Public land

The primitive area of Davis Mountains State Park in West Texas, across the highway from the park's main developed area, is closed November 7 through 10 for Texas Parks and Wildlife public hunts for aoudad, javelina and feral hogs, and reopens November 11, the Big Bend Times reports. The rest of the park is not affected. The primitive area closes again February 20 to 23 for another hunt.

Wild River State Park in Chisago County, Minnesota, is closed to the public November 7 through 9 for a special hunt, open only to hunters drawn for permits, the Chisago County Press reports; camping and day use resume Tuesday, November 10. The park is unrelated to the Wild River Fire in New Hampshire.

The Boquillas Port of Entry in Big Bend National Park, the crossing to the Mexican village of Boquillas del Carmen, stayed closed Thursday and Friday, November 5 and 6, after an inspection found about 100 feet of the trail to the Rio Grande covered in slick mud with no safe way around it, the Big Bend Times reports, citing the park. The crossing has been closed since at least October 17, when high water made the path unsafe. Park officials planned another inspection Friday evening to decide whether it can reopen Saturday. When open, its winter hours are Thursday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Cape Hatteras National Seashore closed the boardwalk and observation platform at the Bodie Island Light Station on November 2 for a rehabilitation expected to take about 120 days, finishing this winter if weather allows, the park said. The light station itself stays open. Crews will replace deteriorated boardwalk planks, cables and seating, repair the railings and treat the pilings against weather and sun, so expect construction equipment and contractors in the area.

Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks will burn piles of cleared brush and small trees from November 1 through March 15, 2027, when weather, fuels, air quality and staffing allow, in the Big Stump, Grant Grove and Cedar Grove areas of Kings Canyon and the Mineral King area of Sequoia, the park said October 30. Expect smoke, burning piles, firefighters and equipment along park roads, and reduced visibility at times. The burning clears material from forest-restoration and defensible-space work that helps protect giant sequoias and park facilities from wildfire. Air quality updates are at fire.airnow.gov and valleyair.org.

Grand Canyon National Park is taking public comments through midnight November 11 on a plan to remove sections of the historic Trans-Canyon Telephone Line, which runs through the inner canyon along the Bright Angel and North Kaibab trails with a spur toward the South Kaibab. Rebuilt by Civilian Conservation Corps crews in 1935 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the line has loose, hanging and fallen wire that endangers helicopters during rescues and can entangle wildlife, the park says. It proposes removing wire where needed and marking what stays, while leaving the historic poles, cross-arms and insulators in place. Comments go through the National Park Service's planning website.

Rocky Mountain National Park and the U.S. Wildland Fire Service plan to burn about 437 acres on the park's east side, between the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center and Bear Lake Road and south of High Drive, when weather and fuel conditions allow, possibly starting late October. Burning will be spread over several days to limit smoke, which may be visible in Estes Park. The park says earlier fuel treatments helped keep the 2020 East Troublesome Fire and 2012 Fern Lake Fire from crossing Bear Lake Road and Trail Ridge Road; check the park's alerts before driving Bear Lake Road during the burn.

A black bear attacked a woman from behind early Sunday, October 25, as she walked her leashed dog in her backyard near Index in Snohomish County, knocking her down and biting and clawing her before she got inside and called for help, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife said. She was taken to a hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.

Two black bears had been seen in the area, a large adult and a younger bear, possibly a sow with a cub. Fish and Wildlife officers and county deputies searched with dogs but did not find the animal; a trap has been set and patrols increased. It is the second black bear attack in Washington in a week, after a wounded bear injured a woman in Pend Oreille County on October 18.

In fall, bears are fattening up for winter and are drawn to garbage, pet and livestock food, bird feeders, fruit trees and grills; the department asks people near bear country to secure them. If a bear approaches, stand tall, wave your arms and talk in a low voice, back away and do not run. Keep dogs leashed, make noise on trails and carry bear spray you know how to use.

Yellowstone National Park closes its West, South and East entrances and nearly all park roads to regular vehicle traffic on November 1, the park said October 21. Saturday, October 31, is the last day visitors can drive most of Yellowstone's roads in 2026. The road from Tower Fall to Canyon Junction over Dunraven Pass stays open through October 31, weather permitting.

Through the winter, the only route open to cars is the road between the North Entrance at Gardiner, Montana, and the Northeast Entrance at Cooke City and Silver Gate, Montana, through Mammoth Hot Springs, Tower Junction and Lamar Valley. It stays open year-round, weather permitting. Snowmobile and snowcoach travel season starts December 15.

If you are going before the closure, expect limited services and changing weather, and closures that can happen without notice. Keep the gas tank full and pack blankets and cold-weather gear. Road conditions are on the park's Park Roads page, by text alert (text 82190 to 888-777) or by phone at 307-344-2117.

Glacier National Park has confirmed white-nose syndrome in a dead little brown bat found in the Saint Mary area in May, and the fungus that causes it in several live bats sampled on the east side in June, the park said October 21. They are the first detections in the park and in Glacier County.

The disease infects bats while they hibernate, making them wake repeatedly and burn through fat reserves, often leading to starvation and death. Since it was found in New York in 2006 it has spread across North America. Glacier has 10 documented bat species, all insect-eaters that are also prey for raptors and weasels.

The park is part of a field trial of a vaccine against the disease: between 2024 and 2026, biologists tagged 529 bats, giving 265 the vaccine and 264 a placebo, to compare survival as they come out of hibernation.

For visitors, the usual precautions apply: do not handle bats, and decontaminate caving or climbing gear used where bats roost before using it elsewhere, following federal white-nose syndrome guidance. Report dead or sick bats to park staff.

Grand Canyon National Park is taking public comments through midnight November 6 on a draft agreement with Arizona's historic preservation office on ways to make the replacement water tank at Hermits Rest less visible. The 2022 tank was meant to look like the old one, but Arizona safety rules added a ladder, platform and cap that stand out in the Hermits Rest National Historic Landmark. The project is separate from the park's broader water system repairs; the draft and comment form are on the park's planning site.

The Interior Department and National Park Service have issued a final rule changing how many vehicles may use the restricted section of the Denali Park Road, from mile 15 to mile 90. Up to 160 vehicles a day may travel it during the visitor season, as long as the park's standards for resource conditions and visitor experience are met. That daily limit replaces the current cap of 10,512 vehicle permits a season.

The rule also fixes the season's end date. The season now always runs from the Saturday before Memorial Day through the second Thursday after Labor Day; language that could end it on September 15 in some years has been removed.

The agencies say the rule brings the regulations in line with the park's 2012 Vehicle Management Plan, which was developed with public input, and present it as part of an executive order on expanding access to national parks. Secretary Doug Burgum called it cutting red tape while protecting the landscape; Superintendent Brooke Merrell said it lets the park meet visitor demand while preserving its resources.

The road itself is about to reopen in full. The Pretty Rocks Bridge, which reconnects the east and west halves of the road after the 2021 landslide, was completed in September, and the park plans to restore public bus service to the west end in 2027. The release does not say how the daily limit will be divided among buses, permits and other users; check the park's road pages before planning a 2027 trip.

The public comment period on a supplemental proposal to redefine "waters of the United States," the term that sets which streams, wetlands and other waters fall under the federal Clean Water Act, closes Friday, October 9. The Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers published the supplement in the Federal Register on September 9.

It builds on a proposed rule from November 2025, which the agencies say is meant to bring the definition in line with the Supreme Court's 2023 Sackett decision and make the program more predictable. That proposal drew about 220,000 comments. The supplement adds further regulatory options on parts of it, including how terms such as "relatively permanent" and "continuous surface connection" are defined, and how wetlands that are only intermittently connected to other water are treated.

The comment summary in the notice shows the split. Some commenters said the proposal follows Sackett; others said it would increase uncertainty and harm water quality. Several objected to leaving out ephemeral streams, which flow only after rain or snowmelt, citing the functions they serve; others argued the agencies' "wet season" test did not go far enough. The agencies note that waters falling outside federal jurisdiction can still be regulated by states. For anglers and hunters, the practical question is how much of the headwater and wetland habitat that supports fish and waterfowl stays under federal protection.

Comments must be received by October 9. File them at regulations.gov under docket EPA-HQ-OW-2025-0322, or email [email protected] with the docket number in the subject line.

The Cibola National Forest is preparing an environmental impact statement on Roca Honda Resources' plan for an underground uranium mine on the Mount Taylor Ranger District, on National Forest, BLM, state and private land, and is taking scoping comments through October 14. The Forest Service expects the mine would need a project-specific amendment to the forest's land management plan. EPA Region 6 and BLM's Rio Puerco Field Office are cooperating agencies. Instructions for commenting are in the Federal Register notice, under project number 301824.

The Interior Department and the Fish and Wildlife Service are taking nominations through October 22 for the Hunting and Shooting Sports Conservation and Access Council, a federal advisory body that recommends policy to the Interior and Agriculture secretaries on habitat, hunting and shooting access on public land, and ranges. Among its duties is reviewing public land that is currently unreachable for hunting and recommending ways to open it. Anyone who applied under the April 21 call does not need to reapply. Submission instructions are in the Federal Register notice.

Starting today, the Bear Canyon Wildlife Management Area near Mimbres, New Mexico, is closed to all public access Monday through Thursday. It stays open Friday through Sunday for regular use. The New Mexico Department of Wildlife expects the weekday closures to last through the end of the year, with normal access back in January 2027.

The closures cover heavy-equipment work with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on a project that captures and holds sediment washing off the burned watershed. Hunters and anglers planning a midweek trip should move it to the weekend and watch for posted closure signs.

The Bureau of Land Management has eased the seasonal fire restrictions on public land managed by its Redding Field Office, effective October 1. Recreational target shooting and campfires are allowed again, with a valid campfire permit, unless an area is posted otherwise. The restrictions had been in place since June 24.

The change covers BLM land in Shasta, Tehama, Butte, Siskiyou and Trinity counties. California campfire permits are free, online or at BLM, Forest Service and CAL FIRE offices.

Some rules do not go away. The statewide fire prevention order for BLM land in California stays in force all year. Tracer rounds and incendiary devices are not allowed, and shooters must pack out shells, brass and targets. The BLM reminds shooters that hot bullet fragments and exploding targets can start a fire.

This is BLM land only. National forests and state lands in the same counties set their own restrictions, so check with the agency that manages the ground you are on.

The next entrance-fee-free day at national parks is Tuesday, October 27, Theodore Roosevelt's birthday. Starting this year the waiver applies to U.S. citizens and residents only; visitors from abroad pay the normal entrance fee. Only the entrance fee is waived: camping, reservations and special-use permits still cost what they usually do. The last fee-free day of 2026 is Veterans Day, Wednesday, November 11.

Command of the Plaskett Fire on the Big Sur coast transfers back to Los Padres National Forest today, Tuesday, and the Timber Fire moves to Nevada Team 2, with the handover due to finish at 6 p.m. CAL FIRE says suppression repair is well along on all lines, crews are mopping up remaining heat along the Highway 1 corridor, and no fire spread is expected. A smaller team does not mean the land is open: the Monterey Ranger District closure that took effect Saturday stays in force through January 31.

Los Padres National Forest has issued a new emergency closure for the Monterey Ranger District, covering the Timber and Plaskett fire areas. Order 05-07-51-26-11 was signed September 25, takes effect today, and runs through January 31, 2027 unless the forest lifts or changes it sooner. It supersedes the order issued at the end of August.

The closure covers National Forest land in three pieces: the main backcountry area, the Brazil Ranch parcel north of Big Sur, and the Carmel River guard station. Inside them, being on forest land, forest roads or forest trails is prohibited. The order lists about sixty roads and nearly seventy trails. Among the ones people ask about most: Nacimiento-Fergusson Road, Tassajara Road, Arroyo Seco Road beyond the campground entrance, the Coast Ridge roads, Plaskett Ridge Road, and the Pine Ridge, Kirk Creek, Vicente Flat, Cone Peak and Big Sur trails.

Exempt are fire and rescue crews and officers on duty, landowners and residents getting to their own property unless an evacuation order is in place, and people holding a Forest Service permit that names them. Violations carry fines up to $5,000 for an individual.

Highway 1 and the state parks are not Forest Service land and are not governed by this order. The order's Exhibit B map shows the boundary; check it, and the state parks' own pages, before planning anything on the coast between Molera and Salmon Creek.

National Public Lands Day and National Hunting and Fishing Day both fall on Saturday, September 26. Volunteer projects run at parks and forests for the first; state wildlife agencies run free family events with open ranges and borrowed equipment for the second. Public Lands Day is not on the fee-free list for 2026 — volunteers at participating parks may be handed a fee-waiver coupon, in limited numbers and varying by park. The next fee-free date is Theodore Roosevelt's birthday on October 27.

The Fish and Wildlife Service rule that opened 1,450 hunting and fishing opportunities across 32 refuges and rescinded non-lead requirements at nine of them is still open for comment until October 1. We reported the rule and should have said so at the time. Also open: a Bureau of Land Management notice to amend the Vernal resource management plan for oil and gas leasing, to October 5; a proposed change to the Pacific halibut catch sharing plan, October 5; and a proposal to delist the Gila chub, which closes Thursday. Comment through the docket on the Federal Register listing rather than by email.

National Public Lands Day and National Hunting and Fishing Day both fall on Saturday. Volunteer projects run at parks and forests nationwide for the first; state wildlife agencies run free family events with open ranges and borrowed equipment for the second. The thing to remember, because it catches people every year: Public Lands Day is not on the fee-free list for 2026. Volunteers at participating parks may be handed a fee-waiver coupon, in limited numbers and varying by park. The next actual fee-free date is Theodore Roosevelt's birthday on October 27.

A policy overhaul took effect on January 1 and it has been reported badly enough that it is worth setting out plainly. The America the Beautiful pass now comes in two tiers. The $80 annual pass is the version you already knew, formally designated the resident pass, covering entrance and standard day-use at roughly 2,000 federal sites run by the Park Service, Forest Service, BLM, Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Reclamation and the Army Corps.

The second tier is a $250 non-resident annual pass. Alongside it, eleven parks now charge non-residents a $100 per-person surcharge on entry. The resident pass exempts the holder from that surcharge, which is irrelevant to most American buyers and matters a great deal if you are travelling with someone who is not.

The wording is the part people get wrong, and it cuts in the generous direction: the surcharge applies to non-US residents, not non-US citizens. Permanent residents and green card holders pay the standard fee. If you live here and pay taxes here, your passport is not the question.

Fee-free days changed with it. There are eight this year and, since January, they apply only to citizens and permanent residents; a non-resident visiting on Constitution Day pays the entrance fee and any surcharge as normal. Passes bought before January 1 are honoured on their original terms until they expire.

One operational detail worth knowing before you drive up: Yosemite is now cashless at all entrance stations. Card or mobile payment only.

Constitution Day is one of the fee-free dates on the National Park Service calendar, so entrance fees are waived today. New for 2026, that waiver applies only to US citizens and permanent residents; non-residents pay the regular entrance fee and, at eleven parks, a $100 per-person surcharge on top. It is the last free date until Theodore Roosevelt's birthday on October 27, and National Public Lands Day on September 26 is still not on the list. Camping, tours, timed entry and backcountry permits are all payable as usual. Yosemite is now cashless at its entrance stations.

National Public Lands Day falls on Saturday, September 26, the 33rd time it has been held and the largest single-day volunteer effort on American public land. Organisers have stretched the event window to run from September 12 through October 10, and this year's theme is tied to the country's 250th anniversary.

The part worth knowing before you plan a trip: the Park Service's 2026 fee-free calendar does not include it. Eight dates carry free entrance this year, and September 26 is not among them. Volunteers at participating parks may be handed a fee-waiver coupon, but supplies are limited and the policy varies park by park. Call ahead rather than assume.

If a free gate is what you were after, the next one is close. Constitution Day, September 17, is on the list. After that the fee-free dates are Theodore Roosevelt's birthday on October 27 and Veterans Day on November 11.

The scale of the volunteer side is real. Last year more than 55,000 people turned out across some 900 events, work valued at $9.4 million. This year's signature event is a cleanup along the Lower Salt River near Mesa, Arizona.

The date has also become a focal point for a petition campaign against the sale or transfer of federal land, which is asking lawmakers to rule out sell-offs and state transfers while leaving room for small, specific exchanges.

Flash flooding through the Bright Angel and Phantom Ranch area at the end of August killed at least one person and left others unaccounted for. It also badly damaged the sole pipeline carrying water to millions of visitors a year, complicating a multi-year project already underway to replace the line. Check conditions and water availability before any inner-canyon plan this autumn.

The administration is proceeding with plans to rescind the quarter-century-old rule that has blocked road building, logging and other development across large stretches of national forest. Conservation groups and some members of Congress have pushed back, including a request to exempt specific states. If you hunt, ride or hike national forest, this is the rule change to follow.

The Interior Department announced a proposed rule on July 14 that would move day-to-day grizzly management to the four states where the bears live, while leaving them listed as threatened. The department framed it as recognition of recovery rather than a delisting, and the Secretary was explicit that responsibility, not status, is what moves.

The mechanism is a tiered system. How much decision-making and regulatory flexibility a state gets is tied to whether it has adopted conservation strategies and management plans and hit demographic objectives for the bears in its own country. Meet more of them, get more latitude.

This is the latest turn in a legal loop that has run for a decade. Wyoming, Montana and Idaho have petitioned for delisting repeatedly; two previous delistings were reversed in court. A settlement forced a final delisting decision, and that deadline now sits at the end of December.

The question most hunters will ask first is whether this opens a season. It does not, and not soon. The comment period on the rule closes September 15, and the separate delisting decision is still pending.