Why are some areas open to motorized off-road vehicle use (think the Uintas, Logan, or Skyline), while other areas, like the Central Wasatch, are more restricted? That’s largely because of the Forest Service’s Travel Management Rule (TMR) which is the framework that guides motorized use on public lands by publicly mapping which roads, trails, and areas are open (and closed) to motorized use. The goal of the rule is to balance motorized access with wildlife, water, other recreation, public safety, and the Forest Service’s ability to maintain its roads and trails.
Currently, the rule makes public lands “closed to motorized use unless designated open.” The proposed change would reverse that approach, making public lands “open to motorized use unless specifically designated closed to motorized use.”
This past May, the current administration announced the repeal of two executive orders (EOs) and directed federal land management agencies, including the Forest Service and BLM, to rescind or revise their regulations implementing these EOs. The Forest Service recently started the process of rewriting the TMR, and the public comment period is open through September 23, 2026 at 10:00 pm mountain time, so we need you to speak up!
The good news is that, as of now, the Forest Service is looking to revise rather than fully repeal the TMR, and existing travel-management decisions would not disappear immediately.
The bad news? The changes could dramatically alter the balance of recreation on public lands.
Why does this matter in the Wasatch?
For winter recreation, a separate part of the rule addresses over-snow vehicles like snowmobiles. To our knowledge, the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest has existing winter motorized-use maps and restrictions, but they are fairly limited and have never been consolidated into a comprehensive Over-Snow Vehicle Travel Management Plan under the 2015 OSV rule, which falls under the TMR umbrella.
That makes the future of winter travel management in the Wasatch an important question. We don’t yet know exactly how the proposed changes would affect our existing winter travel restrictions or future planning. We’ve reached out to our local Salt Lake Forest Service Ranger District and Salt Lake Public Utilities to learn more about how changing the rules could make it harder for local land managers to protect areas from expanding motorized use and could reduce opportunities for the public to weigh in on those decisions.
We’ve also reached out to the Utah Snowmobile Association to learn their take. We are hopeful that we can work together to defend important elements of the TMR while addressing concerns around motorized recreation and helping maintain the existing balance.
WBA will continue working with our partners to understand what these changes mean for the Central Wasatch and will keep you posted!
What can you do?
The Forest Service is accepting public comments on the proposed rule through September 23, 2026.
Our colleagues at Winter Wildlands Alliance have been a huge help here. For more detailed information on the national impacts, visit their website and watch their new short film on Travel Management.
