Approved 2022-23 winter travel management plans for Steese National Conservation Area and White Mountains National Recreation Area will give the public access to transportation routes in public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management north of Fairbanks, Alaska.
The public can engage in motorized and non-motorized recreational activities, a Nov. 3 BLM news release said.
“The plans provide a wide range of recreation opportunities just a few hours’ drive north of the Fairbanks area where there is increasing demand for outdoor recreation,” Eastern Interior Field Office Manager Tim Hammond said in the release. “These plans provide for public safety and will allow the BLM to improve public land access, while conserving the outdoor environment that we all enjoy.”
Travel limitations and route networks are established for approximately 2.3 million acres of public lands, “including the 1-million-acre White Mountains National Recreation Area; the 1.2-million-acre Steese National Conservation Area; two Wild and Scenic Rivers corridors totaling 138,000 acres; and smaller parcels outside of Congressionally designated areas,” the release said.
White Mountains’ approved travel management plan for the winter is available online. Steese National Conservation Area’s plan also is available online.
“Summer off-highway vehicle travel is only allowed on designated routes in portions of the White Mountains National Recreation Area and in much of the Steese National Conservation Area; new designations allow for e-bike recreationalists to ride on select non-motorized trails within the White Mountains National Recreation Area; 12 miles of motorized route connections added to create more loop systems within the White Mountains National Recreation Area,” the release said. “Designations for larger motor vehicle sizes and limited off-route game retrieval for trails in important caribou harvest areas, allowing the use of some side-by-sides provides greater access to caribou hunters within the Steese National Conservation Area. Nearly 200 miles of motorized routes are designated in the Steese National Conservation area to create a new BLM-managed summer route network.”
