The Roadless Rule
Why Does it Matter to Runners?
The current administration is attempting to rescind the 2001 Roadless Rule, putting millions of acres of national forest land and countless trails and trail races at risk.
If you’ve ever been on a run in a rugged backcountry area in a national forest, there’s a chance you were enjoying a roadless area. An enormous amount of land managed by the U.S. Forest Service is considered part of an “inventoried roadless area,” a distinction that dates back to the 1970s when the agency first started mapping areas that lacked permanent roads. Many roadless areas went on to become congressionally designated Wilderness, but around 58 million acres don’t (and may never) have such a designation. These roadless areas are protected by the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule—an agency regulation that prohibits permanent roadbuilding, industrial logging, and other types of development.
At least for now.
The Trump administration has formally started a process to rescind the Roadless Rule. The 2001 regulation was not created through an act of Congress but rather by the U.S. Forest Service itself after undergoing a lengthy and robust rulemaking process that received widespread public support. Unfortunately, extractive industries are leading the charge to peel away public land protections across the country, and the Roadless Rule is one of many regulations that have been targeted.
What’s important to understand about roadless areas is that they are often recreation destinations for runners, hikers, mountain bikers, horseback riders, and off-highway vehicle enthusiasts. In fact, some of the most beloved trails like the Pacific Crest Trail or the Appalachian Trail intersect vast stretches of roadless areas. And some of the biggest trail races in the country are partially within roadless areas. Because of group size limits and permitting restrictions in designated Wilderness areas, many races on national forest land that take place in wild backcountry locations are in inventoried roadless areas.
Without the Roadless Rule, these unique running environments may be threatened by industrial logging, drilling, and mining. See our interactive map below to explore some of the trail races we’ve found are in roadless areas. Notably, roadless areas in Idaho and Colorado are exempt from this rollback effort due to some complicated legal and administrative history that resulted in modified versions of the Roadless Rule for those individual states. But it’s still vital for folks in both states to speak out in support of the nationwide Roadless Rule. This is especially true for anyone who travels to other states to run competitively or for fun on trails in roadless areas. There’s also always a chance that the state-specific regulations in Idaho and Colorado may be targeted in the future.
Over 600,000 people around the country submitted comments supporting the Roadless Rule during a short, 21-day comment period in September 2025. Runners for Public Lands submitted a letter detailing why roadless areas are important to runners. We also spearheaded a letter signed by 92 race directors who organize nearly 550 running events across 34 states. The running community continues to show its collective support for public lands in a big way.
So, what happens next? The administration will now develop an environmental impact statement analyzing the effects of rescinding the Roadless Rule. Nobody knows exactly when a draft version of this document will be released, but we do expect there to be another public comment period when this happens. In the meantime, we’re asking individual runners and race directors to contact their members of Congress to urge them to support the Roadless Area Conservation Act, a bill that would turn the Roadless Rule into law. The bill would ensure that administrations would not be able to alter or rescind the rule unilaterally.
If you’ve ever been on a run in a rugged backcountry area in a national forest, there’s a chance you were enjoying a roadless area. An enormous amount of land managed by the U.S. Forest Service is considered part of an “inventoried roadless area,” a distinction that dates back to the 1970s when the agency first started mapping areas that lacked permanent roads. Many roadless areas went on to become congressionally designated Wilderness, but around 58 million acres don’t (and may never) have such a designation. These roadless areas are protected by the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule—an agency regulation that prohibits permanent roadbuilding, industrial logging, and other types of development.
At least for now.
The Trump administration has formally started a process to rescind the Roadless Rule. The 2001 regulation was not created through an act of Congress but rather by the U.S. Forest Service itself after undergoing a lengthy and robust rulemaking process that received widespread public support. Unfortunately, extractive industries are leading the charge to peel away public land protections across the country, and the Roadless Rule is one of many regulations that have been targeted.
What’s important to understand about roadless areas is that they are often recreation destinations for runners, hikers, mountain bikers, horseback riders, and off-highway vehicle enthusiasts. In fact, some of the most beloved trails like the Pacific Crest Trail or the Appalachian Trail intersect vast stretches of roadless areas. And some of the biggest trail races in the country are partially within roadless areas. Because of group size limits and permitting restrictions in designated Wilderness areas, many races on national forest land that take place in wild backcountry locations are in inventoried roadless areas.
Without the Roadless Rule, these unique running environments may be threatened by industrial logging, drilling, and mining. See our interactive map below to explore some of the trail races we’ve found are in roadless areas. Notably, roadless areas in Idaho and Colorado are exempt from this rollback effort due to some complicated legal and administrative history that resulted in modified versions of the Roadless Rule for those individual states. But it’s still vital for folks in both states to speak out in support of the nationwide Roadless Rule. This is especially true for anyone who travels to other states to run competitively or for fun on trails in roadless areas. There’s also always a chance that the state-specific regulations in Idaho and Colorado may be targeted in the future.
Over 600,000 people around the country submitted comments supporting the Roadless Rule during a short, 21-day comment period in September 2025. Runners for Public Lands submitted a letter detailing why roadless areas are important to runners. We also spearheaded a letter signed by 92 race directors who organize nearly 550 running events across 34 states. The running community continues to show its collective support for public lands in a big way.
So, what happens next? The administration will now develop an environmental impact statement analyzing the effects of rescinding the Roadless Rule. Nobody knows exactly when a draft version of this document will be released, but we do expect there to be another public comment period when this happens. In the meantime, we’re asking individual runners and race directors to contact their members of Congress to urge them to support the Roadless Area Conservation Act, a bill that would turn the Roadless Rule into law. The bill would ensure that administrations would not be able to alter or rescind the rule unilaterally.
We see that you’re viewing this page on your phone—click the button below to see our interactive map. If the map doesn’t load on your phone, we recommend revisiting this page on desktop (the map is also much easier to use on a computer).
Race Director Joint Letter
Thank you to the 92 race directors who signed our joint letter to the Trump administration. These race directors represent nearly 550 running events across 34 states. The letter asks the administration to retain the Roadless Rule as it protects large swaths of public land where some of the biggest and most beloved races take place. You can see the submitted letter here.
Director, Ecosystem Management Coordination
201 14th Street SW
Mailstop 1108
Washington, DC 20250-1124
Re: Race Director Opposition to Rescission of the Roadless Area Conservation Rule
To Whom It May Concern:
We, the undersigned 92 race directors of nearly 550 road and trail running events across 34 states, write to express our strong opposition to any effort to rescind the Roadless Area Conservation Rule (“Roadless Rule”). Our races take place in some of the most iconic landscapes in the nation, many of which are located in or adjacent to Inventoried Roadless Areas managed by the U.S. Forest Service. These landscapes are the lifeblood of our events and the communities that host them, and the integrity of the Roadless Rule is essential to their continued vitality.
Adopted in 2001, the Roadless Rule protects nearly 58.5 million acres of national forest land by prohibiting most new road construction. These protections safeguard ecosystems that are indispensable for wildlife habitat, watershed health, and climate resilience, while also preserving the very qualities that define the sport of trail running. The wild, undeveloped terrain of Roadless Areas provides courses that challenge athletes physically and mentally, while the unfragmented forests and sweeping vistas lend each race a character that cannot be replicated in roaded or developed settings. The ecological health of these areas—clean air, pure water, and intact forests—forms the foundation upon which our sport rests.
Our events are not only athletic competitions; they are cultural gatherings that generate significant economic and community benefits. Each year, small mountain towns such as Auburn, CA; Waterville Valley, NH; Logan, UT; Dayton, WY; and many others welcome thousands of runners, families, and supporters from across the country and the world. Local businesses thrive during race weekends, and the reputation of these communities as outdoor destinations grows with every participant who experiences the beauty and wildness of the surrounding forests. The loss of Roadless protections would jeopardize this sustainable economic model, threatening not only the identity of our races but also the economic lifelines of the communities that host them.
Trail running is one of the fastest-growing outdoor sports in the United States, drawing athletes from every state and from around the world. Our races rely on landscapes that remain wild, undeveloped, and free from the scars of industrial activity. Once roads are built and forest character is degraded, these values cannot be restored. For our athletes, for the communities we represent, and for future generations of runners who deserve the chance to experience these landscapes in their full integrity, we urge the Forest Service to maintain the Roadless Rule in full force.
Sincerely,
[Signatures of Race Directors]
Race Directors Signed On
(Alphabetical)
- Steve Aderholt, Cocodona 250
- Jesse Armijo, Mt. Taylor 50k
- Bryant Baker, Rim to River 100
- Kat Baker, Mount Laguna Trail Marathon
- Victor Ballesteros, Tamalpa Headlands 50k
- Robert Becker, KEYS100 Ultramarathon
- Sharon Bennett, FullMoon 25k and 50k
- Emily Berriochoa, Wilson Creek Frozen 50k
- Brad Bishop, Never Summer 100k
- Eric Bone, Middle Fork Trail Run
- Melanie Boone, That's No Moon Trail Races
- Eric Borer, Summit North Trail Runs
- Magda Boulet, Miwok 100K Trail Race
- Porter Bratten, Devil's Gulch
- Lauren Calcagno, Butte To Butte
- Julian Carr, Cirque Series
- Kirk Cherep, Knobstone 50
- Chris Cloyd, Point Mariah Trail Marathon
- Austin Corbett, Kahtoola Uphill
- Scott Crellin, Cuyamaca 100K Endurance Run
- Gerad Dean, Headwaters Trail Runs
- Megan DeHaan, Crazy Mountain 100
- Mark Donovan, Boilermaker
- Noah Dougherty, Mogollon Monster 100
- Peter Downing, Running Up For Air - Staunton Rocks
- Cody Draper, Bear 100
- Trisha Drobeck, Missoula Marathon Weekend
- Mathias Eichler, Beast of Big Creek
- Kim Field, Gobble Gobble
- Julie Fingar, Rio Del Lago 100 Mile Endurance Run
- Kayla Fitzgerald, Hell Hole Hundred
- Dale Garland, Hardrock Hundred Mile Endurance Run
- Brian Goldman, Mile Madness Endurance Run
- Justin Grigg, City to Sky Trail Races
- Sean Harrasser, Dark Divide 100 Mile Endurance Run
- Jakob Herrmann, Angeles National Forest Trail Race 25/50K
- Marie Hughes, Silicon Valley Kids Triathlon
- Renee Janssen, Mountain Lakes 100
- Jenny Joyes, Sinks Canyon Trail Races
- Leslie Keener, Running Up For Air
- Jeremy Kershaw, Heck of the North Gravel Classic
- Max King, Bend Marathon
- Aimee Kohler, Climb It For Climate
- Chris Kostman, Badwater 135 Ultramarathon
- Nick Kovaleski, A Runner's Mind Gobble Wobble
- Dick Kresser, Kulshan Randonnée
- John Lacroix, Silverheels Trail Runs
- Cliff Lentz, Star City San Bruno Mountain Half Marathon
- Ki Levinsky, Wild Goose Trail Festival
- Shelby Ling, Noble Canyon 50k
- Aaron Long, Gorge Waterfalls
- Brendan Madigan, Broken Arrow Skyrace
- Kelsey McGill, Cline Buttes Trail Races
- Sean Meissner, Peterson Ridge Rumble
- Bea Mickelson, LOViT 100 mile/100k
- Brian Mister, Around the Crown 10K
- Krissy Moehl, Chuckanut 50k
- Stephen Moylan, Run Baby Run
- Jess Mullen, Cascade Crest 100
- Amy Nelson, Baker Trail UltraChallenge
- Matthew Nelson, Flagstaff to Grand Canyon Stagecoach Ultra
- Kyle Osborne, Helena Hundred
- Nicholas Panebianco, Alexandria Running Festival
- Amanda Pennington, Elder Creek Night Runs
- Allison Powell, Montana Meltdown
- Mauricio Puerto, Coyote Two Moon
- Jenifer Rishel, Burney Mountain 100
- Kayla Robertson, Moran Constitutional Relay
- George Ruiz, Tahoe Rim Trail Endurance Run 100M/100K/50K
- Amy Rusiecki, Vermont 100 Endurance Race
- Andrew Ruthenbeck, Kokanee Trail Runs
- Caryn Sandoval, Black Mountain 50k
- Craig Schmidt, Marin Ultra Challenge
- Nathan Schwab, Newton Hills Trail Races
- Jan Seeley, Christie Clinic Illinois Marathon
- Stacey Shaver, Arkansas Traveller 100
- Jennifer Shultis, Olympic Mountains Trail Races
- Marina Steerman, City to Sky 50K & 25K
- Paul Stofko, Crazy Legs 10k Trail Run
- Craig Thornley, Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run
- Tim Tollefson, mammoth trailfest.
- Gilbert Turner, Bluewater Canyon Trail Race
- James Varner, Orcas Island 100M
- Coleen Voeks, Tale of Two Trails
- Katie Wallace, Over the Rainbow Runs
- Katie Warren, Echo Valley
- Neil Weintraub, Soulstice Mountain Trail Run
- Daniel Weissauer, Bulldog Ultra
- Holly West, Spring Forward
- Brandon Wood, Resurrection Pass 100 Miler
- Hilary Yang, the MAMMOTH 200
- Marian Yasuda, HURT 100