This map tells you why Texas sucks for us. (1 Viewer)

[NMC_EXP]

Why do you say that? If you lived in texas, and your only options were the verey restrictive state parks, national parks, and a few canned off road parks, i think you would miss the freedom of BLM lands to explore.

Given the 40 (?) year trend of the feds in creating new; wilderness, wilderness study areas, lands with wilderness characteristics, areas of critical environmental concern, national monuments....etc it will not be long until the reast of the west is like Texas.

I have lost track of the number of 4WD roads I used 30 years ago which are now gated off or barricaded with boulders.

And many of the trails on BLM and FS ground still open are not maintained. Used to be fine for a jeep, now fit only for an ATV.

 

[LazyEye]

I think that you must not have been to west Texas.

west texas is beautiful, and c'mon it's Texas, also it's neighbor to the west is NM, plenty of BLM land there to cruise on. Guadalupe mountain range, fire roads everywhere. great combination in case you get tired of West Texas.

 

[forksinthetrail]

Saying that New Mexico or even west Texas is the solution to the suckiness of public access land in Dallas does not do much for me. It is 6-9 hours away. I was in Oregon last month for two weeks and mile upon mile of every highway is intersected with great logging/BLM/Forest service roads to explore. I miss that greatly.

 

[geanes]

^^^THIS!^^^ I love CO and I love TX, but hate the fact that I have to drive 12 hours to get there when I want to just go "explore". Every single gravel road within 100 miles of Austin has been privatized or paved over. Now have to go out to Mason and Junction to drive offroad and that's only about 70 miles of total offroad public access (and they are groomed very nicely, so not terribly offroad).

 

[LazyEye]

Saying that New Mexico or even west Texas is the solution to the suckiness of public access land in Dallas does not do much for me. It is 6-9 hours away. I was in Oregon last month for two weeks and mile upon mile of every highway is intersected with great logging/BLM/Forest service roads to explore. I miss that greatly.

you're right...all i was trying to do was alleviate the "suckiness" just a little bit. my dad is a Texan even though he lives in NM, but it is amazing visiting him because he lives at the foot of the Guadalupe mountain range and the public access to that is amazing, roads everywhere. Texas would be perfect with more public access land/dirt roads. it could always be better but at least we have some beautiful stuff to drive in, even if it is far away...but then again everything in Texas is far away, it seems.