Unrestrained off-road vehicle use threatens our National Forests. Say no to the proposed replacement of the Travel Management Rule
The roads and trails on Idaho’s National Forest take us to some of the places we love most - mountain peaks, hunting camps, fishing holes, stunning views and the just the challenge and beauty of the routes themselves. Good travel management helps ensure those backcountry routes remain accessible, sustainable and enjoyable for years to come.
In 2003, Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth identified unmanaged recreation as one of the top threats facing public lands. Years of experience showed that improperly placed or unmanaged motorized routes displaced wildlife, polluted streams, and created conflicts with other public lands users. In response, the Forest Service adopted the Travel Management Rule in 2005, establishing a process for each national forest to work with the public to determine which roads and trails are open to motorized vehicles.
The rule ended unrestrained off-road and off-trail use of ATVs, motorcycles and other motorized vehicles on National Forest lands. It also established a public process for designing motorized trail systems while requiring the Forest Service to minimize impacts to soil, water, vegetation, wildlife and other recreationists. Motorized Vehicle Use Maps and trail signs show which routes are open to what types of vehicles as well as any seasonal closures needed to protect wildlife.
The result is a system that provides clear, legal access for motorized recreation while also protecting the public lands and all the other uses that people value.
Now the Forest Service is proposing to dramatically alter the Travel Management Rule. That would be a giant step backwards for our public lands.
What would change?
The Forest Service's proposal would:
Create a presumption that all existing routes would be open to motorized travel. Under the current framework, opening a route requires justification to show that motorized use on a trail would be consistent with other public lands uses. This new proposal directs the Forest Service to open existing and user-created routes on the landscape unless a closure or restriction is legally required or supported by “specific, documented and justifiable reasons.” This would require the remaining Forest Service staff to review each and every user-created route and old jammer roads and confirm again that they should be closed.
Eliminate requirements to minimize damage to soils, watersheds, vegetation and wildlife, as well as minimize conflicts among different users, when locating new trails and open motorized play areas.
Eliminate the requirement to identify a “minimum road system” that meets resource and management objectives and can realistically be maintained over time.
Allow Class I e-bikes on non-motorized trails. Class 1 e-bikes- which are currently considered motor vehicles and subject to travel management - would be exempt from motor-vehicle designation requirements and allowed on all trails where bicycles are allowed.
Existing travel plans would not immediately disappear. But changing the rule could create a one-way ratchet: pressure to add motorized routes would increase, while there would be fewer requirements to address routes that prove damaging or unsustainable.
And who would maintain all those additional routes?
Travel management creates a dependable system of roads and trails that people can safely use and the Forest Service can realistically maintain. It protects reliable access for visitors, permittees, neighboring landowners and emergency responders while reducing damage to water, wildlife and cultural resources and minimizing conflicts among users.
Travel management protects fish and wildlife
The Travel Management Rule requires the Forest Service to minimize harassment of fish and wildlife and significant disruption of habitat when designating areas and trails for motorized use.
That is an important tool for protecting habitat on National Forest lands, including habitat for deer, elk, trout and salmon. It is also why many hunting and angling organizations support retaining the rule.
Public involvement is another critical part of travel management. In 2025, the Forest Service repealed regulations requiring public notification and engagement for many projects. Without the Travel Management Rule's explicit requirements for public involvement in travel-management decisions, there would be fewer guarantees that the public will know about or have an opportunity to weigh in on changes to roads, trails and motorized areas.
Travel management keeps public lands accessible and usable
We would never manage a city by letting people drive wherever they want—across sidewalks, through parks, over playing fields or onto private property. Public lands should not be treated any differently.
Travel management provides the basic rules of the road for public lands. It identifies where cars, trucks, dirt bikes, ATVs and other motorized vehicles may travel, and where they may not.
That clarity benefits everyone. Motorized users get clear, legal and dependable routes. Hikers, hunters, anglers, horseback riders, mountain bikers and others can enjoy places without having to contend with unmanaged vehicle use. Land managers know which routes they are responsible for maintaining. Wildlife and sensitive resources receive protection where it is needed.
Travel management is basic public-land infrastructure. Maps, designated routes, seasonal restrictions, signs, enforcement standards and public planning are just as important as streets, stop signs, bike lanes, sidewalks and speed limits in a community. They are simply the tools needed to manage millions of visitors safely and fairly.
Don't throw away decades of local work
Travel plans are developed route by route, often over many years, with extensive public involvement and significant taxpayer expense. Idaho has a unique track record of resolving conflicts and building relationships among user groups. Rescinding the rules behind those plans could force agencies and communities to revisit settled decisions, invite new conflicts and litigation, and undermine millions of dollars already invested in creating workable local systems.
The goal of travel management is not less access. It is better, more durable access—access that protects the places and experiences people come to enjoy.
The Forest Service is currently in the scoping phase of its proposal and plans to complete a full Environmental Impact Statement in spring 2027, with a final rule expected in 2028.
Idahoans should weigh in now. Tell the Forest Service to retain the Travel Management Rule and the protections it provides for public access, wildlife, clean water and the long-term health of our National Forests.