Every OutdoorWire trail page is generated from public data. Here is exactly where it comes from and what we do with it.
Data sources
- USDA Forest Service Motor Vehicle Use Maps (MVUM): which roads and trails are open to which vehicles, and in which seasons.
- Bureau of Land Management route data: designated routes on BLM land.
- OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL): surface and track-condition tags matched to agency routes.
- USGS elevation data: elevation gain and high point.
Each page shows the date of the data snapshot it was built from.
What we publish
We publish only routes that the Forest Service or BLM designate for motor vehicles. A track that appears only in OpenStreetMap is never published, because a line on a map does not mean it is legal to drive.
How summaries are written
The short description on each trail page is written with AI assistance from that trail’s data row only. The writer is instructed to use only the fields provided and add nothing. If the data changes, the summary is rewritten. Numbers, closures and seasons always come from the data, never from the writer.
How difficulty is rated
No public dataset rates 4×4 difficulty, so we derive a starting rating from 1 to 5 from public signals:
- Forest Service maintenance level and vehicle class (for example, high-clearance only means at least 2).
- OpenStreetMap
4wd_only=yesmeans at least 3. - OpenStreetMap track type and smoothness: very bad is 3, horrible is 4, very horrible or impassable is 5.
Every rating shows a confidence level. When signals are missing we lower the confidence rather than guess. Approved reader reports are shown separately as a driver-rated difficulty. We never copy ratings from guidebooks or other trail apps.
Before you go
Conditions change. Every trail page links to its managing agency: check current conditions, closures and fire restrictions with them before you go.
Found an error? Tell us.