Title 16 — ConservationRelease 119-73

§271c Access roads

Title 16 › Chapter CHAPTER 1— - NATIONAL PARKS, MILITARY PARKS, MONUMENTS, AND SEASHORES › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER XXIX— - CANYONLANDS NATIONAL PARK › § 271c

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Gives the Secretary the power to choose where entrance roads to Canyonlands National Park will be placed from United States Route 160 and State Routes 24 and 95. The Secretary can pick spots for entrances, visitor and administrative sites outside the park and can get the needed land by donation, purchase, condemnation, exchange, or other means. Rights-of-way bought outside the park for these roads must average no more than 125 acres per mile, and those sites will be run under rules the Secretary creates. The Secretary can build, rebuild, improve, and keep up the roads, bridges, and utilities needed, using National Park Service funds. If any part of a road crosses national forest land, the Secretary must get approval from the Secretary of Agriculture before building that part. The Secretary may also work with the Secretary of Agriculture to locate and extend a forest road from State Route 95 to the park.

Full Legal Text

Title 16, §271c

Conservation — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)In order to provide suitable access to the Canyonlands National Park and facilities and services required in the operation and administration of the park, the Secretary may select the location or locations of an entrance road or roads to such park and to points of interest therein from United States Route 160 and State Routes 24 and 95, including necessary entrance and related administrative headquarters sites upon lands located outside the park, and he may select a suitable location or locations outside the park for connections between entrance roads and between roads lying within the Canyonlands National Park.

(b)To carry out the purposes of this section, the Secretary may acquire non-Federal lands or interests in lands by donation, purchase, condemnation, exchange, or such other means as he may deem to be in the public interest: Provided, That lands and interests in lands acquired outside the park as rights-of-way for said entrance roads and connections shall not exceed an average of one hundred twenty-five acres per mile. Rights-of-way and entrance and administrative sites acquired pursuant to this authority shall be administered pursuant to such special regulations as the Secretary may promulgate in furtherance of the purposes of this section.

(c)The Secretary may construct, reconstruct, improve, and maintain upon the lands or interests in lands acquired pursuant to this section, or otherwise in Government ownership, an entrance road or roads and connections of parkway standards, including necessary bridges and other structures and utilities as necessary, and funds appropriated for the National Park Service shall be available for these purposes: Provided, That if any portion of such road or roads crosses national forest land the Secretary shall obtain the approval of the Secretary of Agriculture before construction of such portion shall begin.

(d)The Secretary is hereby authorized to cooperate with the Secretary of Agriculture in the location and extension of a forest development road from State Route 95 and may extend the same from the national forest boundary to the park and points of interest therein in accordance with the applicable provisions of this section.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

16 U.S.C. § 271c

Title 16 — Conservation

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73