ORV use on state forest roads
Public Act 288 (PA 288), enacted in Sept. 2016, required the DNR to inventory and map all state forest roads in the northern Lower Peninsula by the end of 2017, and the Upper Peninsula and southern Lower Peninsula by the end of 2018. To date, the implementation of the law has resulted in 89% of state forest roads being opened to ORV use (including roads that are open seasonally). The decisions on state forest roads that will be opened or closed to ORV use in the Upper Peninsula and southern Lower Peninsula are now in effect. The law also allows for the cross-country retrieval of deer, bear and elk using ORVs and horses. See FAQs and closure criteria.
Annual review process
The mapping and inventory process is an ongoing effort, with reviews being completed on the ground by DNR staff as well as an in-depth review of public comments each year:
- Comments on current maps are accepted until Aug. 31 each year
- Comments on proposed changes to maps are accepted during open comment periods
2021 proposed updates to Forest Road maps
Based on road assessments, data cleanup and public input received through August 31, 2020, proposed changes to state forest roads have been incorporated into maps located below.
Proposed changes to forest road maps will be reviewed and considered for approval by the DNR director at the January and February 2021 Natural Resources Commission meetings. These offer opportunities for public comment in addition to a Nov. 1- Dec. 1 public comment period. Approved changes will be incorporated into the maps and go into effect April 1, 2021.
Proposed changes can include adding roads that were previously unmapped, deleting mapped roads that no longer exist and closing/opening roads to ORV and conventional vehicle use.
Types of Road Proposals
Open to ORVs:
Roads recommended to be opened to ORV use. Proposals in this category may include roads added because of new construction or because an existing road was missed in the initial inventory. Other proposals in this category include roads that were previously closed to ORV use, but due to a change in circumstances or public input, are recommended to be opened to ORV use.
Closed to ORVs:
Roads recommended to be closed to ORV use. Proposals in this category may include newly constructed roads, roads missed in the initial inventory process or roads that were previously open and are now recommended for closure. A recommendation to close roads to ORVs could be for natural resource protection or because of user conflicts.
Closed to all vehicles:
Roads recommended to be closed to all conventional vehicles and ORVs. Proposals in this category may include roads that were previously either open or closed to ORV use and were open to use by conventional vehicles. Closure recommendations could be made due to natural resource damage, for example.
Data cleanup:
Roads recommended to be deleted and removed from the statewide forest road inventory. Proposals in this category include roads that may appear on published DNR forest road maps that no longer exist on the ground. Other proposals in this category include roads that are duplicates of an already existing road that need to be removed. Data cleanup is part of an ongoing effort to ensure accurate forest road maps.
- Printable Maps - 2021 Proposed Forest Road Changes
- Interactive map - 2021 proposed forest road changes
View proposed changes using the interactive 2021 Proposed Forest Road Changes map. If you need assistance with this map, please e-mail DNR-GIS@Michigan.gov.
Comments on state forest roads that do not currently have an existing proposal can be submitted using the Interactive Map Current Road Status link at the bottom of this page.
Current road inventory and mapping
Thousands of miles of state forest roads are open to ORV use. Mileage is effective April 1, 2020.
- Upper Peninsula: 6,181.92 miles (99.4%) of roads are open year-round to ORV use; 33.04* miles (0.6%) of roads are closed to ORV use; and there is a total of 6,214.96 miles of state forest roads.
- Northern Lower Peninsula: 6,130.33 miles (84%) of roads are open to ORV use; 1,230.03* (16%) miles of roads are closed to ORV use; and there are a total of 7,360.36 miles of state forest roads.
- Southern Lower Peninsula: 8.67 miles (2.3%) of roads are open to ORV use; 356.23* miles (97.7%) of roads are closed to ORV use; and there is a total of 364.9 miles of state forest roads.
*Included within the total road closure mileage for each region are state forest roads that are only seasonally closed to ORV use. These roads are identified on the state forest road maps and the dates that these roads are opened or closed for ORV use will be posted on signs at the site.
Current Maps
You can use the following maps to see what is open and closed to ORV use. You can also use these maps to make comments, by Aug. 31, which will be reviewed for potential action and inclusion in next year’s maps.
- Interactive Map Current Road Status
- Printable Maps Current Road Status
Public access
The purpose of state forest roads is to provide the public with access to state forest lands for recreation and to provide the DNR with access for management and land protection. State forest roads may also provide access to private lands on an incidental, nonexclusive, permissive-use basis. People may use state forest roads as long as the DNR allows them to remain open to general public use. Adjacent landowners may use state forest roads; however, unless an easement has been granted by the DNR, state forest roads do not provide legal access to private property, nor is there any guarantee that state forest roads will remain open or be passable year-round.
