"Rural Rd" - is it public?

[Prerylyon]

So, spent some time recently studying maps for a possible DIY hunt this fall. I've also read many articles on the landlocked BLM surrounded by private land and the network of ranch and mining roads leading to the BLM lands that are invariably shown on maps, but are actually private and require permission lest one be trespassing.

I was looking at one of the county GIS websites in WY, and there are the following layers for roads that can be selected in the map overlay:

"Pathways"
"Highway"
"Rural Road"
"Other Road"

It would be too easy, to call something "County Road"

Anyhow, I-90 shows up on this county GIS as as "Highway", that makes sense to me, I know I-90 is a public road-you're not allowed to park on most feeways-I get that and I don't want to in order to access the BLM.

Does anyone know if there is some standard to these road categories on the GIS sites? Is a "Rural Road"public?

I plan to call this county to ask as well-just wondered what the word might be on the street, no pun intended.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337Z using Tapatalk

 

[Dos Perros]

My OPINION, but if the county GIS map data maps it, then it's public. If it's not public, then what is it to them? Why map it?

 

[Againstthewind]

I missed that part last time I looked, but I think they are more maintenance categories than public or private. Like highways are plowed first, rural roads are graded and nice, good luck on pathways. It might be worth a call, but blm has some similar designations on their brochure about how good the roads are. All are county roads but not all good roads if that makes sense. There are private roads on the Campbell county GIS map I was looking at, they are marked private I the legend.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[HiMtnHnter]

So, spent some time recently studying maps for a possible DIY hunt this fall. I've also read many articles on the landlocked BLM surrounded by private land and the network of ranch and mining roads leading to the BLM lands that are invariably shown on maps, but are actually private and require permission lest one be trespassing.

I was looking at one of the county GIS websites in WY, and there are the following layers for roads that can be selected in the map overlay:

"Pathways"
"Highway"
"Rural Road"
"Other Road"

It would be too easy, to call something "County Road" ��

Anyhow, I-90 shows up on this county GIS as as "Highway", that makes sense to me, I know I-90 is a public road-you're not allowed to park on most feeways-I get that and I don't want to in order to access the BLM.

Does anyone know if there is some standard to these road categories on the GIS sites? Is a "Rural Road"public?

I plan to call this county to ask as well-just wondered what the word might be on the street, no pun intended.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337Z using Tapatalk

Lots of county gis maps do not have a clear way showing whether a road is publicly accessible or not. Lots of private roads are on the gis maps. One sure-fire way to determine this question is to phone the county sheriff and ask.

 

[Manualman]

Don't the county roads have number on them? The maps I was looking at had them numbered

 

[Prerylyon]

I like the sheriff idea-they ought to know.

Of course, til a guy gets out there, no way of knowing if the critters are on the land you're looking at-obviously if the numbers add up for an area-they got to be there somewhere. This post is regarding antelope in any of those * areas.

1st step is making sure you have a place you can legally access-either via public road on public lands or having permission for private.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337Z using Tapatalk

 

[Againstthewind]

Don't the county roads have number on them? The maps I was looking at had them numbered

. Yep, the main ones at least I think

 

[Musket Man]

I think "rural road" would be public. "Other road" could be anything. Most roads with names or numbers on blm maps will be public.

 

[go_deep]

Contact the county. A bunch of the county's I work in have private county roads, use to be public for one reason or another they got turned over to the land owner, road signs are still up, some even connect through to other road.

 

[HiMtnHnter]

Contact the county. A bunch of the county's I work in have private county roads, use to be public for one reason or another they got turned over to the land owner, road signs are still up, some even connect through to other road.

And some roads are public for a stretch, and then suddenly private. Also, this happens on national forest as well, when the map shows FS roads crossing private. Sometimes the landowner grants easement, sometimes not. And sometimes roads are closed that are shown open on the map. It's most reliable to contact the county or forest service, etc . . . If I were coming from out of state to hunt I'd want to hear it from the horses mouth before I made my plans.

 

[Againstthewind]

Yep. I should probably just leave it at the above, but I am a little bored today. My parents road for an example starts as a county road but at the end where they live is maintained and whatnot by a home owners association, so there are those situations, and other situations where the county road goes right through somebodies yard it looks like. That road from iron mountain to between chug water and wheat land was the first one like that I thought of.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[HiMtnHnter]

That road from iron mountain to between chug water and wheat land was the first one like that I thought of.


Me too. . .

 

[tperry5]

That road from iron mountain to between chug water and wheat land was the first one like that I thought of.


Me too. . .

That place you're talking about my grandparent's used to manage that ranch, and yes, it's super awkward and hard to tell if your trespassing or not and seems like the road dead ends there if you've never driven it before.

 

[Wyoming Hart]

I haven't heard of these type of situations in other states, are any others this way as well? The way I see it if a public works owns/maintains the road, the right of way, it should be open to all.

 

[Murdy]

I was able to get some good info from the local BLM office as well. Even regarding roads not on BLM, as those guys know how to access the land they manage.

 

[Yell Co AR Hunter]

I was able to get some good info from the local BLM office as well. Even regarding roads not on BLM, as those guys know how to access the land they manage.

Care to share that information with the rest of us.

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

Here in Colorado not every County is the same on how roads are signed. The County I live in signs all county roads, with the following caveat for maintenance purposes....Regular green signage for maintained roads, red signage on roads that are maintained by the residents. This usually was a private road that was turned over/deeded to the county with the proviso that the residents have to maintain the road.

When you get t BLM/FS land the roads are totally different. Very rarely are the BLM roads signed anf if you look at their maps the roads are not labeled well at all. Lots of FS roads not signed either.

The problem is that there are no rules/standardization between how counties, states, BLM & FS do their signage. They are all different. Like the old saying .....Buyer beware!

 

[hoshour]

Like was said above, asking those who use those roads is probably the best idea - BLM range managers, Fish & Game wildlife officers and biologists, the Forest Service, retired locals having coffee together, ranchers in the area...

I got a great tip on antelope from a very friendly, older ranching couple that meets a regular group for coffee at McDonalds in the morning. Not many ranchers are going to be tight-lipped about antelope like they might be about deer or elk.