbe Hill OHV: 46.78086, -122.08056
- Holly Oaks: 42.82362, -83.5587
- Spaas Creek: 37.91204, -83.72314
- Ocala National Forest; 28.98857, -81.54213
- Peter Mills Run: 38.7892, -78.5193
- Laurel Lakes: 37.62345, -118.90658
- Broken Arrow: 34.84551, -111.75702
- Rubicon Tail: 39.04593, -120.16775
- Wild Bill Trail: 48.03038, -114.44114
And like I mentioned above, there might be something cool you can snag from onX if you're at the trail early enough to beat everyone else. I'm not at liberty to say what it is, but early bird and all. But what I like about this initiative, aside from getting folks out in our public lands, is that companies like onX are stepping up and stepping into the fray to help protect public lands, and engage with the public at large who owns them. They're helping educate folks so that we can be better stewards and conservationists, as well as vocal proponents when they come under attack.
And that's always a good thing.
