{"id":38199,"date":"2018-09-07T15:12:52","date_gmt":"2018-09-07T22:12:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=38199"},"modified":"2025-11-20T18:04:58","modified_gmt":"2025-11-21T02:04:58","slug":"your-guide-to-understanding-public-lands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/hike\/your-guide-to-understanding-public-lands","title":{"rendered":"Your Guide to Understanding Public Lands"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the last few years, the term \u201cpublic lands\u201d has been spoken about with increasing regularity. You\u2019ve likely seen it in news articles, documentaries and even advertising. But what exactly <\/em>are public lands?<\/p>\n

In the broadest sense, they\u2019re areas of land that are open to the public and managed by the government. You can think of it as land you own (and share with everyone else in the United States). There are three types of government that manage public lands: federal, state and local. Remember, public lands aren\u2019t just national parks\u2014your state and local city parks count, too. And there\u2019s a difference among them. Federal public lands are held in trust for all Americans and the goal is to manage the land for the long-term health of both the land and citizens, according to The Conservation Alliance<\/a>. Many federal agencies manage public lands for multiple uses,<\/a> from recreation to timber, but in some form or another every American has a say in how these places get used. For states, it\u2019s hard to generalize. For some lands, there\u2019s no requirement to involve citizens in public land management decisions.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Map courtesy of the Outdoor Alliance<\/a>.<\/p><\/div>\n

To better understand our public lands, it’s important to know how they were established. In the late 1700s, according to the Public Lands Foundation<\/a>, the U.S. government claimed millions of acres of land from the Native Americans. At the same time, the government claimed land previously settled by Mexico, Canada, Russia, Spain, France and England. It was in 1781 that New York state gave the federal government all of its \u201cunsettled\u201d land west of the colony to the Mississippi River. In just over 20 years, all land west of the colonies followed suit and was considered public domain. Eventually the government acquired 1.8 billion acres, most of which were later transferred to individuals, corporations and states to create things like schools, railroads and ranches.<\/p>\n

The late 1800s brought about \u201ca preservation and conservation movement,\u201d according to a Congressional Research Service report<\/a>. President Lincoln deeded Yosemite Valley to the state of California for a public park in 1864<\/a>. And in 1872, President Grant signed a law making Yellowstone the first national park in the nation. Over the next 100-plus years, 59 strictly regulated national parks<\/a> followed, as well as a myriad of other public lands with differing designations.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Infographic courtesy of Outdoor Industry Association<\/p><\/div>\n

Today there are four major federal agencies that manage around 610 million acres of public land held by the U.S. government:<\/p>\n