Date Filed: December 12, 2018 & June 6, 2025
Status: Pending
In 2005 the U.S. Forest Service adopted a Travel Management Rule that prohibits motorized travel in national forests unless it is on pre-approved trails. Before this rule, motorized travel was generally permitted on user-created routes and trails in national forests unless restricting motorized use was necessary to avoid damaging the environment. The route pre-approval process involves numerous regulatory hurdles designed to disfavor motor vehicle use and requires a lengthy environmental review. These severe restrictions on motorized vehicle access have had the effect of keeping people out of national forests. In some national forests, as much as 90% of traditional motorized access routes are now closed.
The Travel Management Rule has had a personal impact on Amy Granat, who is an avid outdoorswoman. Amy also has cancer and an autoimmune disease, requiring her to undergo chemotherapy that caused infections in her legs and limited her ability to walk. She found a way to continue enjoying the outdoors by driving off-road vehicles on the many public routes in our national forests. These backcountry areas are vital for her medical rehabilitation, offering solace and inspiration from nature. Mobility aids like crutches, wheelchairs, or leg braces do not replace the easy access that off-road vehicles provide. The Forest Service’s rule has effectively barred Amy from national forests. National parks and forests are intended for public access, and for many, including Amy, motorized vehicles are the only means to enjoy these spaces.
Public lands are designed to be accessed by the public. National forests in particular are designed to balance outdoor recreation and resource harvesting with environmental conservation. But for decades, the federal government has increasingly favored conservation over recreation. The Travel Management Rule is one such example. The petition asks the Forest Service to appropriately balance recreation and conservation by opening user-created routes to motorized vehicles while creating a process to close specific routes that are particularly damaging to the environment. This approach allows for a greater level of public access without threatening the environment.
CAF initially filed this petition in 2018 and supplemented it in 2020. The Forest Service did not take any action on the original petition. CAF filed a renewed petition in 2025 in hopes that the Trump Administration will take action to restore public lands access.
Case Documents: