Off-Road Vehicles on National Forests: What the New Federal Order Means

 8 min read

Off-Road Vehicles on National Forests: What the New Order Means

Off-road vehicles on national forests sit at the center of a fast-moving federal policy shift. On May 29, 2026, the president signed an executive order removing two rules from the 1970s. Soon after, reporters described a draft Forest Service memo aimed at opening millions of acres to motorized recreation. For anyone who wheels, the news raises one practical question: where are you allowed to drive now?

Start with the scale. The Forest Service manages 193 million acres across the country. Within those lands sit 5.18 million acres of recommended wilderness, and the draft memo would review whether such areas open to year-round recreation. As a result, the debate touches some of the wildest terrain in the lower 48.

Still, the order does less than the headlines suggest. Off-trail driving stays illegal everywhere on public land. Designated wilderness also stays closed to motor vehicles. Instead, the change would expand the number of legal routes and recreation areas, not erase the rule book or relax the older OHV restrictions overnight.

This guide breaks down what the executive order did, what the Rollins memo proposes, and how the rules apply to your rig. Throughout, we stick to reported facts and name every source, so you are able to follow the story as it develops.

Key Facts at a Glance

Detail	Figure
Executive order date	May 29, 2026
Orders rescinded	EO 11644 (1972), EO 11989 (1977)
Agency in focus	U.S. Forest Service (193 million acres)
Acreage under review	Up to 5.18 million acres of recommended wilderness
Trails within that acreage	3,325 miles
Protected species habitat	30 endangered or threatened species
Off-trail driving	Illegal on all public land
Designated wilderness	Closed to motor vehicles (Wilderness Act, 1964)

What the Executive Order Did

The executive order signed on May 29 rescinds two older directives. President Richard Nixon signed the first, Executive Order 11644, in 1972. It created a unified federal policy for off-road vehicles and set a framework for designating which trails allowed motorized use. President Jimmy Carter signed the second, Executive Order 11989, in 1977. It let agency heads close areas where off-road use caused considerable damage to soil, vegetation, wildlife, or cultural resources.

The White House calls both orders burdensome and outdated. According to the administration, modern mapping technology now detects off-road use in sensitive areas, so the 1970s framework is redundant. Officials also argue the orders blocked resource development on federal land. Notably, the new order itself does not redraw a single trail boundary. Rather, it removes the policy scaffolding the older OHV restrictions provided, which leaves the next moves to individual agencies.

The Rollins Memo and 5.18 Million Acres

The bigger move sits in a draft secretarial memo from Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, first reported by The New York Times on June 5. The memo directs the Forest Service to review roads, trails, areas, airstrips, and waterways in every national forest from Alaska to southern New Mexico and east to South Carolina. Specifically, it targets places currently closed to motorized recreation to see which might open year-round.

Within the agency’s 193 million acres sit 5.18 million acres of recommended wilderness. These are lands the Forest Service has flagged as untrammeled and worthy of formal wilderness protection, a status which bans motor vehicles. According to The Wilderness Society, those 5.18 million acres hold 3,325 miles of trails and habitat for 30 endangered or threatened species. The same lands include 2.3 million acres rated important for biodiversity and 1.5 million acres important for clean surface drinking water in the West.

For context on how dispersed recreation works on these lands, see our guide to camping on National Forest land. Because the review spans every national forest, the eventual footprint depends on which closed routes each forest reopens.

What Changes and What Stays the Same

Here is the part most reports blur. The order expands where motorized recreation is legal, yet it keeps the core rules in place. First, off-trail driving stays illegal on public land. There is no single federal statute spelling this out; instead, separate codes apply by location. Title 43 Part 420 governs Bureau of Land Management areas, while Title 36 covers the National Park System. Both limit off-road vehicles to officially designated routes.

Second, designated wilderness stays closed. The Wilderness Act of 1964 bans motor vehicles, motorized equipment, and other mechanical transport inside designated wilderness, and the new order does not cite or touch the law. Recommended wilderness is different. Because it carries no final designation, an agency head holds room to change its status. For this reason, the Rollins memo focuses on recommended wilderness rather than designated areas.

Whatever opens, the responsible-use standard does not move. Our leave no trace principles guide still applies on every route, designated or new.

Where You Are Allowed to Drive Off-Road Vehicles on National Forests Now

So where does this leave your weekend plans? For now, the rules on the ground are unchanged. You are allowed to drive off-road vehicles on national forests only on designated roads, trails, and open areas. Leaving a marked route still risks fines and, in some cases, prison time under the federal codes above.

Maps remain your most useful tool. Forest Service motor vehicle use maps show every legal route, and many overlanders cross-check them with topo apps before a trip. To scout quieter ground, our guide to finding sites off Forest Service roads walks through reading public-land boundaries. As new routes open, expect the agency to publish updated travel management maps, so check the current map before each run.

What Counts as an Off-Road Vehicle

Federal rules define an off-road vehicle more narrowly than most drivers assume. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration counts a vehicle as off-road if it has four-wheel drive or a gross vehicle weight rating of at least 6,000 pounds. Beyond one of those traits, the vehicle needs four of five features: an approach angle of 28 degrees or more, a breakover angle of 14 degrees or more, a departure angle of 20 degrees or more, and either 7.8 inches of ground clearance or 7.1 inches of axle clearance.

Off-highway vehicles, or OHVs, cover a wider mix. The category includes SUVs, side-by-sides, ATVs, snowmobiles, dirt bikes, and dune buggies. Increasingly, mountain bikes and e-bikes enter the same land-use conversations. Because the definitions stayed untouched, the new order changes where these machines run, not what qualifies as one.

Where the Debate Stands

Off-road advocacy groups welcomed the order. The California Off-Road Vehicle Association called the change positive news and pointed to the principle of multiple use on public land. Separately, the Blue Ribbon Coalition framed it as a chance to revisit old closures. For these groups, the move restores public land access lost to decades of trail closures.

Conservation groups pushed back hard. Paul Sanford of The Wilderness Society warned the memo would open some of the wildest national forest land to development and motorized activity, and he said restoring those areas to wilderness eligibility would then be nearly impossible. Backcountry Hunters and Anglers raised a different concern. Jack Polentes, a policy manager for the group, argued motorization is not the same as access, and he warned about overcrowding and damage to backcountry habitat.

Numbers frame the stakes. When Nixon signed his 1972 order, the country held about 5 million off-road vehicles. Registrations have climbed sharply since. Arizona saw OHV use grow 347 percent over a decade, while Colorado resident registrations rose 219 percent between 2000 and 2014, according to the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation. Notably, more than 80 percent of off-highway and mountain bike trail opportunities in the West already sit on BLM and Forest Service land, which is why public land access carries such weight in this fight. We covered the same trail-access stakes in our public-land access coverage of the Bronco Filson.

What It Means for Where You Wheel

For the 4×4 and OHV community, the practical takeaway is narrow for now. No trail opened the moment the order was signed. The Forest Service still has to review routes and publish new maps before any recommended wilderness changes status. Until then, the legal map you used last month is the legal map today.

Watch two things next. First, the final Rollins memo, which would set the review in motion across all national forests. Second, any parallel move from Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, who oversees the National Park System, BLM, and Fish and Wildlife Service lands. Reports note Interior has not yet issued a similar order, so park and BLM rules hold for now.

Either way, the responsible-use standard does not move. Staying on designated routes protects both the terrain and the access itself, because repeated damage is the fastest path to a new closure. For a deeper read on the legal codes, The Drive published a clear breakdown of the order. Tread lightly, check the current map, and the trails stay open for the next rig.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are you allowed to drive off-road anywhere in a national forest now?

No. Off-trail driving stays illegal on all public land. Off-road vehicles on national forests are limited to designated roads, trails, and open areas, even after the new order. Leaving a marked route still carries fines and possible jail time.

What did Trump’s off-road vehicle executive order do?

It rescinded two executive orders from the 1970s, EO 11644 and EO 11989. Those orders built the federal framework for regulating off-road use and let agencies close damaged areas. The new order removes the scaffolding but does not change any trail boundary by itself.

What is the difference between designated and recommended wilderness?

Designated wilderness holds permanent protection under the Wilderness Act of 1964, which bans motor vehicles. Recommended wilderness is land the Forest Service flagged for protection without final approval. Because it lacks designation, an agency head holds more room to open it to motorized recreation.

How many acres of national forest might open to off-road vehicles?

The draft memo targets up to 5.18 million acres of recommended wilderness, out of the 193 million acres the Forest Service manages. The Wilderness Society reports those lands hold 3,325 miles of trails and habitat for 30 threatened or endangered species.

Is it still illegal to leave a designated trail on public land?

Yes. Both BLM rules under Title 43 and Park Service rules under Title 36 limit off-road vehicles to designated routes. The recent order did not change either code. Going off-trail still risks penalties, including fines and prison time.

What counts as an off-road vehicle under federal rules?

The NHTSA definition requires four-wheel drive or a 6,000-pound gross weight rating, plus four of five geometry features covering approach, breakover, and departure angles and ground or axle clearance. OHV categories also include ATVs, side-by-sides, dirt bikes, and snowmobiles.