Wyoming BlM oil and gas road question

Gooseboy

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Greetings all, another access questions on public: I’ve been cyber scouting on here, another forum; YouTube, google earth, free trial with OnX, and I’m still a little brain dead on use of the littered oil and gas roads that are in some of these units; Mainly watching on YouTube by personalities utilizing gas roads for access as they flat out say on there broadcasts but the further I research it appears that access on these paths are really not open to public. What’s the rule? No sign no gate legal? No sign with a gate legal? I hate to find out the hard way and looking for insight. Thanks for all the help. blessings

Brian
 

pods8 (Rugged Stitching)

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If the road is on public and not posted as closed you can generally use them (caveat, doesn't hurt to check the motor vehicle use maps since ass holes rip out closed road signs and that does not absolve you from knowing its closed). If it requires crossing private land those no-name roads are trespassing. It needs to be a public road (IE forest service, maintained county road, etc). to cross private land, once you clear private then its just whatever the state/BLM/forest service have decided.
 

wapitibob

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If it's on blm you can drive it. If/when it hits private it will need an easement across that private or a landowner that allows you to cross. Call the regional blm office when you have a map handy.
 

bwhntMT

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Only semi-obvious thing I'd mention is you can drive those roads as long as you access them from a public road. I know that seems obvious, but I have observed plenty of people not following that one.
 
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Gooseboy

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Thanks for the quick replies. Cyber scouting is time consuming and some info is not quite black or white or least the way I’m processing all the data But I’m having a blast analyzing all the data and truly enjoy Rokslide
 

pods8 (Rugged Stitching)

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Only semi-obvious thing I'd mention is you can drive those roads as long as you access them from a public road. I know that seems obvious, but I have observed plenty of people not following that one.

Just to clarify you access from public but if it crosses private you have to stop in most cases.
 

Elkhntr08

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I would double check the idea that you can use a company’s lease road. The right of ingress and egress is part of the lease agreement with BLM. It may be on BLM land, but it belongs to and is maintained by the company. I know 3 inspectors with the state of Wyoming and a retired BLM inspector, I’ll reach out to them tomorrow for their opinion.
 

bowtech840

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FWIW When we were out there last year the local biologist and warden were at our hotel one evening so we asked them. They said you are allowed to drive on any established road/2 track on blm ground.


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pods8 (Rugged Stitching)

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FWIW When we were out there last year the local biologist and warden were at our hotel one evening so we asked them. They said you are allowed to drive on any established road/2 track on blm ground.

Keep in mind they close some of the roads/trails even on BLM (allowing an unauthorized 2 track to grow back, certain wildlife habitat protection, etc.), typically there is a post showing what type of access is allowed but as noted some ass holes rip them out. Generally most roads on BLM are usable, esp. the well defined ones, but its not absolute.
 

manitou1

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So why do the the gas companies have gates with posted signs when it is clearly BLM the are operating on?
 

hunt406

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I would double check the idea that you can use a company’s lease road. The right of ingress and egress is part of the lease agreement with BLM. It may be on BLM land, but it belongs to and is maintained by the company. I know 3 inspectors with the state of Wyoming and a retired BLM inspector, I’ll reach out to them tomorrow for their opinion.
So why do the the gas companies have gates with posted signs when it is clearly BLM the are operating on?
I would guess that would be one of the lease roads mentioned by Elkhntr08

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So why do the the gas companies have gates with posted signs when it is clearly BLM the are operating on?

It is a bluff as they do not want you messing around with their wells and associated infrastructure. There are, or were, a lot of roads on accessible BLM roads in northeast Wyoming with energy company signs saying "no trespassing". Those companies can not legally keep you off the roads or the BLM lands. But, as has been mentioned, make sure you accessed the road legally and you stay on BLM land. You venture off the public road onto private and fines could result.

Those gates should not be locked.

ClearCreek
 
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nodakian

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It is a bluff as they do not want you messing around with their wells and associated infrastructure. There are, or were, a lot of roads on accessible BLM roads in northeast Wyoming with energy company signs saying "no trespassing". Those companies can not legally keep you off the roads or the BLM lands. But, as has been mentioned, make sure you accessed the road legally and you stay on BLM land. You venture off the public road onto private and fines could result.

Those gates should not be locked.

ClearCreek

This is correct. We have the same issue with petro companies “posting” roads here on National Grasslands. The USFS told me the if the road is on public land the public can drive in it. Petro companies only have an easement from the landowners—us—for petro uses. If we allow them to build a road on our land, we get to use it too.

I had a petro guy tell me I couldn’t drive on a certain “private” road. I told him that if I was doing something illegal he should call the sheriff, otherwise leave me alone. He didn’t make the call. I think this was the same guy who tried running a friend off a prairie dog town on public land. The guy got belligerent enough that my friend had to point out that 1)only one party in the conversation had a gun and 2) the conversation was over.
 
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