Federal Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure — The EXPLORE Act and Public Lands Access

More than 640 million acres of federal public lands — managed by the National Park Service, Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Service, Army Corps of Engineers, and Bureau of Reclamation — are available to the American public for recreation. But the infrastructure connecting people to those lands has struggled to keep pace with demand: campsite reservation systems that crash on release day, hiking trail maps that haven't been updated in decades, rock climbing access routes left undefined, and gateway communities overwhelmed by visitor traffic without federal support. The Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences Act of 2024 (the EXPLORE Act), codified at 16 U.S.C. §§ 8411–8464, represents Congress's most comprehensive attempt in years to modernize how federal agencies manage, document, and deliver outdoor recreation opportunities. From designated long-distance mountain bike routes to broadband at developed campgrounds to new authority for agencies to partner with private operators on campsite infrastructure, the EXPLORE Act creates a framework for 21st-century public lands recreation.

Current Law (2026)

Legal Authority

• 16 U.S.C. § 8411 — Congressional policy: promote recreation on federal lands and waters consistent with applicable laws, including multiple-use and land-management requirements; coordinate recreation planning across agencies
• 16 U.S.C. § 8412 — Recreation inventory: each Secretary with responsibility for federal lands must develop and maintain an inventory and review of recreation resources on those lands and waters; inventory must be publicly accessible and updated on a regular basis
• 16 U.S.C. § 8413 — Recreation budget crosscut: within 30 days of each fiscal year end (beginning FY2025), OMB must report to Congress and publish online a crosscut of all federal recreation-related spending, broken down by agency, program, and land type; intended to create visibility into the full federal recreation investment
• 16 U.S.C. § 8421 — Long-distance biking: within 18 months of enactment, the Secretaries must designate at least 10 long-distance bike routes that use trails, primitive roads, forest roads, and BLM roads across federal lands; routes must balance recreation access with other land uses
• 16 U.S.C. § 8422 — Rock climbing: each Secretary must publish guidance for recreational rock climbing within 18 months; guidance must address access routes, anchor installations, bolting standards, and coordination with wilderness and land-use restrictions
• 16 U.S.C. § 8423 — Shooting range access: agencies must develop and maintain publicly accessible lists of shooting ranges on federal lands; Forest Service and BLM must work to identify opportunities for new public shooting ranges compatible with other land uses
• 16 U.S.C. § 8425 — Maps and access data: the Forest Service and BLM must publish GIS-compatible and printed maps of motorized and non-motorized access routes on their lands; maps must be updated on a regular cycle
• 16 U.S.C. § 8426 — Aquatic invasive species inspection: federal land agencies may inspect and clean watercraft entering or leaving federal waters to prevent the spread of invasive species (complementing the NANPCA framework); authority to require inspections as a condition of access
• 16 U.S.C. § 8441 — Gateway communities: the Secretaries must collaborate with state and local governments, Indian tribes, housing authorities, and businesses in gateway communities to address housing shortages for agency employees and seasonal workforce, visitor management, and infrastructure needs associated with federal land visits
• 16 U.S.C. § 8442 — Visitor data: establish a unified system for reporting accurate annual visitor counts for all federal recreation areas; improve consistency and comparability of visitation data across agencies
• 16 U.S.C. § 8451 — Broadband in national parks: the NPS Director must assess broadband connectivity gaps at National Parks within 1 year and create an implementation plan for improving connectivity at developed recreation sites; may enter into cooperative agreements with broadband providers
• 16 U.S.C. § 8452 — Broadband at federal recreation sites: the Secretary of the Interior may enter agreements with the Secretary of Commerce to support broadband infrastructure installation at developed recreation sites on federal lands and waters
• 16 U.S.C. § 8461 — Campsite partnership agreements: creates a pilot program allowing Forest Service and BLM to enter public-private partnership agreements for the development, operation, and maintenance of federally owned campgrounds, cabins, resorts, and visitor centers; agreements may include revenue-sharing and facility improvement requirements
• 16 U.S.C. § 8463 — Pay-for-performance recreation projects: creates a pilot program for the Secretary of Agriculture to test "pay-for-performance" projects on national forests, where private partners receive payment based on measurable recreation infrastructure outcomes
• 16 U.S.C. § 8464 — Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership Program: establishes a grant program to provide funding to units of local government, nonprofit organizations, and Indian tribes for the creation and improvement of outdoor recreation opportunities in urban and underserved communities

The Recreation Access Gap

Federal public lands receive roughly 450-500 million recreation visits per year across all agencies, with National Parks alone recording more than 300 million annual visits in recent years. This includes visits to national recreation areas, national seashores and lakeshores, and national parkways that together form the broader NPS recreation portfolio. This scale of use puts enormous pressure on infrastructure that was often built decades ago for much lower visitation levels. The EXPLORE Act addresses several specific friction points that have made public lands access frustrating for millions of Americans:

Campsite reservation systems: The Recreation.gov reservation system has been criticized for releasing popular campsites months in advance, crashing under high traffic, and favoring users with fast internet connections and flexible schedules over first-come campers. The EXPLORE Act's campsite partnership authority gives agencies new tools to expand campsite capacity through private investment, though it does not directly reform the reservation system.

Mapping and navigation: GPS-reliant recreationists have long complained that federal land maps — especially for motor vehicle routes and multi-use trails — are outdated, inconsistent across agencies, and difficult to use with modern navigation tools. Section 8425 requires GIS-compatible maps updated on a regular cycle.

Rock climbing access uncertainty: Tens of thousands of rock climbers access federal lands each year, but the rules governing fixed anchor installation, bolting, and access routes have been inconsistent and sometimes contradictory. Section 8422's guidance requirement is intended to create clear, consistent rules that protect both climbing access and land management objectives.

Urban recreation gaps: The Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership Program (§ 8464), building on the legacy of the Urban Park and Recreation Recovery Act, specifically targets communities that are far from federal public lands — urban areas where residents cannot easily access the outdoor recreation that rural residents take for granted. Grants fund urban trail development, community gardens, waterfront access, and other locally appropriate recreation improvements.

Gateway Communities

Section 8441's gateway community provisions address a chronic challenge: communities adjacent to heavily visited federal lands — Moab, Utah; Jackson Hole, Wyoming; Estes Park, Colorado — face housing shortages, workforce challenges, and infrastructure strain driven by federal land visitation that they have limited ability to manage. Federal agencies have not historically engaged with these communities on housing or economic development, viewing those as state and local issues. The EXPLORE Act directs the Secretaries to actively work with gateway communities on these challenges, a recognition that sustainable public lands recreation requires healthy communities at the gateway.

How It Affects You

If you use federal public lands for recreation: The EXPLORE Act is actively improving specific things that have frustrated public lands visitors for years. Within 18 months of the Act's January 2025 enactment (by mid-2026), federal agencies must: designate at least 10 long-distance mountain bike routes on federal lands; publish rock climbing access guidance covering anchor standards, bolting rules, and access route protocols; and publish GIS-compatible trail and road maps updatable with modern navigation tools. For day-to-day planning, the Recreation.gov reservation system (recreation.gov) remains the central access point for federal campsite reservations, permit lotteries, and trip planning. For maps and dispersed camping areas, CalTopo.com and Gaia GPS aggregate current federal land map data including BLM and Forest Service road and trail layers. If you're a mountain biker, check the International Mountain Bicycling Association's trail advocacy page (imba.com) for updates on EXPLORE Act route designations as they're announced. For rock climbing, the American Alpine Club (americanalpineclub.org) and Access Fund (accessfund.org) are tracking climbing guidance implementation. Broadband at developed campgrounds is coming — timeline depends on NPS's gap assessment and agreements with providers.

If you live or work in a gateway community (Moab, Jackson, Breckenridge, Estes Park, Sedona, and dozens of others near heavily visited federal lands): Section 8441 of the EXPLORE Act creates, for the first time, a statutory obligation for federal land agencies to actively collaborate with gateway communities on housing, workforce, and visitor management issues — not just use your roads and tax base without contributing to solutions. Federal agencies can now participate in workforce housing planning, support seasonal employee housing programs, and coordinate on visitor management strategies like timed-entry permits, alternative transportation, and infrastructure cost-sharing. To engage this provision: contact your relevant land agency's regional or district office (NPS Superintendent, Forest Service District Ranger, or BLM Field Office Manager) and ask about gateway community coordination under Section 8441. Your mayor, county commission, or planning department can request a formal coordination meeting. The Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (recreationroundtable.org) tracks federal implementation of gateway community provisions.

If you work for a federal land management agency: The EXPLORE Act creates several time-sensitive statutory requirements that agencies are actively implementing. Key deadlines from the January 2025 enactment: within 18 months, complete long-distance bike route designations, rock climbing guidance, GIS map publishing, and shooting range access lists; within 1 year, NPS broadband gap assessment and implementation plan. The campsite partnership pilot (§ 8461) creates new authority for Forest Service and BLM to enter public-private partnerships for campground and visitor facility development — a significant new tool for addressing the $12+ billion deferred maintenance backlog on federal recreation infrastructure without waiting for annual appropriations. If you're an agency employee working on recreation programs, your agency's implementation planning for the EXPLORE Act is the current priority; track it through your regional office's recreation program coordinator.

If you run an outdoor recreation business, hospitality company, or concession operation: The EXPLORE Act's campsite partnership pilot (§ 8461) and pay-for-performance pilot (§ 8463) are the most significant new federal recreation contracting authorities in decades. Under Section 8461, Forest Service and BLM can enter public-private partnership agreements to develop, operate, and maintain federally-owned campgrounds, cabins, resorts, and visitor centers — arrangements that can include revenue sharing and facility improvement requirements rather than traditional cost-plus concession contracts. Under Section 8463, the Forest Service can contract with private partners for recreation infrastructure improvements on a pay-for-performance basis tied to measurable outcomes. Both pilots are in early implementation in 2025-2026; the agencies will issue solicitations through SAM.gov. The American Recreation Coalition (funoutdoors.com) and National Association of Concessionaires (naconline.org) are the primary industry associations tracking federal recreation partnership opportunities. If you're interested in a specific opportunity, reach out directly to the relevant Forest Service or BLM district office before solicitations open — pre-solicitation engagement is common in federal recreation concession contracting.

State Variations

The EXPLORE Act is federal law governing federal lands. State and local governments have no authority over recreation management on federal public lands, though they are partners in gateway community planning under Section 8441. Many states have their own public lands recreation programs that operate alongside federal programs, and state-federal coordination is important for long-distance routes and trails that cross both federal and state ownership.

Pending Legislation

The EXPLORE Act itself was enacted in January 2025, and implementation is underway. Congressional interest in outdoor recreation access, public lands funding, and the economic contribution of outdoor recreation to rural communities is strong across party lines. Funding for the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership Program and the campsite partnership pilot will be determined by annual appropriations. No major amendments are pending as of 2026.

Recent Developments

Implementation of the EXPLORE Act began in 2025 with agency planning for the long-distance bike route designations and rock climbing guidance requirements. The BLM and Forest Service launched joint efforts to develop the GIS-compatible maps required under Section 8425. Gateway community outreach programs were initiated by the NPS and Forest Service at several high-visitation areas. The visitor data unification project under Section 8442 began the process of standardizing recreation visitation metrics across agencies — a long-sought improvement that will enable better federal recreation planning and investment decisions.