President Donald Trump signed a pair of proclamations today reducing the boundaries of Utah’s Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments, reversing President Biden’s 2021 expansion of both monuments. According to the White House, the action removes a combined three million acres from monument designation and directs the U.S. Department of the Interior to develop new management and transportation plans that emphasize public access.
For off-road enthusiasts, this is one of the most significant public land announcements in years. While no trails automatically reopen overnight, the proclamations include language that could eventually expand legal motorized access throughout portions of both monuments.
President Donald Trump holds a signed executive order in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, July 13, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
What Changed?
President Trump signed the proclamations during a ceremony in the Oval Office alongside Utah Governor Spencer Cox, members of Utah’s congressional delegation, and state legislative leaders.
The proclamations substantially reduce the size of both Bears Ears National Monument and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, returning millions of acres to their previous land management status under the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and U.S. Forest Service.
The action largely mirrors monument reductions made during Trump’s first administration in 2017, which were later reversed by President Biden in 2021.
The latest action marks the fifth major change to the boundaries of these monuments in the past three decades. Grand Staircase-Escalante was designated in 1996, Bears Ears in 2016, both were reduced in 2017, restored in 2021, and reduced again in 2026. That back-and-forth has become a central argument for groups on both sides, many of whom are seeking a more permanent resolution through the courts or Congress.
What It Means for Motorized Recreation
Perhaps the most noteworthy section of the proclamations for UTV, ATV, motorcycle, and four-wheel-drive enthusiasts is the direction given to the Secretary of the Interior regarding transportation planning.
The proclamation states:
“The Secretary shall prepare a new transportation plan that endeavors to maximize public access in the Monument through the designation of roads and trails on which motorized and non-motorized vehicle use will be allowed…”
It further states that, while those new transportation plans are being developed, the Secretary may allow motorized and non-motorized travel on roads and trails that were designated for use before the original monument proclamations and maintain those routes.
For public land users, that language represents one of the strongest directives favoring continued public access that has appeared in a national monument proclamation.
Does This Mean Trails Are Reopening?
Not yet.
While the monument boundaries changed today, the travel rules that affect off-road recreation are generally established through separate land management and transportation plans. Those plans determine which roads remain open, which are designated for motorized use, and how travel is managed across the landscape. In other words, today’s proclamations establish new monument boundaries, but future planning decisions will ultimately determine how public access changes on the ground.
Federal land managers will still need to:
- Develop updated transportation plans.
- Conduct any required environmental review.
- Identify which roads and trails will be designated for motorized use.
- Update travel maps and management documents.
Until those processes are completed, riders should continue following current travel regulations and route designations.
Why This Matters
Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante encompass some of the most scenic backcountry in the American Southwest. The region contains hundreds of miles of historic roads that provide access to remote canyons, overlooks, archaeological sites, dispersed camping areas, and trailheads.
For years, many recreation groups have argued that large-scale monument designations have unnecessarily complicated access to public lands traditionally used for responsible motorized recreation.
Supporters of today’s action say reducing monument boundaries restores the balance between conservation and multiple-use management while giving federal land managers greater flexibility to maintain roads and provide recreational access.
Conservation organizations and many tribal leaders, however, argue that the larger monument boundaries are necessary to protect sensitive cultural resources, archaeological sites, and fragile desert ecosystems.
Off-Road Industry Welcomes the Decision
The Off-Road Business Association (ORBA) also welcomed the administration’s decision, saying the revised monument boundaries could create additional opportunities for responsible recreation while maintaining public access.
In a statement released following the proclamations, ORBA said:
“ORBA applauds President Trump’s action today to give more Americans the opportunity to explore our nation’s natural treasures by refining the use of Bears Ears National Monument. The natural beauty of this area is ideally suited for a new transportation plan that can maximize public access, and create more ways for all people to utilize roads and trails for responsible motorized recreation.”
Like other recreation organizations supporting the proclamations, ORBA emphasized that future transportation planning will determine how access is managed and what roads and trails are ultimately designated for public use.
BlueRibbon Coalition echoed that sentiment while focusing on the legal questions surrounding the Antiquities Act.
“Congress wrote the Antiquities Act to protect the smallest area compatible with preserving significant historic and scientific objects,” the organization said. “The courts now have an opportunity to determine whether modern monument designations comply with those limits.”
The Legal Battle Is Far From Over
Today’s proclamations are unlikely to be the final word.
Several tribal nations, conservation organizations, and environmental groups have already condemned the proclamations, arguing that the reductions threaten culturally significant landscapes, archaeological resources, wildlife habitat, and public lands protections, and many are expected to challenge the action in federal court.
BlueRibbon Coalition, which has long advocated for increased public access to federal lands, welcomed the announcement while emphasizing that lasting certainty will likely require judicial decisions or congressional action.
The coalition also pointed to a recent ruling by the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals that could prove just as significant as the proclamations themselves. Earlier this year, the court held that presidential monument designations under the Antiquities Act are subject to judicial review, sending the case back to the district court to determine whether the monument boundaries comply with the law’s requirement that they encompass the “smallest area compatible” with protecting the identified objects. According to BlueRibbon Coalition, it is the first time a federal court has been directed to fully examine those statutory limits.
Because monument boundaries created through presidential proclamations can also be modified by future presidents, the long-term outcome may ultimately depend on how the courts interpret the Antiquities Act.
What Happens Next?
Over the coming months, the Department of the Interior is expected to begin developing new transportation and management plans for the revised monument boundaries.
Those plans will likely include opportunities for public comment from local communities, recreation groups, conservation organizations, tribal governments, and other stakeholders. As those plans are developed, they will likely become the primary focus of both recreation groups and conservation organizations. Transportation plans—not monument boundaries alone—will ultimately determine which roads remain open for public travel and how recreation is managed throughout the revised monuments.
For off-road enthusiasts, today’s proclamations represent the beginning of a new chapter rather than the end of the story. The transportation planning process—and the legal challenges that are almost certain to follow—will ultimately determine which roads remain open, which may be reopened, and how motorized recreation is managed across these iconic Utah landscapes for years to come.
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