Motorized road access planning

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources owns and maintains thousands of miles of roads on department property. The master planning process is the mechanism for the public and partners to engage in discussions about future use and development of road access on department properties.

DNR Road Inventory

As required by s. 23.116, Wis. Stats.,

"The department shall inventory and map all roads that are located on each Department property. Each map shall designate which roads are open to the public for the use of motorized vehicles and shall state when each road is open or closed for such use."

In response to this statute, the department has developed a comprehensive road inventory system for department roads. A number of considerations were used to evaluate properties, including public feedback, visitor requests for access, operational feasibility, natural resource impacts and economic benefits.

The public played a key role in creating guidance the department used to inventory, evaluate and designate roads. See the final road access guidance for more information.

Public Access Lands atlas

The department's Public Access Lands atlas provides current maps for public lands throughout Wisconsin. As properties complete motorized access planning, new property maps within the atlas will reflect these updates.