Headed out to public land? BLM made an app for that.

For the outdoor recreation enthusiast or anyone interested in the natural spaces that belong to all of us, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) recently announced a new tool that provides free, offline access to interactive maps of public lands.

The BLM is a federal agency funded by tax dollars, tasked with conserving and managing more than 245 million acres of public land in the United States. Their mission protects the public’s access to explore the wonder of our natural environment for present and future generations.

BLM’s Enterprise Geospatial Services Team developed the digital maps for 18 western U.S. states so far, with a plan to expand the maps to include all 50 U.S. states and possibly territories as well. According to the BLM website, “The Enterprise Geospatial Services Team believes you should have access to the data your taxes pay to create in a modern format, usable offline, for free.”

The app, called ArcGIS Field Maps, is available on both Android and Apple phones and is free to download for anyone with a smart device.

A screenshot of the BLM National California Mobile Map Package zoomed out

Know Before You Download

I spent some time exploring what the app has to offer. Here are some tips and thoughts:

One could quite literally get lost in this app, which is both a shout-out to the abundance of information on it and a heads-up that it’s not the most straightforward to navigate for a first-time user.

Be sure to follow the instructions provided on the BLM website and search for BLM MMPK once you’re in the app, which will take you directly to the downloadable maps for offline purposes. Otherwise, this is where you could get lost in the matrix of data packed into the app— like the “world topographic” or “wildfire and weather information”— which are also really neat resources.

Once you’ve searched ‘BLM MMPK,’ you can download a map of any of the 18 western U.S. states and explore— on or offline.

The tool provides a layered, interactive experience that helps users identify natural landmarks and national parks, trailheads, campgrounds, restrooms, streams, lakes, and other landmarks.

If you’re curious, the map color-codes which agency is managing a selected area of land, including BLM, the U.S. Forest Service, the Department of Defense, the National Park Service, etc. It also highlights tribal lands, endangered areas, wilderness study areas, and much, much more.

Zooming in on Wilderness Areas

For example, the BLM manages approximately 11.1 million acres of public lands currently designated as wilderness study areas. These areas have identified wilderness characteristics and are under consideration of Congress, with the public’s input, to be added to wilderness areas under the National Wilderness Preservation System. 

Wilderness areas have multiple important functions, including serving as spaces of rejuvenation– an escape from the hustle of industrialized civilization– as well as protection of wildlife species or clean water, and scientific research that includes studying the impacts and potential solutions for mitigating climate change.

It’s eye-opening to see just how much land belongs to the public, whether for recreational purposes, conservation or research. Especially as the Trump administration has indicated it will prioritize drilling and mining interests while eradicating land protections and conservation measures. This presidential administration is also considering selling off public lands to offset the national debt, posing a significant threat to ecosystems, health, and access to wide open spaces.

Data You Might Not Find

Of all the layers of data displayed on the app, the downloadable map does not show grazing allotments or Herd Management Areas of wild horses and burros, despite the BLM’s intimate involvement with cattle and wild horses.

With a specified search in the broader ArcGIS Field Maps app, there are other maps that detail this information in specific areas, but the data coverage is by no means exhaustive. For instance, one map shows managed fields and herds of cattle in one part of Missouri but nowhere else, while a different map shows grazing allotments in Colorado. Another map shows Herd Management Areas of wild horses and burros, but only in Arizona. All of these are separate maps that don’t provide wildly extensive information.

Another specified search in the app offers an array of color-coded information about grey wolves, such as their population in specific areas and habitat suitability– but again, not comprehensive. 

One big pitfall of the MMPK and the overall app, is that it doesn’t actually provide directions in the downloaded map. When you tap the ‘Directions’ button to a specific location, it bumps you to the Maps app— which wouldn’t be particularly helpful for navigating a trek without cell service, unless of course you’re an avid map reader who can follow a compass.

Nonetheless, this is a goldmine of data about our public lands that our tax dollars paid for. It’s worth checking out to learn more about the natural spaces around us, or simply to identify our next trip to a national state park and appreciate the still existing access to vast landscapes.