Rio Grande National Forest Publishes Draft Winter Travel Plan
The Rio Grande National Forest is one step closer to making one of the most important winter management decisions in decades. Your voice is needed!
July 1, 2026 – The Rio Grande National Forest is proposing a designated system of routes and areas for over-snow vehicle (OSV) use across the 1.8-million-acre Rio Grande National Forest. This will determine where people snowmobile, backcountry ski, snowshoe, and enjoy quiet winter landscapes across the forest for years to come. This would become the first OSV plan in Colorado to be compliant with the 2015 Travel Management Rule and EXPLORE Act. Now is your opportunity to help shape the final plan.
Why This Matters
The Rio Grande National Forest is home to some of Colorado’s most iconic winter recreation opportunities—from the Continental Divide Trail and Wolf Creek Pass to Chama Basin. It also contains important winter habitat for Canada lynx, elk, mule deer, and countless other species that rely on healthy winter landscapes.
The Forest Service has released a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) evaluating four alternatives for managing winter travel.
What’s Included in the Draft Plan?
The Draft EIS evaluates four different alternatives for winter travel across 1.8 million acres of the Rio Grande National Forest.
The plan would transition to a “closed unless designated open” system, where routes and areas for motorized over-snow vehicle use are clearly identified on an Over-Snow Vehicle Use Map (OSVUM), and would put the Rio Grande National Forest into compliance with the 2015 Travel Management Rule.
Each alternative takes a different approach to balancing winter recreation, wintering wildlife, and natural resource protection.
When are comments due?
The Forest Service is accepting public comments through August 8, 2026.
Comments submitted during this period will help inform the Forest Service’s Final Environmental Impact Statement and Record of Decision.
The Forest Service reviews and groups similar comments together, so personalized comments are far more effective than copied form letters. Consider including but elaborating on the following points.
Suggested Points to Include in Your Comment:
Compliance with the OSV Rule: We appreciate the Forest Service’s efforts to bring the Rio Grande National Forest into compliance with the Over-Snow Vehicle Rule through Alternative 4. To further strengthen the plan, the Forest Service should include a more robust analysis of noise impacts to wildlife, quiet recreation, and recreation conflicts as part of the Rule’s minimization criteria.
Minimizing Conflict: Alternative 4 expands protections for many popular Nordic ski areas, backcountry yurts, and quiet-use recreation areas. We encourage the Forest Service to continue minimizing conflicts by protecting high-value non-motorized recreation areas, including the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail, and ensuring adequate separation between motorized and non-motorized recreation where conflicts are most likely to occur. Further site-specific analysis would adequately ensure
Minimum Snow Depth: We support Alternative 4’s enhanced snow depth requirements, including additional protections for high-use areas. The Forest Service should retain these standards and clearly explain how snow depth will be monitored and communicated to the public before areas are opened for use.
Develop a Clear Implementation & Adaptive Management Strategy: A successful winter travel plan depends on more than maps. The final decision should describe how the Forest Service will implement, monitor, educate, and enforce the designated system through signage, public outreach, snow depth monitoring, adaptive management, and enforcement.
Another Resource
Watch the recorded Zoom webinar to learn more about the Rio Grande DEIS from Winter Wildlands Alliance and our partners.
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Questions?
If you have questions, please contact our Colorado Policy Manager, Brittany Leffel, at bleffel@winterwildlands.org.
