Last month, High Country Fly Fishers helped make long-standing access to rivers over private lands a sustainable reality.

The organization — the Park City branch of Trout Unlimited, a nonprofit that works to preserve cold-water fisheries and wildlife habitats in and around them — built and installed a string of galvanized steel crossovers that replaced the weather-beaten wooden ones along the Weber River, said Bill Quapp, High Country Fly Fishers board member and past president.

“We call it the Weber River Access Project, and we’ve completed five units, which is the first third of the project,” he said. “We have about two-thirds left that are funded for completion this year.”

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The crossovers are essentially ladders with handrails that are placed on each side of a fence, according to Quapp.

After three years, the wood becomes weather and use damaged so they are no longer safe.” Bill Quapp, High Country Fly Fishers board member and past president

“The wooden ones last two to three years, and require a little maintenance each year,” he said. “But after three years, the wood becomes weather and use damaged so they are no longer safe. So, we either have extensive repair or replacement.”

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These installations, which are near Coalville and Wanship, allow those who love to fish and other recreationalists a way to climb over fences for access to fishing spots, Quapp said.

“These crossovers are only installed on the properties where the owners have given permission,” he said. “They also improve safety and protect the fencing.”

In order to use these crossovers, which lead to the river, a designated Blue Ribbon fishery, recreationists and those on fishing trips need to register with the Division of Wildlife Resources for a Walk-in-Access permit, Quapp said.

“It’s an annual registration, but not cost,” he said. “It’s just a way to keep tabs on people who use the land. The DWR contacts the landowners and obtains permission for those who want access through their property.”

To register, visit wildlifelicense.utah.gov/hflo/available-licenses.html.

Access to rivers is a challenge in Utah, Quapp said.

“Rivers here are small, and when Utah landowners keep fishing off these rivers, the fishing areas grow smaller and smaller. So, the DWR Walk-in-Access program is an important resource for the community.”

The DWR is also part of the reason why High Country Fly Fishers are able to replace the crossovers, Quapp said.

“When we started looking for ways to (create) the steel crossovers, we looked on the web to see if there was anything like what we wanted available to buy,” he said. “There was nothing close to what we needed, but a couple of fishing friends of mine found something that would work for us that was installed on the Beaver River and another on the Duchesne River.”

Quapp tracked down the manufacturers, but found they were too busy to take on another project.

“We also saw the pricing was all over the map, but we still couldn’t afford to have them built,” he said. “Then we discovered the DWR Walk-In-Access program that looked like it would work for us.”

High Country Fly Fishers contacted the contract administrator and submitted a proposal for a $13,000 grant, Quapp said.

“One of the criteria for securing the grant was that we had to come up with $3,200,” he said. “So we reached out to some other chapters that are close by.”

The Stonefly Society Chapter of Trout Unlimited contributed $1,500, and Utah Council of Trout Unlimited contributed $500, according to Quapp.

“High Country committed to fund the balance, and provide the in-kind aspect that included the labor and miscellaneous materials,” he said. 

After Quapp submitted the proposal to the DWR, he found the Park City Chamber/Bureau 

also had a program, called the Sustainable Tourism Grant, that sounded suitable for the project.

“I called them and told them what we were doing, and they told me to submit a proposal,” he said. 

The crossovers support activities such as bird watching, nature walks and education, aligning with sustainable tourism goals that emphasize visitor education, safer travel and environmental stewardship, Quapp said.

With both grants awarded, High Country Fly Fishers contacted a contractor to build the crossovers.

“He is working on the next 10 units, and that will complete the project,” Quapp said. “There are five additional units that we would like to work on, so I’m thinking about submitting another grant proposal when the window opens again.”

Quapp is grateful not only to Park City Chamber/Bureau and DWR, but also to the landowners who allow access on their properties.

“I told one of the landowners, Arilin Judd, that he should let us know if he sees any litter problems, so we can come clean them up,” he said. “His response was ‘Thank you, but since entering the DWR Walk-in-Access program, litter has been substantially reduced. It seems that the fishers respect the access and do not litter.'”