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.

September 19,  2025

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)

 

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