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Motor Vehicle Use Maps

Introduction
In compliance with the November 2005 USDA Final Rule for Motorized Vehicle Recreation in National Forests and Grasslands, each national forest is required to identify and designate those roads, trails and areas that are open to motor vehicle use. Some national forests, including the National Forests in North Carolina, have already established systems of roads and trails designated and managed for motorized use.  The new rule does not require those units to change existing plans. However, all national forests are required to publish  motor vehicle use maps and make them available to the public.

These maps are legal documentation displaying the roads and trails that are open to public motor vehicle use.  If a road or trail does not appear on the map it means that it is not open to public vehicular use. The map will be reviewed and updated annually.

The motor vehicle use maps for each ranger district are available at USDA Forest Service offices in Asheville,  Burnsville, Franklin, Murphy, Nebo, New Bern, Pisgah Forest, Robbinsville and Troy, North Carolina.

The motor vehicle use maps are black and white and do not provide much information besides the roads and trails open to motor vehicles.  They are not designed to provide detailed recreation information (hunters, hikers, etc.). The maps only show open roads.  For detailed recreation information, including a number of recreation brochures and trail maps please refer to http://www.cs.unca.edu/nfsnc/recreation/recreate.htm.  Additional national forest maps, such as  forest visitor maps or  trail maps that show open and closed roads, trails (hiking, biking, horse), recreation sites, etc. are also available  for sale at Forest offices and online at the  Cradle of Forestry Interpretive Association Map Store. These maps show much greater detail than the motor vehicle use maps do.

There are no changes to where motorized vehicles are permitted in the National Forests in North Carolina – no open roads have been closed & no closed roads have been opened as a result of the rule requiring the maps.

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This page was last updated October 03, 2007

 

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