A little over a week ago, vandals in Middle Canyon took one of the older wooden picnic tables used by campers, dragged it over a fire pit and then lit it on fire.
The act of vandalism is being called a last-gasp effort from the groups who have been causing trouble in the canyon for years by Dave Brown, Tooele County trails and canyon coordinator. He said efforts to make the canyon a safe and family-friendly place have been successful, despite the recent act of destruction.
“They had to do something spectacular,” he said.
Vandalism in the canyon is at a minimum, according to Brown, and the county has been moving toward installing metal picnic tables in the canyon recently. While less property has been damaged, people continue to leave trash behind when departing Middle Canyon, he said.
This season the canyon has been safer and cleaner, with the results to match, Brown said. A group of more than 100 Girl Scouts from Herriman used to bring private security and not sleep in the canyon at night; now the same group spends the night and feels safer, he said.
Two years ago, Tooele County began charging a $10 fee per vehicle for camping at one of the 42 numbered campsites to reclaim Middle Canyon as a family-friendly recreation area. Since that time, the number of drug deals and other illicit activity in the canyon has declined, according to Brown.
Efforts to clean up the canyon have also had a positive response from rock climbers and residents purchasing new camper trailers at Tooele County businesses, Brown said. About 47 percent of visitors in Middle Canyon are from outside the county and about 9 percent of those are from out of state, he said.
Aside from the burned table, which Brown said he would now consider an isolated incident, things have improved in Middle Canyon which hasn’t been lost on outdoor recreationists and campers.
“It’s been nothing but good vibes,” Brown said.