Kane County secures Sand Dunes Road right-of-way

KANAB — Kane County has secured recognition of its historic right-of-way on Sand Dunes Road, a deci­sion local officials say could help move long-discussed improvements to the heav­ily traveled corridor closer to reality.

Entrance signage for Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park is shown near the Sand Dunes Road corridor west of Kanab. A recent federal court decision confirmed Kane County’s historic right-of-way on the route, which serves as a primary access road to the state park and surrounding recreation areas. Photo courtesy Utah State Parks.

The roadway serves as a primary access route to Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park and nearby recreation areas, including heavily used OHV areas west of Kanab.

The issue has drawn at­tention locally for years because questions sur­rounding jurisdiction com­plicated larger infrastruc­ture planning efforts tied to the increasingly busy tourism corridor.

According to court re­cords, Kane County and the State of Utah sought to confirm an R.S. 2477 right-of-way for the road through federal court proceedings involving the U.S. govern­ment. Federal filings indi­cate the United States later filed a disclaimer of interest in the route.

Kane County Commis­sioner Celeste Meyeres said the outcome followed ex­tensive coordination in­volving county, state and federal officials.

“We’re grateful to the State of Utah for sticking by us with support and fund­ing to restore our rights with regard to accessing, using and caring for our historic roads and routes, including Coral Pink Sand Dunes Road,” Meyeres said.

Meyeres said progress accelerated after county officials contacted the office of Mike Lee during discus­sions involving the U.S. Department of Justice.

“A few months ago, we were up against a bit of a wall with DOJ,” she said. “We made a phone call to Senator Lee’s office, and a few days later the logjam at the DOJ finally shook loose.”

County officials have discussed improvements to the corridor for years as visitation to Coral Pink Sand Dunes and surround­ing recreation areas has continued to grow. Public meeting records show re­construction and widening of the roadway have been under discussion, with engineering work already underway on portions of the project.

Additional details about future construction phases, funding and timelines are expected to emerge as plan­ning continues.