Scattered across Montana are 5.2 million acres of state school trust lands, most of them open to public hunting, hiking and other outdoor recreation. Earlier this year, the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC), which manages the properties, issued a map showing which are open or closed to public use.
The online map includes information on each area’s accessibility, public access restrictions and special scenarios such as if the land is accessible by water only.
State trust lands are parcels granted mostly to western states by Congress in the 19th century for the purpose of funding public schools. States lease the tracts to ranchers, farmers, logging and mining operations and other businesses to raise revenue, which is put in a “trust” that funds K-12 schools and other educational institutions.
The trust lands are mostly in the central and eastern regions of Montana. Of the 5.2 million-acre total, 1.5 million acres, or 28 percent, are inaccessible to public use, mostly because they are surrounded by private property. Some state trust lands are marked with small light-blue signs indicating state ownership and recreation access. Crossing private land to reach trust lands without landowner permission is illegal.
As with state parks, wildlife management areas, fishing access sites and other state lands, visitors need to stay on designated roads, pack out litter and follow rules and restrictions. And as with other state lands, users need an FWP Conservation License to access school trust lands.
View the map and information about public use of Montana school trust lands at: dnrc.mt.gov/recreation.
From the March-April 2025 issue of Montana Outdoors
