How Do I Know What Land is Public?
Finding out where the trails, camping, and public land actually are can be tricky. Luckily there are a number of options out there to help you out.
Feb 20, 2025
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Technology has made understanding land ownership easier than ever. Apps are geared specifically toward helping you plan, stay safe, and stay legal in your outdoor adventures. Some of the main players are Gaia GPS, OnX, CalTopo, and Avenza Maps, and the options are always proliferating and improving.
While each mapping app has its nuances and devotees, all share common characteristics and provide detailed maps of public and private land. In Gaia, for example, you choose a “basemap,” which provides the foundation for all other functions. You can play around with which basemap functions best for you, but some of the most common options are the United States Geological Survey Topo or Gaia Topo. On top of a basemap, other data or layers can be overlaid, including detailed information on land ownership. Apps like Gaia have several layers for this function, including private land ownership, public land ownership, and U.S. Forest Service roads and trails. You can also find topographic data, slope angle, and sometimes even 3D imagery.
Other apps, like OnX, are designed to be more activity-centric from the outset. Are you getting out on public land in search of big game? You can download OnX Hunt, which includes most of the basic functions you’ll find on Gaia but has built-in detailed ownership data of public and private land. If you’re a hiker, trail runner, mountain biker, or backcountry skier, you might try OnX Backcountry. Along with color-coded steep slope maps, topographic data, satellite imagery, and land ownership (all of which are also available in the hunt version of the app), you also get more fine-tuned data on trails. Additionally, the company owns the “Adventure Projects” suite of websites (including Mountain Project, MTB Project, Hiking Project, etc.), which provide in-app info for specific trails, approaches, and routes.
Most of these apps have free trial periods, so we encourage you to experiment, tinker, and choose the app that works best for you. Gaia, in general, has more customizability but a higher learning curve. OnX is geared towards meeting all your needs for specific activities from the outset. In addition to the apps, these programs also feature desktop versions, so you can view the maps on a bigger screen. Any app you choose should also allow you to download “offline maps” to keep you oriented even when you’re out of service.
A handful of agencies manage most public land. If you know where you want to go, you can likely find online maps tailored to that particular area. The U.S. Forest Service, for example, has an interactive web portal where you can filter by your preferred activity to find hiking trails, established campsites, and more. The Bureau of Land Management also has a handy site that compiles mapping data for all its land across the country. The same goes for the National Park Service, where you can zoom in on the park you want to visit and check out the maps for the area. The NPS App also has downloadable maps and more tools to help you explore more than 400 parks nationwide. While these websites are all useful, we generally find it easier and more streamlined to use an app like those mentioned above to find all the necessary data for all ownership types in one place. That said, the NPS, Forest Service, and BLM sites each feature important information about closures, emergencies, and other details that could shape your trip on their sites.
Don’t overthink it. Paper doesn't run out of batteries or get a broken screen. For decades, most people recreating on public land stuck to folding paper maps to plan their journeys and stay on track even throughout sprawling backcountry expeditions. Only in relatively recent years has technology changed the game.
The benefits of using paper are manifold. A paper map takes up next to no space in your pack, and you don’t have to worry about dead batteries or forgetting to download the correct area when you’re out on the trail. There’s also just something a little magical about putting hands and eyes to paper instead of a phone—there’s no replacing the sensation, physicality, and joy that comes from turning pages. Plus, part of the joy of the backcountry can be keeping your phone away and unplugging from the demands of daily life.
There are several companies that make paper maps geared toward helping you explore public land all over the country, ranging from powerhouses like National Geographic to regional experts like Cairn Cartographics. You’ll likely find paper maps for areas in your neck of the woods at your local outdoor gear store. These maps will often be region-specific, so if you’re planning a trip to another part of the country, you may need to look around online. You can check out a huge selection of maps at REI Co-op.
As you plan a hike, float, or backpacking trip, make sure to understand the laws where you live. You might notice that public land is “checkerboarded” in some areas, meaning square sections of public land are surrounded by private land on all sides. This can make access difficult in some cases, if not outright impossible. Apps like OnX feature easements data, which can help make sense of what you can legally access. It’s also worth noting that “corner crossing,” or stepping from the corner of one section of public land to the corner of another, is a legal gray area that differs from place to place and is actively playing out in the courts. Without permission from adjacent private landowners, it’s safest not to corner cross—even if you never step foot on private land. The issue of inaccessible public land is a huge topic in its own right. For more information, take a look at the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership’s report on “landlocked public lands."
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