Rules of the road on public lands
OHV riders on a desert road
Bob Wick, BLM
How the Travel Management Rule balances recreation and preservation, and why it matters
Just as peak recreation season begins nationwide, the administration plans to repeal a rule that protects wildlife habitat, cultural resources and sustainable outdoor recreation. The Travel Management Rule (TMR) provides clear, consistent guidance for how public lands are used, including where motorized vehicles are allowed. If you’ve ever hiked, biked, or snowmobiled on a favorite trail, the TMR helped make that experience possible.
Imagine driving through a city with no traffic lights, no stop signs and no speed limits. It would be confusing and dangerous, even for the most careful drivers. Cars and trucks would be congested for miles, and emergency services would struggle to reach people who need help. It’s one of the many reasons we have traffic laws; they create clear expectations and help everyone follow the “rules of the road.” This safety system provides certainty and consistency, whether you’re driving in New York City or Billings, Montana.
Public lands would feel similar without clear travel rules. If you’ve hiked, biked, skied, climbed, driven an ATV, rode a horse or snowmobiled on public lands, you’ve probably checked ahead to see which routes are open and what conditions to expect. The TMR helps make that possible. Even if you’ve never heard of the TMR, you’ve likely benefited from it. Like traffic lights or stop signs, it often goes unnoticed when it’s working, but it plays a key role in keeping recreation safe and predictable.
Crested Butte, Colorado
Zach Dischner
The TMR is a national policy that determines where motorized vehicles can travel on public lands.
Federal land agencies—including the Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and National Park Service—create maps and plans that show where motorized vehicles are allowed to go. These plans provide clear guidance for visitors, much like traffic laws do for drivers. For people traveling both with and without motorized vehicles, these plans help manage how we share public lands. They allow people to explore safely and preserve the landscapes we all love.
The people who are out enjoying these lands also help shape travel plans, which are developed with extensive public input, including feedback from recreationists, conservation groups, hunters and anglers, off-highway vehicle users, local governments and others. Balance is the name of the game: making sure the agencies manage for access, safety and protection of resources equally.
A solo bear looks on in Glacier National Park, MT
National Park Service
Travel management plans also help protect wildlife and their habitats.
Animals such as elk and grizzly bears need large, connected landscapes to thrive. Too many roads can break up that habitat, pushing wildlife into smaller areas or forcing them to move elsewhere. Fish like salmon face similar challenges, relying on connected waterways to migrate, feed and reproduce.
Undermining this system would erode the clarity and consistency the TMR is meant to provide, yet that’s exactly what the administration is proposing. As part of a broader push to roll back public land protections, it plans to repeal the Forest Service’s TMR following their proposal to repeal the Roadless Area Conservation Rule. The move would strain an already understaffed agency and weaken the safeguards that keep public lands accessible, organized and protected.
So, the next time you’re hiking a trail or driving on a designated road across public lands, remember that there’s a good chance a travel management plan made that experience possible. Clear travel rules help everyone share public lands responsibly and keep outdoor recreation sustainable. Much like traffic laws guide us through our cities, travel management helps guide us through the outdoors so we can explore while protecting the places we love.
