MUIRNet-News Glossaries

MVUMs – Coming Soon to a Forest Near You!

If you drive on forest roads and you don’t yet know about Motor Vehicle Use Maps, here’s some very helpful information.

Motor Vehicle Use Maps (MVUMs) are in the process of being developed by the U.S. Forest Service as part of their nationwide travel management plan. When all MVUMs are finally issued, they will definitively identify every legal OHV route on U.S. Forest land. Although the program has taken longer than planned, maps are now starting to be issued, and many more are on the way.

We’ve been attempting to collect every MVUM as it is issued in order to verify the legality of trails in our books. Obtaining finished maps has been somewhat frustrating because the program is still in its early stages. Sometimes people answering the phone at ranger stations are not aware of the program. You may have to ask for the OHV coordinator.

Information is usually available on the forest’s Web site, but sometimes it takes a while to find it. The link below really saves a lot of time. It’s kind of a general clearinghouse for MVUMs for every forest in the U.S. - http://www.fs.fed.us/recreation/programs/ohv/ohv_maps.shtml

The site lists only forests and states that have issued completed MVUMs. If your forest or state is not listed, it means there are not yet any completed MVUMs in your area. If your forest is listed, click on the link to see the available maps. Not all maps are printed; some have to be downloaded as a PDF file.

Of the four states my books cover, Arizona, California, Colorado and Utah, California and Colorado seem to have the most MVUMs done. Utah has a few and Arizona is not listed at all, yet.

Read more of this article by Chuck Wells, FunTrek Guide Books...