SantaFeToday.com Santa Fe’s Hometown News
By SFNF
The updated Motor Vehicle Use Maps (MVUMs) are now available in both electronic and paper formats online and at the Santa Fe National Forest Headquartersand District Offices. MVUMs show all forest roads and trails open to motor vehicle travel on the 1.6-million-acre forest.
National forests are required to designate a system of roads, trails and areas open to motor vehicle use by class of vehicle and, when necessary, by seasonal designation. Members of the public are prohibited from driving on all routes not displayed on the MVUM. Visitors to the forest are reminded that it is their responsibility to determine if they are on routes designated for motorized traffic and whether an open road is safe for travel. In addition to highway-legal vehicles like cars and motorcycles, motorized use also includes ATVs.
Separate MVUMs for the east and west sides of the Santa Fe National Forest are free and available in paper format at the Forest Headquarters in Santa Fe and all District Offices. Electronic versions are available online. The Forest Visitor Map sells for $14 at all Forest Offices and is also available for sale at select retailers.
For additional reference, the MVUMs may be used in conjunction with travel aids which provide information on recreational uses, trails, roads, streams, lakes, visitor centers, facilities, campgrounds and picnic areas.
The new MVUMs for the Santa Fe National Forest added and removed roads near La Bajada, added over 7 miles of motorcycle trails in the Los Alamos area and corrected road alignments based on LiDAR remote sensing and aerial photos.
Digital versions of both the MVUMs and the Forest Visitor Map are available through Avenza for use with smartphones. The MVUM is free, and the Forest Visitor Map within the app is $4.99.
