The fight over Greater Moe's Valley and the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve has unfolded over years. Here's a dated record - coverage of the fight to protect it - newest first.
Federal court halts Northern Corridor construction
A U.S. District Court granted a preliminary injunction blocking ground-disturbing work on the highway while the lawsuit proceeds, finding the challenge likely to succeed. UDOT is barred from starting construction.
St. George News E&E News / Politico Center for Biological DiversityConservation groups sue over the reapproval
Represented by Advocates for the West, groups filed suit in the U.S. District Court for D.C., arguing the January reapproval violates several federal laws, including the Endangered Species Act and NEPA.
Center for Biological Diversity KUERThe saga to save Moe's Valley continues
A climbing-press explainer on what the highway's reapproval means for Moe's Valley and Zone 6, and why the area's fate is tangled up with the road.
ClimbingSt. George climbers rally at City Council to save Moe's Valley
Climbers and conservationists packed a City Council meeting to call for an open-space preservation committee. Supe Lillywhite of The Desert Rat led the public comment, showing broad community backing for protecting the area.
FOX 13 NewsBLM and USFWS reapprove the highway right-of-way
Federal agencies reversed their December 2024 rejection and reapproved the Northern Corridor - the eighth time the project has been considered.
SUWA (timeline)St. George town hall on the future of Moe's Valley
Local recreation groups and officials held a town-hall panel focused on options for the area's future, including the possibility of a state park if the land stays in the Reserve.
KSL“Stuck between a rock and a hard place”
An in-depth look at the paradox facing Moe's Valley, home to more than 430 boulder problems and 100 routes: the same highway climbers and conservationists have long opposed may be the only thing keeping the trust land from being developed. Features Todd Perkins, president of the St. George Climbers' Coalition (SGCC), who says he was the first to boulder Moe's in the late 1980s, and SGCC vice president Fallon Rowe.
ClimbingBLM again considers the four-lane highway
The agency reopened consideration of the Northern Corridor through the Red Cliffs NCA.
SUWA (timeline)BLM terminates the highway right-of-way
After a supplemental environmental review, the BLM revoked the right-of-way, concluding the highway did not comply with the conservation mandate of the Red Cliffs NCA - a decision that also put Zone 6's protection in question.
SUWA (timeline)A state land sale could threaten famous MTB trails
Reporting on how a potential SITLA sale of the ~3,000-acre Zone 6 parcel could affect the Zen Trail, Bearclaw Poppy, and other beloved trails.
SingletracksTodd Perkins on the podcast: protecting Moe's Valley
Todd Perkins, president of the St. George Climbers' Coalition and a Moe's Valley pioneer since the 1980s, returned to The Nugget Climbing Podcast to explain the threat to the area and what climbers can do to help.
The Nugget Climbing PodcastProposed development of reserve lands sparks debate
SITLA issued a request for proposals for housing development in Zone 6, citing its mandate to generate revenue for schools - drawing pushback from recreation and conservation groups.
KUTV 2NewsState official outlines development plans if the highway is rejected
A SITLA leader described what could happen to Moe's Valley, the Bearclaw Poppy trail system, and Zone 6 if the Northern Corridor is not approved.
St. George NewsConservation groups push back on the county's highway campaign
Local and national organizations responded to Washington County's continued effort to revive the Northern Corridor through the Red Cliffs NCA.
SUWA (timeline)Draft environmental review reopens the highway question
Federal agencies released a Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement on a right-of-way for the Northern Corridor through the Red Cliffs NCA, restarting the review that would ripple through Zone 6.
SUWA (timeline)Renowned climbing area at risk amid highway review
Early coverage explaining how Moe's Valley - long thought safe - became vulnerable to development once the Northern Corridor deal that created Zone 6 came under review.
ABC4 SUU NewsSouthern Utah's rise as a climbing destination
An Associated Press feature on the region's growth as a year-round climbing hub highlighted longtime local Todd Perkins and named Moe's Valley among the draws pulling climbers from around the world.
Associated PressNational conservation group joins locals for a Moe's Valley stewardship project
The Access Fund's traveling stewardship team joined SUCA's Tyler Webb and local climbers to rebuild an eroding landing zone below the Monkey Boy boulders - part of years of volunteer care that kept these areas open.
St. George NewsIsaac Caldiero establishes Force of Nature (V14)
Isaac Caldiero, who would go on to become the first champion of American Ninja Warrior, made the first ascent of Force of Nature, a V14 and one of the hardest boulder problems in Utah. Caldiero helped spearhead the development of Moe's hardest lines, and his first ascents helped put the area on the national map.
ClimbingSouthern Utah climbers clean up years of trash at Moe's and Garth
SUCA's Tyler Webb and volunteers hauled out years of accumulated trash, describing the community's long-standing relationship with SITLA and its commitment to leaving these lands better for future generations.
St. George NewsThe first Moe's Valley guidebook
Tyler Webb and Seth Giles authored and published the first comprehensive bouldering guidebook to Moe's Valley, cataloguing hundreds of problems and helping turn a locals' secret into a documented, world-class destination. Seth Giles was central to recording and developing the area's climbing. That work laid the groundwork for today's comprehensive guides, which now catalogue nearly 400 problems across Moe's Valley and Super Mario Land. Around this time, visits from elite boulderers such as Dave Graham and Daniel Woods drew national attention to the area.
Touchstone Climbing (trip report)Climbers organize as Moe's Valley is “rediscovered”
Around 2001 a local crew rediscovered the boulder fields and gave the area its name. As its potential became clear, climbers realized the basin could be sold for housing and organized to represent the community, opening a dialogue with SITLA. After years of meetings, Moe's Valley was annexed into St. George and kept as open space for recreation.
Mountain Project (area history)The first climbers at Moe's Valley
By his own account, Todd Perkins was the first person to boulder at Moe's Valley in the late 1980s, establishing dozens of problems and, from 1991, developing sport routes nearby; photographer Jorge Visser began documenting the area in the early 1990s. Over the following decades, climbers including American Ninja Warrior champion Isaac Caldiero and guidebook author Seth Giles built on that foundation, turning the area into one of Utah's premier bouldering destinations.
ClimbingSummaries above are our own brief descriptions; follow the source links for full reporting. Dates reflect publication or event dates as reported. This page is a convenience index and is not affiliated with the outlets listed.