Where to Get the Current Forest Service MVUM

Why the edition matters

The Forest Service’s MVUM FAQ says “Routes not shown on the MVUM are not open to public motor vehicle travel”, and calls the map “an enforcement tool to ensure individuals are on the correct route” (Forest Service MVUM FAQ, checked November 10, 2026). Under federal regulation, once routes are designated and shown on an MVUM, operating a motor vehicle other than in accordance with those designations is prohibited (36 CFR 261.13).

MVUMs change. The national FAQ says they “will be updated as needed to correct mapping errors or discrepancies and update travel decisions”. Many forests reissue theirs every year: the Pike and San Isabel, for example, says its MVUMs “will be updated annually, in January” (Pike and San Isabel MVUMs, checked November 10, 2026). A route that was open on last year’s map may not be open on this year’s.

Where to get it from the Forest Service

Your forest’s website

Each national forest and grassland posts its own MVUMs. The FAQ says they are “required to be posted online and are most frequently found on a Forest’s Maps and Publication Page”, and that “Paper maps can often be found at visitor centers” (MVUM FAQ).

1. Start at the Forest Service’s maps page and find your forest, or search for “[forest name] motor vehicle use map”.
2. On the forest’s site, open Maps & Guides (or Maps & Publications), then the MVUM or Motor Vehicle Use Maps page.
3. Download the map for each ranger district your trip crosses. Many districts are split into several sheets, so check you have all of them.
4. Note the year printed on the map, so you can tell later whether a newer one is out.

The PDFs on forest websites are usually GeoPDFs, so a map app can put your GPS position on them.

Paper copies

Ranger district offices and visitor centers often have printed MVUMs. Some forests say so outright: the Pike and San Isabel says its maps “are freely available to the public on our website or at our ranger district or supervisor’s offices”. Call ahead if you’re counting on one.

MVUM data for GIS

If you work in GIS, the Forest Service publishes national “Motor Vehicle Use Map: Roads” and “Motor Vehicle Use Map: Trails” datasets, designed to be consistent with the MVUMs, on its FSGeodata Clearinghouse (checked November 10, 2026). These are data layers, not the printed map, so the forest’s PDF is still the one to carry.

If you’ve been getting MVUMs in Avenza

Many people got MVUMs free through the Avenza Map Store. Some forests now warn that those copies won’t be kept current. The National Forests in Alabama page says: “Beginning April 2026, the Forest Service can no longer update or add new digital maps to the Avenza Map Store”, and “When a paper map is updated, the previous digital version will be removed from the store and not replaced.” It adds: “MVUMs are reissued each year. It is the responsibility of motor vehicle users to acquire the current MVUM.” (National Forests in Alabama maps, checked November 10, 2026.)

So an MVUM you downloaded in Avenza may be older than the one on the forest’s website. Compare the year on your copy with the forest’s page. If you need a new app to open the forest’s PDF, see where to open your GeoPDF maps now.

MVUMs in Cartahaven

We make Cartahaven, so weigh this one accordingly. The Forest Service maps in the Cartahaven store include MVUMs, over-snow vehicle use maps (OSVUMs) where a forest has them, and visitor maps, republished from the forests’ own websites. They are public domain and free: tap “Get this map” to add one to a free account, then open the map app and tap “Get my maps”.

• When a forest posts a new edition, the store copy is updated and anyone who has the map gets it free. The app shows “Update available”, and you’re emailed about maps you have.
• On a map you don’t have yet, “Email me when a new edition is out” on its page does the same.
• If a Forest Service map’s edition is two or more years old, its page shows an “Older edition” notice, so you know to check the forest’s site.
• Can’t find your forest’s MVUM? Download it from the forest and tap Import in the app; it works the same way.

Cartahaven is a web app today, at app.cartahaven.com, that installs to your phone’s home screen. It isn’t in the app stores yet. More on MVUMs in the app: free MVUM app.

Keeping your MVUMs current each year

1. Before the season, check each forest you use for a new MVUM. Many forests reissue them every year.
2. Replace, don’t add. Delete last year’s copy, so you don’t open the wrong one in the field.
3. Check the closures too. The MVUM shows designations and seasonal dates; temporary closures for fire, flooding or road work are issued separately. Look at the forest’s alerts page before you go.
4. Test it offline. Open each sheet once with airplane mode on, and make sure your dot appears.

New to reading these maps? How to read a Motor Vehicle Use Map explains the line styles, the seasonal dates and the route table.