When thinking of public lands in this country, most people are swept to thoughts of the national parks, monuments, and other iconic lands held for preservation and recreation—the ones managed by the National Park Service. If you live outside the Western United States, you may not be aware of another major sector of public lands — those managed by the Bureau of Land Management, known as BLM lands. Think of the BLM like the swiss-army knife of public lands; they exist for multi-purpose use, not only for a wide range of active pursuits, but also for cattle grazing, energy development, mining, logging, and other area-specific uses that benefit the local region both recreationally and economically. To achieve its multi-use and sustained-yield mission, the bureau states that it:

“…manages public lands to maximize opportunities for commercial, recreational, and conservation activities.  This promotes healthy and productive public lands that create jobs in local communities while supporting traditional land uses such as responsible energy development, timber harvesting, grazing, and recreation, including hunting and fishing.”

You might be wondering, what that means for you. Let’s dive into it.

With Great Size Comes Great Opportunities for All

Something to know about BLM land is that it is immense—the bureau manages more than 10% of the nation’s surface area and 30% of its minerals/soils, primarily concentrated in the West. To give some perspective, here in Colorado, we have four national parks with approximately 450,000 total acres protected—that number pales in comparison to the 8,300,000+ acres of BLM land and 27,000,000 acres of BLM-managed minerals in the state. 

The Benefits of Camping on BLM Land

BLM Lands offer excellent camping opportunities throughout the West. You will generally find fewer crowds and less expensive camping options on BLM lands than in state and national parks. There is the option of dispersed camping (camping away from developed areas) allowing you to hike, ride, or off-road into truly remote and unique destinations. It’s not uncommon to also find developed campgrounds on BLM lands, and many of these offer advanced booking on Recreation.gov. 

Visit the Free-roaming American Mustang on BLM Lands

One of the more unique responsibilities of the BLM is the protection of wild horse and burro populations in the United States as they have been declared “living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West.” The bureau manages approximately 50,000 free-roaming horses on rangeland across 10 western states. They also offer horse and burro adoption programs and manage the Little Book Cliffs Wild Horse Range, an excellent place to go see these animals in the wild. If you’d like to learn more about free-roaming horses in the U.S., you can read more here in our recent blog about the topic.

Are There Fees to Use BLM Land?

There are usually small fees due at parking lots, boat ramps or campgrounds on BLM land. Additionally, if you are fishing or hunting, standard state-issued licenses are required. However, like the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management offers a handful of fee-free days for everyone to enjoy their public lands at no cost. The annual dates typically line up with these holidays:

Martin Luther King, Jr Day 

Juneteenth National Independence Day 

Bureau of Land Management’s Birthday

Anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act

National Public Lands Day 

Veteran’s Day

If you are headed out on a grand adventure through the Great American West, we highly recommend picking up an America the Beautiful Pass; this $80 annual pass gives you unlimited access to both the National Parks and the federal recreation lands.

They’re Your Public Lands — Have Fun!

Now that you know more about your BLM lands, get out and enjoy them! Whether you love to hike, bike, climb, kayak, fish, bird watch, pan for gold, or any number of other pursuits, there is BLM land where you can do it. Check out their useful tool that lets you search by location or activity and find your next adventure destination.