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On Tuesday, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals ruled that corner crossing, or accessing public land at a common corner with private land, is legal in at least six Western states.
The ruling upholds a 2022 decision by a district court which found that a group of hunters did not trespass onto the private property of Elk Mountain Ranch in Wyoming when they crossed from one section of public land to another in 2020 and 2021. The ranch owner sued, citing the hunters' momentary presence in the airspace above the private land when they used a ladder to avoid stepping foot on the ranch.
The ruling is a huge win for public lands access—because some of America's public and private land is divided in such a way that creates a checkerboard pattern, the ability to cross from one corner of public land to another ensures access to millions of acres on national public lands that would otherwise be inaccessible.
As a result of the ruling, corner crossing is now protected by federal law in Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Utah, and Wyoming. But the precedent could make corner crossing legal in other states, too.
“This is a key win in the battle to keep public lands in public hands," said Dagny Signorelli, Wyoming director of Western Watersheds Project.
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Make no mistake about it, Congress can trim or even eliminate a national monument if Congress believes a president acted in error, but President Trump cannot wrest that power from Congress just because he’s hell-bent on undoing all the work of his predecessor.”
