Solo Desert Adventure Part 1: Public Lands Access Blocked by Private Property

[@softroadingthewest]

Yes, yes...I strongly suspected at least some of these No Trespassing signs were not legitimate or at least deliberately misleading, but what're you gonna do? I can't just make that assumption on the fly out in the field...if I'm wrong, I could end up actually trespassing after deliberately ignoring No Trespassing signs. I'm not interested in finding myself face to face with an angry landowner. In fact, even if the signs are not legit, I _still_ don't want to find myself face to face with whoever put them up in the first place. 😏 As one commenter below stated: "The middle of nowhere is not the place you want to engage in a heated discussion of land law." 😄

[@bajasoobnut]

I have been more heavily relying on OnX for this reason as it will show you property lines and some of those roads out there show that they are easements/right of ways to go on. I just went up Mt. Grizzly this past weekend and someone did post a private property sign under the county installed speed sign. The summit of grizzly is BLM land and the road is a right of way road as shown on OnX

[@softroadingthewest]

@@bajasoobnut That's good to know, I may take a closer look at OnX - thanks!

[@maddrummerhef]

@@softroadingthewest your Gaia has private and public land layers too. ONX claims theirs is more accurate but I can’t confirm nor deny that. I have both for now and they always seem to line up with each other. And like you I always tend to want to honor gates and signs once I’m actually out regardless of how accurate I think they are.

[@RVingwithG]

How does one get there from here. Public land needs public access 🤔🤦🏼‍♂️🤷‍♂️

[@HeyImBubProductions]

@@softroadingthewest i came to suggest that exact thing

[@jeffreypreiss8191]

Always enjoy exploring with you, Donald. Great stuff. Love the cinder cone. I forget how much volcanic activity happened in Oregon's history. Looking forward to the next episode.

[@TreDeuce-qw3kv]

The Yellowstone hot spot started in Oregon. The city of Portland has considerable evidence of volcanic activity. Mt. Tabor/park is a volcanic vent cinder cone. The west hills is a big lava tube. A three hundred mile long string of volcanoes geographically divides the state.

[@CoasttoCascadia]

Man. We totally felt this video. There have been so many times that we tried to access public land that wasn’t accessible. We have seen this many times, public lands that are no longer public lands due to being sold to loggers or closed off because people haven’t respected it, or like in your video private land has blocked it off. It’s super frustrating. I wish public land was respected more and more accessible to people like you and us who truly love it and respect it. But we’re also pretty determined and adventurous to where we’ll eventually figure out a way in.

[@zackdemundo]

Open Range! Get the cowboy spirit! 🤠 Out in California, along the Malibu beach area, there are walkways from a highway to the beaches (all are public). These walkways are often between properties or established easements along property lines. Property owners often post no trespassing signs or in some way encumber the walkways. Those property owners get sued and lose. Even the city of Malibu took down beach access signs, then ran afoul of the all-powerful Coastal Commission. I suspect such a similar effort would start with both the state and counties involved.

[@KnittedSchnauzer]

I love how you stitch together all your scenes. It makes me feel like I have traveled with you the whole way.

[@softroadingthewest]

Thanks Bill!

[@ChambersFamilyOverland]

Great video! As frustrating as it can be when routes don’t go as planned, it’s all part of the adventure! Looking forward to the rest of this trip.

[@Mark-c4t9j]

It's great to see you back on the trail Donald. I can't wait for the next installment! Mark in Kstan

[@1WillyK]

I know that many times landowners will put up no trespassing signs and gates even though access is available. Years ago a friend and I were trying to access national forest land in North Park, Colorado when we came to an open gate with multiple keep out and no trespassing signs. However, down low on a post and practically hidden by brush was a very small forest access sign. We continued on and found that the road went literally through the place where the house and out buildings were with structures on both sides. Several people at the ranch saw us and stared. We just waved, they waved back and we continued on.

[@PrimalOutdoors]

Nice episode. The cinder cone was a nice find. Jason

[@JG-ne1sd]

Family friend in Idaho had a Jeep with a winch that could pull gates off hinges and wasn't afraid of using it.

[@cowelk]

Great views from your drone. It is beautiful out there. Keep them coming. I enjoy being along with you on your adventures.

[@mjl9702]

It's not always the destination that's important. sometimes the Journey is the more interesting part!

[@ChrisZBr0wn]

Beautifully done as always Don! Thank you!

[@Freedom17762]

All public land should have public access. Landlocked public land shouldn’t be allowed.

[@jhbryaniv]

It would be interesting to know if it was private land, but the road is public. Or if it really was private. I have seen in my limited travel there is much of the former, but that land managers don't have the bandwidth to enforce the removal of signs... Also, the land owner coukd just say, well I didn't mean the road, just the land the sign was on... 😂 People can also just be real shitty.

[@jhbryaniv]

I recognize that would also require a load of research and sloughing through court and public records. I find that kind of thing a little fascinating though, the lengths some people will go while arguing over if someone who owns land that is landlocked by a single owners property has a right of access to their island of land... 😂

[@Freedom17762]

A lot of private land owners will slap no trespassing signs up even on public land because they don’t want people around their property. As a hunter, I see it all the time. It’s a real problem but the government doesn’t really care or enforce maintaining public access. It really is a pain in the butt to figure it out but it’s a worthwhile fight. We are taxed for maintaining public land so we should be able to access the land we are taxed on. I know onX hunt has tried to bring awareness to this issue and fight to open up access to public land. Currently more that 9.5 million acres of landlocked public land.

[@agentorange1556]

Just say you’re too broke to own a helicopter to take you there.

[@Freedom17762]

@@agentorange1556 haha definitely to broke to own a helicopter. Especially in this economy.

[@24Alisonall]

Thanks Donald! Always look forward to your videos!!

[@BackroadExploration]

Loved this. I know that frustration all too well. Can’t wait for part two

[@sarahwiese7828]

Loved the cinder code. Hope you can back and camp/explore the cone. I was wanting to see more!

[@mariechristinechateau2625]

I love your 📹 ! I visit Oregon with you, thanks to you Don

[@barnabyjonesdangerdog758]

People pull that crap here in central WA. They put up no trespassing signs on public roads. The private property is the land on the sides of the road, not the road. Some people were actually busted for making fake forest service signs, making it look like the forest service closed the road.

[@kelsey809]

Nice! 😊👍 Truck build looks good.

[@johnk3618]

Thanks!

[@softroadingthewest]

Thank you!

[@donkauer6744]

This is so fun. At the 2:00 mark you are standing in the kiosk parking lot at highway 31 and county highway 5-10 toward Fort Rock. I go through there and stop at that lot several times a year. Then at 17:20 you just left Christmas valley heading east on county 5-14 passing that old Steiger tractor. You're just a couple miles from my vacation property on that road. We just missed each other. I was there the week following this upload date. My home town is Hillsboro. Not sure where you left from, but somewhere in the Willamette Valley. Looked like maybe OR 58 through Oakridge? I'll check out your channel and maybe subscribe. Thank you for this very fun and familiar trip.

[@nateseldom9847]

I use OnX Hunt and it'll show you exactly who owns the land and where I'm at(PA) and I've definitely come across illegally gated/Private Property signs and people get away with it in the middle of nowhere and it doesn't get enforced if nobody ever questions it etc. I agree tho, not worth confrontation but can always investigate later. Happy Trails!

[@tomlauritzen9522]

That one road looked like the end of Soto Rd as it enters private property. We were looking for a way out Geocache to the Northeast of that spot. Finally found a way to it..... hadn't been found in about three years.

[@softroadingthewest]

I'm not certain which roads I was on, but I was indeed trying to get to an area northeast of there. I've since plotted a new course coming in via national forest land from the northwest so I might poke at it one more time later this month. I'm glad to hear you actually got there. When my kids were younger, we used go geocaching too. It was a lot of fun. This was before I even had the Forester and had never done any sort of backcountry/offroad exploring in my life. After burning through all the local urban geocaches we could find, we had no choice but to start pushing further out. Both in and out of town, we discovered so many cool places we didn't know existed. :-)

[@ericalto22]

You should follow up on this with BLM and local law enforcement and figure out what's going on. Do a series on it. This type of stuff happens so often all over the country with little recourse.

[@mrmosk2011]

I don't have a lot of time to do this kind of trips, so enjoy watching yours to remind me how fun they are. I only have done a few trips to east Oregon and share the frustration of not able to get to public land. I also wonder who owns the road. If the land owners built the road, I can understand more the restriction. But many roads just look like continuation from whichever road it came from. The On X Hunt app helps, but it is expensive. If you can justify the cost, I think it can save you a lot of gas.

[@softroadingthewest]

I strongly suspected at least some of these were not legitimate, but what're you gonna do? I can't just make that assumption on the fly out in the field...if I'm wrong, I could end up actually trespassing after deliberately ignoring No Trespassing signs. I'm not interested in finding myself face to face with an angry landowner. In fact, even if the signs are not legit, I _still_ don't want to find myself face to face with whoever put them up in the first place. 😏

[@excaliburoverland]

My girlfriend has a cabin just past that big green tractor in CV. Have not been able to explore yet. Chomping at the bit to do so. Keep up the amazing videos.

[@softroadingthewest]

Haha, for various reasons I ended up passing by that tractor SO many times on this trip...I knew exactly what you were talking about without even looking back at the footage. 😆 That would be an amazing home base to explore from. There are really cool places fanning out in every direction from there.

[@excaliburoverland]

@@softroadingthewest I know. There just haven't been times to go. She is going to be selling it. She doesn't really want to but we never get over there. Once maybe twice a year. I haven't been able to get my truck ready to go out exploring yet. It was stolen a few months ago and I'm trying to get it going again after getting it back. Stay safe. Maybe one of these days I'll see you around town.

[@mrgetoutside1378]

These ranchers have no problem grazing their cattle on public land. They basically consider it theirs.

[@TreDeuce-qw3kv]

Raping the land with the grazing, reducing water quality, silting streams and causing other issues like illegally blocking public access.

[@David-e1b3t]

grazing is done on a lease

[@f1point2]

@@David-e1b3t a lease so cheap that there's no correct term for it but "socialism" lmao. Welfare ranchers.

[@louiskudlak2256]

Good stuff buddy, yeah road closes/no trespassing signs must drive u insane

[@Desert2snowoffwego]

Saw this B.S. in one place on the WY BDR last year. I knew it was a public road and landowner that owned either side tried to intimidate travelers from going forth. The public paid for establishment of the road and private individuals are more & more trying to claim illegitimate ownership--not right--needs to be challenged!!

[@TreDeuce-qw3kv]

Take pictures and GPS coordinates and report to the BLM, county, and state.

[@Support_Ad_Blocker]

@@TreDeuce-qw3kv HA! BLM (Bureau of Logging & Mining) doesn't care at all. They WANT to close as many roads as possible. Ever hear of “Travel (mis)Management?”

[@jasonflt]

I bet they can't block a public road. I bet there property goes up against the road but doesn't include the road. I would get in contact with someone in the area about the roads etc.

[@softroadingthewest]

I strongly suspected at least some of these were not legitimate, but what're you gonna do? I can't just make that assumption on the fly out in the field...if I'm wrong, I could end up actually trespassing after deliberately ignoring No Trespassing signs. I'm not interested in finding myself face to face with an angry landowner. In fact, even if the signs are not legit, I _still_ don't want to find myself face to face with the jerks who put them up in the first place. 😏

[@jasonflt]

@@softroadingthewest i do agree. wonder if the county could send out letters telling land owners is all. Maybe land reviews are needed in that area.

[@duane4972]

Go to the county records department and look up the plats of where you want to go to find out if it has road easements and who own all adjacent property. I'm a retired land surveyor, it's not hard to do the research. Many counties have the records online, search from your living room.

[@aquaboneus]

yeah cuz we all have the time and energy to do this... NO- it isn't our job to correct this- we pay taxes and should have clear access to what is ours- the "authorities" should be insuring that we have our public lands available to us always! Land owners blocking access should be held accountable!! Geezuz!!

[@stacymcmahon453]

I was going to say this. At the same time though, I don't blame Donald for not wanting to argue with a rancher who has the mindset of putting up bogus signs to block what they know damn well is a public access. The rest of these comments are pretty interesting as to how many of the signs are claimed to be bogus.

[@drivingsports]

Nicely done video. Thanks for posting it.

[@AgileWoodsman]

This is all to common in the West yet no one does a thing about it. I've called various agencies in the past, whose land was blocked, and they basically said they don't have time or resources to fight it. What happens is, if a property owner claims land and it's uncontested for a while, it essentially becomes theirs. The greed of property ownership in America is disgusting. In Sweden you can access land, private or not, and guess what? They are all respectful about it. America can do better, but we won't. We're too far gone in a I got mine! Culture.

[@Support_Ad_Blocker]

“Adverse possession.”

[@JK-Cog]

You can't adversely possess against the government (federal, state, or local) so if there are existing public rights of way there is no landowner claim that extinguish/revoke those rights. BLM has Master Title Plats (MTPs) available online that show federal ownership status (they don't track ownership status after title passes out of federal control). These are organized by Section Township and Range. You have to learn how to read them but they definitively show federal land rights including rights of way (R/W). The R/W may or may not be shown as a linear feature but it will definitely be called out with text - further research may be necessary to determine where that R/W is but in the areas that this video covers, it will likely be clear whether or not there is a R/W across the lands that have private property signage. Yes it may be private property but that private property may be subject to a road R/W. The land owner will know if there is a R/W and is unlikely to deny you legitimate access. You have to do the research to know. Regardless - a shotgun always controls over a map.

[@Support_Ad_Blocker]

@@JK-Cog You would be surprised what the BLM or Forest Service doesn't know. I fought a similar case against a landowner for two years. The FS was of absolutely no help at all. They did not want to get involved with a dispute between a landowner and the general public. So they deferred to the landowner and did nothing. I had to go to Sharlot Hall Museum, which has docs going way back to the 1800s, to prove that a road existed prior to the patenting of a piece of land. The local FS office still did nothing, so I went to the regional office in Albuquerque, and they ended up sending out a ranger who said that the closure was not allowed. I won but ended up being persona non grata with the local Forest involved. I mean, it was like I was radioactive. They wanted nothing to do with me. In the end, the FS are territorial spoiled brats who are used to getting their way over anything else. You also have to consider that the FS and the BLM view the public as a mere annoyance. To them, it's all about logging ranching and mining, and the fees they rake in for those activities. Want a road maintained or cleared out so you can enjoy using public lands? Not gonna happen. But if some designer rancher has a line shack at the end of a 12-mile road, and he wants it maintained, then it's all hands on deck! Money is no object! Yes, the shotgun may prevail in the field, but a subsequent warrant can trump (pardon the usage of that word) that. We haven't yet gotten to the point where people can be killed for “trespassing.” Except maybe in Flori-duh or Texass. Oh and in AZ, but fortunately our Democratic governor nailed that asinine idea in the grave!

[@f1point2]

@@JK-Cog that is wildly wrong. Multiple chunks of land have been consumed by greedy landowners across MT, WY, etc. by de facto adverse possession. USFS doesn't have the resources to fight it, and the rich landowners know it.

[@2bitgypsy]

I live and work on a ranch in Central Oregon. For every person like Donald that respects private land, there are 10 that don't. Many times every "outdoorsy" season we have to repair gates and fences taken down by trespassers. Antler shed hunters are the worst, they even tear down and destroy Private Property and No Trespassing signs so they can pretend they never saw them. It's easy to tell when they are lying about that, too, because they aren't bad people accustomed to lying, so we always pretend to believe them to de-escalate things and then we have to buy and put up new signs. People steal parts off remotely-parked equipment, for souvenirs, I guess? We get lots of ATVs speeding up and down the Forest Service roads around us, which are not open to ATVs. I had a couple of boujee fully-spandexed gravel-bikers ride by while I was fixing fence and in full ear-shot they commented on how much it must suck to live like that. In general, most people seem to think all laws, rules and etiquette are suspended once they get off pavement. I suspect most viewers of this channel, like Donald, are also the type to be respectful, so please don't take it personally (unless you are driving a ridiculous chromed-out lifted 1-ton Brodozer with low-profile tires on a washboard road, then you should definitely take it personally when we laugh at you) and try to understand that the vast majority of the "adventurers" we are dealing with are extremely disrespectful, aggressive and too often actively drinking while handling firearms and "hunting" from the road.

[@dmitryadamenko6518]

so looks like lokal sheriff office is not doing their job in any way, not for you not for them...

[@freddyw4555]

I’m lucky where I live. Using gps I can skirt around private land by a few feet. That or stay in the trees

[@drewsbenmad]

Kinda makes the thousands of dollars we spend on overlanding a real pain. I love to travel the back roads but I get tired of not knowing if a sign is real or fake. Many a trip is ruined because of a sign posted on a public road. No one seems to care except those who’s time is limited and just want to explore.

[@noneya61]

GIS mapping for the state or federal would probably be best bet to determine if some of those gates are illegitimate and if the access roads really are public. People have been known to put up gates where they’re not legally allowed to.

[@dicktaug4773]

Getting access to Gov't GIS is problematic. They generate it, and they use it, but do not like to release it to the public. "Internal working documents" Most offices have GIS specialists to generate internal documents, but the public generally has no access to the data or the specialists. The GIS guy in my favorite BLM office never, ever answers his phone. A previous geologist used a survey-level GPS one winter to map all the mining claims in his district in ARC-GIS. However, after he moved on, no one can open his files, the data is worthless.

[@Dav-S5658]

Blocking legal access to public land should be a federal crime. Maybe technically it is, but the practical application of law is extremely confusing. I do carry lock cutting tools incase I end up trapped somewhere in an emergency, or without sufficient fuel to turn around. I do sympathize with the people who live out there and the damage done by vandalism. Outdoorsmen used to be a respectable group in general, but the people out there now are a different breed.

[@bajasoobnut]

Private lands are definitely a hinderance and there are lawsuits in the system because of land owners denying access to those lands. I know where that cinder cone is at as I had seen it on sat view before and relocated it and noticed you used google maps for the screen shot lol. With the A-6 site they have closed vehicular access to the site now sadly so I won't be able to get out there to the location the way it sits right now. I was planning to go there this year and pay tribute but there is another 2 crash sites I want to go to, I have yet to find the B-52 site but the info I have gleamed so far is it is in or near the Ochoco National Forest about 33ish miles outside of Burns. I am looking at sat map to scour the area when I can. The other is a B-24 site down in the very southeast part of the state. I am looking online for others to check out for military aircraft crash sites. But also I want to go pay tribute to Jessie Combs this year as well and go to her memorial at the Alvord.

[@softroadingthewest]

The A-6 site was never accessible by vehicle...there was always a sign at the top of the final hill that very clearly said "No Motor Vehicles Beyond This Point." Jason and I hiked out there, we didn't drive. I have since seen a number of KZbinrs drive out there anyway, but they shouldn't have. Frankly I was glad to hear the BLM physically blocked the road. The spot where they've closed it is right where we stopped and hiked. You can still visit the site. Just park at the closure point and walk the rest of the way out to the site like we did. 🙂

[@bajasoobnut]

@@softroadingthewest if my knees will permit it then yes lol But didn't know about the signage so then I would be doing the same then none the less and not go beyond that point

[@softroadingthewest]

@@bajasoobnut Aah yeah it's probably a solid ¾-mile hike out there with a pretty steep climb at the beginning 😕

[@rays3288]

Always enjoy your videos. It would be nice if property against blm land were required to provide access.

[@user-zl5gi8sv7u]

Usually the gates are there for you to access, the road is a public road and you are not trespassing unless you leave the road.

[@aquaboneus]

@@user-zl5gi8sv7u uh... yeah I will just explain this to the homeowner as he points his 12 gauge in my direction.... while it is true in many cases- a closed gate leaves you without knowing for certain- and the homeowner knows this and that is the strategy eh?

[@Dualsportdisciple]

It is a huge issue in CA where the BLM Land is all Land Locked, so inaccessible to the public, which defeats the purpose. I think there are some groups lobbying for changes to this.

[@scottymac5174]

In CA a lot of BLM land on the central coast is actually locked and gated by the BLM.

[@Clickmaster5k]

@@scottymac5174 Oregon has this problem with a lot of BLM and forest service land. Often the gates are locked by the government when they are not even supposed to be. I know people that worked in the forest services and had issues accessing places they needed work because other people in the forester services where locking them out. This happens both intentionally and unintentionally.

[@boblatkey7160]

I know about many of these spots and I cut the locks, remove the chain and in some cases I have an electric sawzall and I will actually saw the gate off and take it with me and hide it in the woods. Then three months later I will come back and do it again!

[@fscottgray9784]

Montana is by far the worst state for blocking federal lands by private land. Along the Continental Divide Montana has several areas that they allow private ownership of land a few hundred feet to block hundreds of thousands of acres of public lands. YOu end up having to access much it from the Idaho side. You can have a few hundred acres in Montana and virtually control thousands of acres of public land.

[@aquaboneus]

Fucking Criminal BS! 🤬 WTF

[@kjflyte5088]

Montana is inbred beyond all beliefs..

[@marcericdavis]

I can believe the mapping software like Gaia and onx have not allowed users to mark road closures. I know that Gaia allows some sort of reporting but it seems like a person at the company has to actually add that info to the map? And Onx only allows reports on a few popular routes? The popular boating SW allows users comment on and anchorage or other feature even off line and other users benefit from that information.

[@krismiller5474]

Premium OnX does allow you to add trail status for closures and such. But, the color changes do need to be done by them. I just check statuses and add gates and public statuses of my own.

[@marcericdavis]

@@krismiller5474 It seemed like you could only add status reports to specific trails. Is that true? I have only used with GaiaGPS and it seems worse for this type of user reporting. What you really want to to be able to drive up to any gate on any road and mark it closed so other will know. Not just be able to mark the status of popular routes.

[@marcericdavis]

@@krismiller5474 BTW if the user reporting on OnX is better I will switch.

[@Apcrawler]

Morning Donald, another great video and one that has a very good point. We’ve run into the same issue but like you, we avoid the property if it’s posted. It can be frustrating for sure but we’re out there for enjoying our lands so we don’t let it get to us to much. All part of the adventure. Question… do you have a video about your antenna? Is it for gmr and how’s it working for you?

[@softroadingthewest]

I've never made a video about the antenna. It is a 6db-boost GMRS antenna from Alamosa Antenna connected to my Midland radio. So far I haven't had the opportunity to put it to any kind of extreme or scientific testing to truly know the improvement...usually the radio only gets used for vehicle-to-vehicle comms when I'm out with somebody, usually in fairly close proximity. I do seem to get better performance when there's a little more separation or obstacles between vehicles compared to the small antenna that came with the radio. I so rarely travel with other people that I just haven't had a lot of chances to put it to the test.

[@bryand2978]

You need the old universal key to cut locks when you see jackasses putting locks on state land.

[@badeugenecops4741]

I like to call it my All Access Pass :)

[@jaystewart9947]

Great video and glad your day ended well. Looking forward to the next installment

[@llew777]

I might sound old school but one should appreciate new up to date technology GPS etc. BUT one should also know how to read, use and understand an old school map weather on land or sea Thank you

[@LV2XPLR]

I live and adventure in Arizona. It can be frustrating when private owners block access to public land from multiple directions. I make extensive use of OnX maps as the premium version shows all property lines and gives info on each parcel. It gives me the confidence to determine which no trespassing signs aren't ligit. I consider myself lucky as Arizona is over 50% public land. My mountain town also has ordinances that creates easements for trail access when development happens along the national forest borders.

[@hansenaz53]

Also in AZ and often frustrated by this. Random signs, leased land, tribal land, no way to tell in advance if a road will go. I hate it. I've contacted the AZ State Land (Trust) Department a couple times over NT signs I thought were not justified but got no good answers.

[@threeftr3349]

OnX maps rocks!!!

[@hansenaz53]

@@threeftr3349 I tested OnX for a while but it didn't solve most of these problems.

[@CavemanOutdoorsMissouri]

If you had OnX offroad maps it not only shows you private property but also who owns it. I agree with others, most those signs are most likely illegal.

[@maddrummerhef]

Gaia does this too

[@dhrracer]

You making the claim that most of those signs likely illegal is based on what? Your hurt feelings?

[@CavemanOutdoorsMissouri]

@dhrracer I have no feelings about it either way idiot, I live in Missouri

[@DavidHuffTexas]

Wondering if you've ever posted, or contemplated posting, a long term review of the Frontier ? I was looking at prices recently for Frontiers and Tacomas, and the 2024 Tacoma is just getting stupid expensive. I just know a lot less about the Frontier and was looking around for reviews from folks that have owned them awhile and, like you, used them the same way I thinking of...

[@softroadingthewest]

I haven't done a review of the Frontier. It's on the hazy maybe-I'll-do-that-one-day list but I can't promise that'll happen anytime soon. 😄 A good source of information from long term owners is the Frontier user forum, clubfrontier.org. I did a ton of reading there before buying my Frontier.

[@Support_Ad_Blocker]

You don't see very many Frontiers on the streets. And you sure don't see very many old ones.

[@jmount1200]

I have reached out to land owners in Arizona for permission, sometimes I get the permission I need.

[@mencken8]

Easy to give advice on YT: “Just cut the lock.” No- what’s for sure is that people making the comments won’t pay the price if it IS trespassing.

[@richardburguillos3118]

Another great adventure. There are apps out there that will show private, BLM, and National Forestry land and their boundaries. Might be time to take a look at these and let us know which one you like and why.

[@softroadingthewest]

The app I use - Gaia GPS - does provide this information. It's a critical element of my trip planning. Going in, I already knew exactly where private land was, and these gates and signs all aligned, none of that was a surprise. It was just a question of whether roads marked on the map would pass through them and connect to the public land beyond. There are many many places I've been in the backcountry where roads pass across parcels of private land with no issue at all, might just have to open & close some funky barbed wire gates. I do everything I can to plot all my routing on public lands (or indisputably passable public roadways to get there), but sometimes that final leg passes between or through private lands...really just like driving through the city, you're surrounded by privately owned land but can drive through to your destination beyond. Whether or not _these_ particular landowners had the right to imply the public couldn't proceed up these roads is the question. I do think some of these were perhaps not legitimate, but I had no way to know for sure. A number of commenters have suggested that OnX may carry better data on this, I might give that look one of these days.

[@richardburguillos3118]

@@softroadingthewest ya know. I kinda thought you planned it all out. I also use Gaia GPS. I have to find the maps the show BLM and National Forest lands etc. Mostly I use Gaia GPS for hiking. Now I’ll have to prepare for softroading use as well.

[@BCVS777]

Ranchers or anyone else cannot “assimilate” public land. Mutually agreed upon public/private land swaps do occur but only after public review and usually for the purpose of facilitating access to public land.

[@f1point2]

They can, and do, because it's too costly for underfunded government agencies like the FS and BLM to fight them legally, not to mention the optics of it when ag lobbyists spin it as "government land grabs." The "public review" you talk about is a farce, since generally the only people that know about these things, are the ones doing it.

[@Realtor_eliot_portland]

Easements should be in place. Sad folks cutting off public access.

[@brandtdaniels]

There should be an easement. User reports on onX offroad might help 😉

[@softroadingthewest]

Might have to take a closer look at that app. 😉

[@Chesapeake_Frontier]

Great video, looking forward to part 2

[@LateNiteGrafix]

If there is an easement for a public right-of-way across private land to access public land then perhaps the signage (albeit somewhat misleading) only refers to trespassing on the private land that the easement cuts across…assuming it is an official easement.

[@softroadingthewest]

I strongly suspected at least some of these were not legitimate or deliberately misleading, but what're you gonna do? I can't just make that assumption on the fly out in the field...if I'm wrong, I could end up actually trespassing after deliberately ignoring No Trespassing signs. I'm not interested in finding myself face to face with an angry landowner. In fact, even if the signs are not legit, I _still_ don't want to find myself face to face with the jerks who put them up in the first place. 😏

[@LateNiteGrafix]

@@softroadingthewest Good point. The middle of nowhere is not the place you want to engage in a heated discussion of land law.

[@softroadingthewest]

@@LateNiteGrafix Haha yes, that is an excellent way to put it! 😆

[@jRieg]

There gate would come down, oops

[@TarziKV]

Nice video and interesting music Donald, have safe travels.

[@WootTootZoot]

Not to justify the practice, but, a lot of ranchers in the area will put up No Trespassing signs, mainly because they are tired of people coming out on BLM land, where there is little to no law enforcement, and do things like dump trash, shoot up and vandalize farm equipment, harass and even kill livestock. There have been situations where meth cookers will set up temporary cook operations and then dump their waste chemicals into streams and ponds and other areas used by livestock. There are ways to get access to these areas, your best bet is to stop at an area BLM office and ask for directions and find out if, and where, you can get permission to travel into those areas.

[@cindywoods9800]

True. Ranchers are just protecting the envirinment

[@gravityalwayswins1434]

I use 'onX hunt' to identify private land. Edit to add, you won't receive it in area with no cell reception.

[@fatmanoutdoors]

As a fellow Frontier owner, I would love to hear how many miles you are covering on this trip, your MPG< and how much extra fuel you are carrying (10gallons?).

[@softroadingthewest]

This was a multi-day trip into a few different areas plus meeting up with some friends out there for one night. I logged a little less than 700 miles round trip. I don't have an overall average MPG for this trip. Generally I get about 18 mpg for highway driving and somewhere around 10 mpg on the trail, depending on how fast/slow the trails are (better mpgs on good gravel roads or fairly soft smooth dirt roads, worse on slow rocky cobbled trails as seen at the end of this episode). I have capacity for carrying 10 extra gallons. I was only carrying 5 gallons for this trip, and did not need it at any point. I usually try to engineer my routing so that I never *need* the extra fuel, but I carry it for what-if scenarios, e.g. I can't get through to my next fuel stop and have to backtrack significantly.

[@fatmanoutdoors]

@@softroadingthewest 18 with the Topo, the lift, and the full load out? Wow. Even if just the Topo with the lift, that's still really good. (I have a pretty stock 2016 Pro4X.)

[@softroadingthewest]

@@fatmanoutdoors The Topo is very sleek. I get overall better mileage with the Topo than I got with nothing on the back but the stock roof rack + traction boards. Best mileage I ever got was after I took the roof rack off and drove the naked truck to Ventura to get the camper. I could cruise at 60-65 mph and have the MPG readout sitting at 21 mpg.

[@fatmanoutdoors]

@@softroadingthewest I tell people that the stock rack is just for looks and reducing my gas mileage. :)

[@softroadingthewest]

@@fatmanoutdoors 🤣

[@besteven]

I live in eastern Oregon, I use On-X, and I see this problem all over the place. I've often wondered how BLM personnel handle this themselves and of course: why the hell is there no dedicated access to the public sectors? As many have already stated here, it just ends up being 'free land' for property owners, and they become far too vehement about 'their' property 'rights' despite knowing full well what they bought into. Eventually I'll speak with someone at BLM, but really it's going to take some sort of legal measure to create and maintain access routes to these areas.

[@krisswanson5410]

I had a BLM enforcement officer tell me 30 yrs ago near Boise that landowners can legally block even BLM from accessing BLM land that lies beyond their deeded ground. BLM has to use helicopters if they want to survey their rangeland beyond shuttered private ground. It is a HUGE problem in the west. Thousands and thousands of acres of public land are landlocked and shuttered from public access. Over 600,000 acres in Montana alone. Landowners get exclusive use of all that land simply by denying public access across their deeded ground. It is only a misdemeanor trespass violation and the landowner will need to prefer charges and have the sheriff cite you. If you can video him threatening violence against you, he would be in more legal jeopardy than you. This needs to be pursued by courageous Americans not afraid of the legal outcomes. We are losing access to our public lands heritage as Americans. This is worth fighting for! I am sick of the excuses from these land thieves about damage. There are laws against that as well. This is out and out theft of public land. And now that I have your attention, I am REALLY going to piss you off with this next factoid. And yes, I have asked the appropriate federal officials about this specifically. If a wildfire either starts on private ground or public ground and crosses over, fire suppression will be pursued at taxpayer expense without seeking later reimbursement from the landowner. In other words, YOU get to pay the huge costs of fighting fires regardless of property ownership. And additionally, any damage done to his private property fighting that fire will be paid for by the taxpayer as well. Outbuildings, fences etc. An aerial retardant bomber can cost thousands of dollars per hour to fight fires. Tell THAT to the next arrogant SOB that confronts you! He will whine about his fire protection district cooperative fees, but they are miniscule compared to the huge costs involved. Thankfully the Idaho legislature is getting serious about stopping this land grab of public lands. I have started carrying my own quality locks. If I find a locked gate on a public access right of way crossing deeded ground, I, figure something back there must really need protecting, so I add mine as well. It is worth every penny... A lot of these landowners are using this shuttered public land to set up exclusive private hunting preserves for wealthy clients. THAT is a fact!

[@YouTubeTyler]

You could work for Oregon Field Guide.

[@patrickodonnell9891]

Just go through!

[@softroadingthewest]

I strongly suspected at least some of these were not legitimate, but what're you gonna do? I can't just make that assumption on the fly out in the field...if I'm wrong, I could end up actually trespassing after deliberately ignoring No Trespassing signs. I'm not interested in finding myself face to face with an angry landowner. In fact, even if the signs are not legit, I _still_ don't want to find myself face to face with the jerks who put them up in the first place. 😏

[@MSchumacherfan]

How frustrating 😮

[@jtown408]

speed limits are for public roads. and that was your access to that BLM. that private property sign, i believe, is for that property to the right (right side) of that public road. if you were entering private property, signs should be posted on both sides of the road. 😉

[@softroadingthewest]

I can't just make that assumption on the fly out in the field...if I'm wrong, I could end up actually trespassing after deliberately ignoring No Trespassing signs. Anyone can put a speed limit sign on their driveway...this one was not on a normal post but just attached to the fence (and none of the other public roads out there had any speed limit signs at all, so in this case I would bet it was in fact a landowner who put it there). Thing is, when I see No Trespassing signs and they align with the public/private land indications in my mapping, I have to err on the side of caution. I'm not interested in finding myself face to face with an angry landowner. In fact, even if the signs are not legit or at least deliberately misleading, I _still_ don't want to find myself face to face with whoever put them up in the first place. 😏

[@jtown408]

@@softroadingthewest i hear ya and i understand.

[@om617yota7]

Private roads have speed limit signs all the time out here.

[@jtown408]

@@om617yota7 who enforces them?

[@om617yota7]

@@jtown408 No clue.

[@stacymcmahon453]

I wonder if BLM turns a blind eye to ranchers illegally gating public land because it reduces the number of people camping and potentially trashing the public land.

[@erda2072]

It sucks if private landowners are posting, when they don’t have a legal right to deny access. Curious about your set up, and is your spare the same size and same wheel as your other 4, and is it in the factory location? Thanks.

[@softroadingthewest]

Yes, I have a 5th wheel that is the same, with the same tire on it as the other 4. It fits in the factory location (these are roughly 33" tires) up under the bed of the truck.

[@bravotwozero8119]

A lot of detectorists use OnX Hunt to determine who owns what property when they want to obtain permission to metal detect in specific areas. I wonder if you could do the same thing when you're out exploring and come up on a no trespassing sign that is blocking your route? The app tells who the property owner is and you could give them a call and see if you can use 'their' road to get to the BLM land. The app will also show if it's actually BLM land.

[@harleymichael281]

It is absolutely true that some public state trust lands are land locked by private land. However, it is also 100% true that private land owners illegally place private property, no trespassing, no BLM access. In fact I live in a place like this in the video. And have a neighbor only a few miles from my property who did exactly that. In fact on two sides of my property is bordered by state trust land. One of them in fact is landlocked. The other is not but the road that goes by state land which some neighbors use only has is a legal easement going back years and years allowing only for cattle to be transported through it. Although, I could put up gates denying to passage to all with exception of cattle ranchers near by. No way I would do such do, even though there is another way not far at that people can access the State land or BLM land. So yes, people darn well know when they buy a property next to state or Federal public lands that are used for camping, hunting and so on the public will use them. And in most of the cases, legal easements are part of deeds. Sometimes on there property, sometimes right along side of it. Heck I have seen where a property deed go back a 100 years or more granting all kinds of crazy stuff, for example, the right of a railroad company to put rail road tracks through ones property. So yes, as one person put it. They are playing games. Absolutely for sure it is more common then not that people buy these properties and then don't want people passing through legal rights of way. Or even using the "public lands" They come to believe they own it. Heck, I have even seen places where lots of properties off grid are for sale and squatters living in the area in make shift shanty shacks place signs up so people can't even get through with out fear of trespassing (when they are not) to see the property. Lastly, it is a certainty that people who live this rural or far off grid carry fire arms. So best, not to get in a confrontation. Because even when you are in the legal right, if your dead what good is it that someone can say he or she was had the legal right of way. Better to call or contact the local BLM or State and ask if it is a right away. It's your land, one of the many reasons you pay taxes.

[@Clickmaster5k]

Just because someone owns and even carries a gun it does not mean they kill everyone that disagrees with them. That is ridiculous. I can only imagine this notion stems from people with illegally fire arms living in cities shooting at people over road rage incidents or something. If its something you really think is a problem that is all the more reason for everyone in the woods to carry a gun and for our laws to support everyone having a gun like they used to before crime rates where so high.

[@boblatkey7160]

I cut the locks and remove the chains and I will even take a sawzall to the gate, remove it and put it on my truck and then go hide it in the woods a couple of miles off. I won't stand for this kind of crap! And I am packing too!

[@offgridrecon]

I would bet most of those “no trespassing “ signs are put up illegally. Farmers tired of “Overlanders” and with the sign out there (little to no phone reception) it keeps people out. I see it more and more as well.

[@softroadingthewest]

I strongly suspected at least some of these were not legitimate, but what're you gonna do? I can't just make that assumption on the fly out in the field...if I'm wrong, I could end up actually trespassing after deliberately ignoring No Trespassing signs. I'm not interested in finding myself face to face with an angry landowner. In fact, even if the signs are not legit, I _still_ don't want to find myself face to face with the jerks who put them up in the first place. 😏

[@offgridrecon]

@@softroadingthewest agreed. 👍🏻

[@JBlinky67]

Wow! Can't wait for the next video! 🎉🎉

[@ThalassTKynn]

You'll have to get yourself a helicopter so you can access all that locked in public land.

[@swidahooverlanding2867]

I had some private property issues when running my WEIOR route. I just rerouted instead of dealing with iffy signage. When in doubt don't push you luck for sure. Looking forward to what you find on the next adventure. George.

[@softroadingthewest]

I agree, it's just not worth a possible confrontation, and _usually_ I can find another route.

[@tylermitchell87]

How did you do that shot around the 5:20 mark

[@softroadingthewest]

That's just an action cam attached to the back of the truck

[@thewiredfox2691]

The protagonist patiently patrols the perimeter probing for a possible path. [Wife's humorous addition] If only he drove a Pathfinder and not a Frontier.

[@thewiredfox2691]

She knew you were driving a Nissan, but not what model!

[@softroadingthewest]

LOL nice work. :-)

[@pleinairbarnettoutdoors]

Similar to Quebec province 🙄 here in 🇨🇦

[@alias-qb9kx]

Ran into a (Karen)several years ago trying to find an old four wheel drive trail I use to go on she was questioning what I was doing in a small mountain community no trespassing signs weren’t posted.As she continued on I finally told her you can’t close the road and then was polite enough to give me directions. We have a lot of private roads but your instructed to stay on the road and not trespass.

[@cousinjeb7116]

Rain. Cold. Gates. Backtracking. Less than ideal campsites. It's almost like you are travelling on the eastern half of the country!!

[@Kaiser0929]

#defendpubliclands

[@David-e1b3t]

More food for thought, paranoid thought... There are a number of videos on KZbin where people hunting on public lands run afoul of nearby big landowners. Basically, some guy rolls up on them in a truck and shouts "U on MYYYY land, Boiii", even tho a GPS map shows them to be on public land. People just playing games, to get more control than the law allows. Further, I wouldn't be that surprised about the existence of fake signs. We need to keep a positive attitude, in any case.

[@Clickmaster5k]

You tube videos are not real life. Probably 100s of times more common is straying on to someone's land and if they see you they just let you know and ask you to make your way back off at your own pace.

[@JD-xo3xz]

Why is there a gate to move when you enter? If it's for cattle that would be an irony that private cattle can roam freely on BLM, but BLM has no reciprocal understanding for the public.

[@boblatkey7160]

We have these nonsense problems going on with cattle ranchers and BLM land in California. I am super diligent and do my homework and make sure that I know exactly where I am. When I run into these situations I have super good quality bolt cutters and electric tools with me I cut the lock, remove the chain, and I physically saw the gate off of its hinges. Then I take the gate and I put it on top of my truck and I haul it for a few miles and then I walk it off into the woods where it cannot be found. Then I return to these areas over and over and over again and I do it again and again. There are many areas where the cattle ranchers have given up. I wear a chest mount 357 just in case I run into trouble. Every place I have done that, I have met with BLM in advance to make sure that these gates and locks are illegal.

[@georgeseverson5409]

Well arent you impressive

[@johnguertin5054]

you need a mic big time

[@62schmidt]

want to verses can go are two differant things, it's called land locked, asking permission can sometimes get you a pass thru

[@timaugustine-dirt_trippin]

Did you try calling the BLM office to see how to access that land?

[@softroadingthewest]

No, I didn't expect to run into quite this much trouble finding access. I knew it was possible some of the multiple roads I could see on the map might end up at least _appearing_ impassible, but I still assumed one way or another I'd eventually find the correct access. I may revisit all this at some point in the future.

[@timaugustine-dirt_trippin]

@@softroadingthewest in this case, it would be interesting to find out what the actual access point is.

[@danielsnook5029]

C'mon dude, they don't own the road. Stay on the road and you're legit.

[@krisswanson5410]

You should start a new youtube channel called " helicopter camping public lands in the west" Sell your Nissan and buy a Robinson helicopter and get 'er done!

[@1FiftyOverland]

You hit dirt and didn't go right into 4wd....amateur....lol .....jk....lol....not really.

[@softroadingthewest]

Haha...I never think to put it into 4WD until I find myself confused as to why the truck is struggling to get up some easy incline. :-)

[@1FiftyOverland]

@@softroadingthewest 🤣, I am really just joking. I really enjoy your videos.

[@gravityalwayswins1434]

Knowing what land is private isuon you. Sometimes (rarely ime) private land IS NOT marked. "There was no Private Property signage or fencing." won't hold up if you get busted. It's on YOU to know what is private. onX Hunt will tell you what's what about private property.

[@Clickmaster5k]

That's not how the law works at all. Getting busted on private land that is not public access but not clearly private at most means you just have to leave. In Oregon there is legally no such thing as landlocked public land. If public land is surrounded by private than there is legal access through one of those private properties anyway. As the pinned comment points out, this is all difficult to impossible to figure out when you are actually out there. However landowners have lost their land for illegally shutting out the public from public places and people have gone to jail for posting things like private property sings on public land. It just takes a really long time for law enforcement to do anything about it. It would be nice for law enforcement patrolling these places to also patrol for clear access and signage since law enforcement should have a better understanding and relationship with landowners in the area. Basically it would be nice if the government did their job so we could enjoy our nation instead of figuring this shit out.