Travel Management Rule vs. Roadless Rule: What Four-Wheelers and Backcountry Explorers Need to Know
By Del Albright
Opening Summary
Federal land-management rules are shifting under our tires again. The U.S. Forest Service has proposed rescinding the Roadless Rule, and the BLM has proposed rescinding its Public Lands Rule, officially called the Conservation and Landscape Health Rule (CLHR). Both actions would unwind major conservation policies and could reshape how millions of acres of public land are managed.
Before we dive into the Travel Management Rule, MVUMs, Roadless Rule, and the realities of staying legal on the trail, keep this in mind: two huge national rules that once limited development or elevated conservation are now on the chopping block. That’s why understanding the basics — and staying involved — matters more than ever.
Most of us who live for the outdoors spend our best days behind the wheel — Jeep, 4×4, SxS, whatever — exploring America’s wild places. Many four-wheelers know the famous rock crawling trails, but more and more of us are stretching our legs into different aspects of our sport – into the mountains, canyons, forests, and historic routes of the West. Overlanding, that we used to call car-camping, where we use our 4×4 just to get farther into the backcountry, is the biggest thing to hit four-wheeling since tires were invented (ok, maybe a stretch here, smile).
If you wheel on public lands (USFS designated roads/routes/trails), two federal policies directly affect your freedom to explore:
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The Travel Management Rule (TMR)
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The Roadless Area Conservation Rule (Roadless Rule)
Both are actively under review to be either rescinded, repealed, or amended. And if you enjoy backcountry four-wheeling, overlanding, or family trail rides, you must understand what’s happening. Let’s break it down in plain language.
What Is the Travel Management Rule (TMR)?
The Travel Management Rule, finalized in 2005, is the system the U.S. Forest Service uses to decide which roads, trails, and areas are legally open to motorized travel.
If it’s not on the map, it’s not legal — period.
Under TMR:
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Every National Forest publishes a Motor Vehicle Use Map (MVUM) every year
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Only roads and trails printed on the MVUM are legal to drive
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Anything not designated is considered closed, even if it has tracks, signs of use, or historic significance
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Forests can add or remove routes every year based on their analysis and public input
For four-wheel travelers, this is the rule that shapes your access to thousands of miles of backcountry. TMR affects every motorized user who ventures out on roads, trails, and areas that have been designated for motorized use (such as Open Play, or Challenge Areas, or even sand dunes like the Oregon Dunes).
Current Status
There is no national rewrite underway, but the US Forest Service is considering repealing or amending the TMR. In the meantime, many forests are:
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Updating route designations
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Reworking their MVUMs
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Responding to lawsuits
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Revising local travel plans
Your favorite backcountry trail could be one MVUM update away from disappearing.
What About BLM Lands?
BLM is not part of the TMR, but they run a nearly identical system called Travel & Transportation Management (TTM):
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Designated routes only
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Seasonal closures
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Vehicle-specific restrictions
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Special-use rules
If you explore the desert, you’ll run into BLM plans everywhere — and understanding their process is just as important.
NOTE: The BLM designates routes, specifies which vehicles are allowed where, establishes seasonal restrictions, and establishes special-use rules. So, all of us enthusiasts need to understand how this all works where we like to play. When you leave the pavement, look for BLM route markers, use an OHV app with BLM layers, stay on numbered/designed routes, and avoid anything unposted or unmarked. Nearly all BLM backcountry is “LIMITED USE,” meaning travel is allowed only on designated routes. BLM has proposed to rescind the Conservation and Landscape Health Rule (CLHR), also referred to as the Public Lands Rule, which some user/stakeholder groups have criticized CLHR for introducing uncertainty, new “conservation leases,” and constraints in permitting recreational uses. READ the position on BLM Conservation and Landscape Health Rule on Cal4wheel’s website here.What Is the Roadless Rule?
The Roadless Area Conservation Rule (2001) restricts new road construction and development in large, undeveloped areas of National Forest land. These areas aren’t Wilderness, but they’re often managed as defacto or “close cousins” where there is.
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No new road building
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No new motorized trail development
- Very limited ability to expand motorized opportunities
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OHV use is sometimes allowed on existing routes that have been designated
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No logging or commercial development
Current Status: A Big Change is Coming
In 2025, USDA (and the current Administration) announced that they intend to rescind the Roadless Rule nationwide and started the NEPA process for that change.
This could mean:
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New management flexibility
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Possible future motorized opportunities
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Increasing pressure from competing uses (logging, mining, development)
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More emphasis on TMR to decide closures or additions
The potential end of Roadless protections does not automatically mean more motorized access — it means more uncertainty.
Why Four-Wheelers Should Care
Most of us who wheel don’t stay in one ecosystem. We venture out to:
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High Sierra dirt roads
- Rock crawling trails of the West
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Rocky desert canyons
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Backcountry fire roads
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Hunting and fishing access routes
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Historic mining corridors
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Family-friendly forest loops
If you explore anywhere beyond a designated OHV riding area, these rules directly control where you can go.
Even if you only wheel a few weekends a year — this affects you.
How TMR Can Impact Your Favorite Trails
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If a route isn’t shown on the MVUM, it’s illegal — even if it looks like a road
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Forests can and do remove routes quietly
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Anti-access groups routinely target “redundant” roads and historic mining routes
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Without user input, closures (quietly) accumulate one map at a time
You could lose access to areas you’ve driven for decades without ever receiving a notice.
This is why engagement matters.
How Roadless Rule Changes Could Affect You
If the Roadless Rule is rescinded:
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Some landscapes may open to new management options
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But large timber or industrial projects could reshape access
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Agencies may rely more heavily on TMR to justify temporary or permanent closures
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Jeepers, hunters, overlanders, and rural users may face both new opportunities and new limitations
The takeaway?
Stay alert. Stay engaged. Stay involved.
The Real Threat: Losing Access Quietly
Roadless gets the headlines, but TMR is where most of our access gets chipped away — slowly and locally.
Anti-access groups push to:
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Close spur roads
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Eliminate redundant or parallel routes
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Restrict use in historic mining areas
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Remove access to viewpoints, fire lookouts, and campsites
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Shrink motorized opportunity “to the minimum necessary”
They play the long game.
We need to play it too.
How Four-Wheelers Can Protect Access
1. Get Educated — and Stay Educated
Understand how TMR and Roadless designations affect the areas you explore.
If you ride in California, Nevada, Arizona, or Utah, these policies are shaping your maps.
2. Watch the MVUM — Every Year
MVUMs change. Sometimes drastically.
- Start with your local four-wheeling favorite trails
- Learn where to get and read MVUMs.
3. Use the Best Navigation Tools
Apps like OnX Offroad, Gaia GPS, and USFS digital MVUM layers help ensure you’re on a legal route.
4. Get Involved — Join and Support the Right Groups
This is the heart of it.
If you care about access, support the organizations who fight the battles you never hear about:
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Your state OHV association
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Local Jeep clubs and 4×4 FB groups
These groups attend hearings, file appeals, hire attorneys, and stand between you and locked gates.
5. Comment When It Counts
When the Forest Service or your representative organized recreation group asks for public input, your comments matter — especially when you’re part of an organized group.
6. Ride Smart and Responsibly
Every positive impression made by a Jeep or OHV user strengthens our position.
Key Takeaways for Jeep & 4×4 Explorers
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TMR decides which routes you can legally drive — and those maps change yearly.
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Roadless Rule changes could reshape millions of acres of National Forest land.
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Access is never guaranteed — it must be defended.
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Joining and supporting the right groups is the single most effective thing you can do.
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Use MVUMs and modern tools (OnX, Gaia) to stay legal and informed.
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The future of backcountry motorized access depends on involvement.
| Topic | Travel Management Rule (TMR) | Roadless Rule |
| Applies to | All National Forest lands | Only Inventoried Roadless Areas |
| Main goal | Designate motorized routes | Prevent road building / development |
| Motorized focus | Directly defines where we can ride/drive | Only indirectly affects access |
| Route additions | Possible through public process | Nearly impossible |
| Closures | Targeted route-by-route decisions | Landscape-wide restrictions |
| Flexibility | High | Very low |
| Biggest risk | Losing mapped routes | Losing future potential |
If you love driving your Jeep, exploring old mining roads, finding hidden campsites, and discovering America’s backcountry…
this is your fight, too.
Let’s protect our access — one map, one trail, and one voice at a time.
USFS Travel Management explained