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.
Act Now:
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.
The good news is that you can let your voice be heard. The U.S. Forest Service is currently accepting comments until September 19. If you’re an individual runner not representing a group or race, we encourage you to submit a comment directly.
How to Submit a Comment
The U.S. Forest Service is currently accepting comments on the proposal to rescind the Roadless Rule. You can easily submit a comment on the official government website here. We recommend that you mention any roadless areas you’ve run in, including any races you’ve participated in that intersect roadless areas (check out the map above). Here’s some sample language:
As a trail runner who enjoys recreating in national forests, I am deeply concerned about the effort to rescind the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule. The Roadless Rule has protected millions of acres of public lands that include countless miles of trails enjoyed by runners across the country.
I care about these places because I love running in the rugged backcountry environments they provide. I do not want to run in areas damaged by industrial logging, drilling, or mining. Such activities diminish the running experience while also degrading the landscapes I and millions of others cherish.
Please do not rescind the Roadless Rule so that current and future generations of runners can continue to enjoy the special places the rule protects.
If you’re ready to submit a comment using the official government website, click here. You can copy and paste the text above if you’d like. You can also use the Outdoor Alliance’s handy comment portal that has some additional talking points to include.
Race Directors: Sign Our Joint Letter
Do you direct a trail race in the United States? Join other race directors in speaking out to protect the Roadless Rule! Trail races that take place in national forests across the country may be negatively impacted if the Roadless Rule is rescinded. This regulation prevents industrial logging, drilling, and mining while also allowing incredible recreation opportunities—including trail race events. Please consider signing this letter even if your race doesn’t intersect an inventoried roadless area. And while roadless areas in Colorado and Idaho are exempt from this attempt to rescind the Roadless Rule (they have state-specific rules in place that the administration is currently not targeting), we encourage race directors in those states to join the letter as well. There may be future attempts to remove protections for roadless areas in those states—plus, your voices are stronger together!
September 19, 2025
Re: Race Director Opposition to Rescission of the Roadless Area Conservation Rule
To Whom It May Concern:
We the undersigned race directors of road and trail running events across the United 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, 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.
Respectfully,
[Signatures of Race Directors]