US Forest Service

Learn about camping and boondocking in national forests and grasslands.

Can You Drive on Forest Service Roads?

Can You Drive on Forest Service Roads?

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Yes, you can drive on Forest Service roads. The U.S. Forest Service allows everyone to drive their vehicle on all Forest Service roads as long as the roads are not closed off with a locked gate. However, it also depends on what kind of vehicle you are driving.

can you drive on forest service roads
Forest Service Road S613, San Bernardino National Forest, CA

Can You Drive on Forest Service Roads?

All Forest Service roads are open to the public. The only roads that are not open are those that are closed off with a locked gate, or barricaded off with a sign saying, “Road Closed”. Otherwise, as long as the road is open, it’s open to the public.

However, it also depends on what kind of vehicle you are driving or riding.

About Half of All Forest Service Roads Are Off-Limits to Non-Street Legal Vehicles

About half of all Forest Service Roads are classified as being off-limits to non-street legal vehicles. That is, only street legal vehicles can drive them. These roads are typically paved, but many others are dirt or gravel. In all cases, these roads are the “main” Forest Service roads and are intended strictly for the general populace.

By contrast, most of the smaller Forest Service roads that branch off the main roads are open to both street-legal and non-street vehicles.

Street Legal Vehicles Versus Non-Street Legal

The U.S. Forest Service classifies every vehicle in terms of “street legal” and “non-street legal”. The terms, “off highway vehicle”, “off road vehicle”, “OHV”, “UTV”, or “ATV”, does not mean anything to them.

A street legal vehicle is simply a vehicle that can legally drive on public roads within that state. This also means it has to be legally registered in that state, and meets all other legal requirements. A Polaris RZR or Yamaha Raptor can still be considered a street-legal vehicle as long as it meets all the state requirements for street use.

By contrast, a non-street legal vehicle is any vehicle that does not meet the legal requirements to be driven or ridden in that state.

How to Tell Which Roads Are Which

The only way to know which roads are open to all vehicles, and which roads are off-limits to non-street legal, is to look at a “Motor Vehicle Use Map”.

Each national forest and grassland publishes its own Motor Vehicle Use Map. This map illustrates which roads are which…

how to use motor vehicle use map
Motor Vehicle Use Map for Angeles National Forest, CA

In the map above…

  • Forest Roads with two solid black lines are limited to just street legal vehicles only.
  • Forest Roads with black & white blocks are open to all vehicles.

Where to Get Motor Vehicle Use Maps

  • Each national forest and grassland will have printed copies of these maps at a visitor center or ranger station.
  • Most forests and grasslands offer downloadable PDF copies of their maps. To find them, go to the U.S. Forest Service website (click here), and then drill down to a specific forest or grassland.
  • FreeRoam is a boondocking app that actually has most of the Motor Vehicle Use Maps built-in. Read more about Free Roam here, “Using FreeRoam to Find New Boondocking Sites“.

Read Related Articles

Download Related Documents

Santa Rosa & San Jacinto Mountains National Monument Map & Brochure - US Forest Service & Bureau of Land Management, 2023

LBJ National Grasslands Camping Map - US Forest Service, 2020

Motor Vehicle Use Map, San Bernardino North - San Bernardino National Forest, 2023

Motor Vehicle Use Map, San Jacinto Ranger District - San Bernardino National Forest, 2023

Visitor Information & Map - Land Between the Lakes NRA, 2023

General Camping Rules - Land Between the Lakes NRA, 2022

West Sedona Camping and Campfire Prohibitions, Rules - Coconino National Forest, Red Rock Ranger District, 2022

West Sedona Camping and Campfire Prohibitions, Map - Coconino National Forest, Red Rock Ranger District, 2022

2 thoughts on “Can You Drive on Forest Service Roads?”

  1. In the state of Tennessee I have my side by side tagged and street legal is a class 1 tag good on forestry road in Cherokee national park in Tennessee

    Reply
  2. Since the 1940’s the land has been in family the Cherokee Forest next to my property telling me cannot drive on road to get to my property.

    Reply

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