Utah · Area of Critical Environmental Concern
San Rafael Reef
BLM found a natural system and a scenic value here, and its plan calls for special management. BLM's records place no claim, lease or right of way inside the line today, and eight grazing allotments cover part of it. It covers 73,173 acres and was designated October 31, 2008, in the Price Field Office RMP. In the plan's name, RMP stands for resource management plan.
One of the 1,120 places the Bureau of Land Management has designated an Area of Critical Environmental Concern. This page shows its line, what BLM found there and what sits inside it.
The line
Ground: USGS The National Map, topographic tiles. Boundaries: BLM's own, read Oct 20, 2026. The 8 grazing allotments below aren't marked.Grazing allotments
8 grazing allotments cover part of this line. Their permittees aren't named here yet.
- Iron Wash148,892acres
- Rock Springs103,656acres
- Wild Horse94,774acres
- Black Dragon54,891acres
- Mckay Flat52,915acres
- Taylor Flat43,073acres
- Big Pond42,389acres
- Temple Mountain17,272acres
The nearest areas
- Heritage SitesUtah · 788 acres · 3 grazing allotments covering part of it5miles
- Rock Art SitesUtah · 709 acres · 2 grazing allotments covering part of it7miles
- Interstate 70Utah · 33,068 acres · at least 18 active mining claims and 17 more BLM lists as Filed, 15 rights of way, 11 grazing allotments covering part of it11miles
- Heritage SitesUtah · 60 acres · a grazing allotment covering part of it11miles
- Heritage SitesUtah · 2.8 acres · a grazing allotment covering part of it15miles
Next to it
Muddy Creek Area of Critical Environmental Concern, Interstate 70 Area of Critical Environmental Concern and Rock Art Sites Area of Critical Environmental Concern touch the line.
More from BLM's Utah office
Every area BLM's Utah office holdsThe proposed rule
A proposed rule, RIN 1004-AF53, would change how BLM drafts every land use plan, and how it designates ACECs like San Rafael Reef. The comment window hasn't opened: the proposed rule wasn't in the Federal Register at our last check. The Watch sends one email the day it prints.
The rule's abstract
The purpose of this rulemaking is to establish in regulations an updated process for the approval of the development, revision, amendment, and maintenance of land use plans, as provided for by the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, for public lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Additionally, this rulemaking will provide clarification of the process the BLM uses for designating Areas of Critical Environmental Concern.Unified Agenda entry for RIN 1004-AF53, Publication ID 2026, reginfo.gov (OMB OIRA), read Oct 18, 2026