Treeline Review (June 26, 2025) by Meg Carney

A fast-moving proposal in the U.S. Senate threatens to open the door to one of the largest public land sales in modern history. Buried within the Senate’s recent budget bill, a provision would require the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to sell off at least public lands they manage in 11 Western states.

What started as an attempt to sell off 3.3 million acres of US Forest Service and BLM land has evolved into the sale of 600,000 and 1.2 million acres of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands over the next five years.

While national parks, designated wildernesses, and monuments are technically excluded from these proposed sales, the vast majority of multi-use public lands are not clearly protected. While parks and national wilderness areas may not be on the list of lands for sale, areas adjacent to those places may be eligible. For instance, U.S. Forest Service lands around Crater Lake National Park in Oregon are all eligible for sale. These also include iconic areas surrounding and intersecting trails like the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), Arizona Trail (AZT), and Continental Divide Trail (CDT).

Language in the bill is alarmingly vague, leaving critical recreation corridors, wildlife habitats, and watershed areas vulnerable to sale without traditional oversight. No public hearings, no environmental reviews, and no opportunities for community input would be required before these sales are finalized, and the sales could happen as quickly as 60 days after the budget is approved.

The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), stretching 2,650 miles from Mexico to Canada, crosses BLM and Forest Service lands throughout California, Oregon, and Washington. While the physical trail tread might be spared, adjacent lands, resupply routes, access points, and campsites are eligible for sale under the bill’s loose parameters. See this detailed map showing the alarming amount of land along the PCT that would be listed for sale here.

Further south, the Arizona Trail (AZT), an 800-mile route from Mexico to Utah, passes through a patchwork of national forests and BLM lands. Arizona is one of the 11 states named in the bill, and with so many sections of the AZT bordering multi-use public lands, trailheads, campsites, and side trails could also be eligible for sale.

Along the Continental Divide Trail (CDT), where 160 miles of the route still follow roads and unprotected corridors, even minor land sales could dramatically alter future trail completion efforts and degrade the wild character thru-hikers prize. This map shows all the places on the CDT that would be up for sale, including massive sections in New Mexico and Wyoming and trail shared with the Colorado Trail.

The Tahoe Rim Trail, the San Diego Trans County Trail, Oregon Desert Trail, Blue Mountains Trail, Timberline Trail, and many, many more are impacted by this decision. In every case, the potential loss isn’t just to land but to clean air, healthy watersheds, wildlife habitat, rural tourism economies, and cultural heritage.

 

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