Explainer

The Motor Vehicle Use Map is the document that determines where you may legally drive on National Forest System land, and it is the one most people have never opened.

What it is

An MVUM identifies the roads, trails and areas designated for motor vehicle use on a given forest, by vehicle class and frequently by season.

The governing principle is that motorised use is limited to designated routes. A route not shown as designated is not open, regardless of whether a road is visibly there.

That is the part that catches people. Old logging roads, two-tracks and user-created routes exist on the ground everywhere. Physical existence is not designation.

How to read it

Routes are marked by symbol for the class of vehicle permitted — highway-legal vehicles only, all vehicles, or vehicles under a certain width. A route open to an ATV may not be open to a full-size truck, and vice versa.

Seasonal designations appear as date ranges. A route open in August may be closed in April, usually because of surface conditions or wildlife.

Symbols for dispersed camping alongside a route are frequently included, often expressed as a permitted distance from the centreline.

MVUMs are typically black and white, deliberately sparse, and updated annually. They are free.

Why it is not a navigation map

An MVUM shows legal status, not terrain, difficulty or condition. It will not tell you a designated route requires a locker and 35s, or that a bridge is out.

It pairs with a topographic map rather than replacing one. Treating it as a trail guide is how people end up on routes their vehicle cannot handle.

Why this is changing

The framework behind MVUMs is currently under review. The Forest Service has proposed revising its travel management regulations to presume existing routes open unless a documented reason closes them.

Importantly, the proposal states that existing designations and maps remain in effect until revised. Nothing opens the day a rule is finalised — the MVUM in force today is still the MVUM that governs.

This article was researched and drafted with the assistance of AI tools and reviewed, fact-checked and edited by Leonidas Clark before publication. Confirm current route status and rules with the managing agency before you travel.