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State forest roads

An unpaved forest road winds into the autumn woods of northern lower Michigan

State forest roads

Three ORVs going down a road in a golden autumn forest

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.
  • Comments on proposed changes to maps are accepted during open comment periods.
  • Approved changes are incorporated into the maps and go into effect April 1.
  • Read the 2024 road inventory review summary

    Types of road proposals

    • 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.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • 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.

    Find answers to commonly asked questions about the forest roads inventory process, and view the criteria used to determine when roads will be closed to ORV use.

    ORV use on state forest roads FAQs