Draft Policy and Guidance for Managing Recreational Climbing in BLM-Managed Units of the National Wilderness Preservation System

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Choosing an item from suggestions will bring you directly to the content. Thank you for taking the time to create a comment. Your input is important. Once you have filled in the required fields below you can preview and/or submit your comment to the Interior Department for review. All comments are considered public and will be posted online once the Interior Department has reviewed them. Send your comments on the draft policy and guidance on or before August 14, 2026. The BLM is not obligated to consider comments received after this date. Table of Contents Enhanced Content - Table of Contents This table of contents is a navigational tool, processed from the headings within the legal text of Federal Register documents. This repetition of headings to form internal navigation links has no substantive legal effect. Document page views are updated periodically throughout the day and are cumulative counts for this document. Counts are subject to sampling, reprocessing and revision (up or down) throughout the day. Page views 1 as of 06/13/2026 at 12:15 am EDT Other Formats Enhanced Content - Other Formats This document is also available in the following formats: This PDF is FR Doc. 2026-11950 as it appeared on Public Inspection on 06/12/2026 at 8:45 am. It was viewed 17 times while on Public Inspection. If you are using public inspection listings for legal research, you should verify the contents of the documents against a final, official edition of the Federal Register. Only official editions of the Federal Register provide legal notice of publication to the public and judicial notice to the courts under 44 U.S.C. 1503 & 1507. Learn more here. Published Document: 2026-11950 (91 FR 35996) This document has been published in the Federal Register. Use the PDF linked in the document sidebar for the official electronic format. AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior. ACTION: Notice of policy and procedural guidance. SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is issuing this Draft Statement of Policy to announce updated policy and procedural guidance for managing recreational climbing in BLM-managed units of the National Wilderness Preservation System (NWPS). This draft guidance, proposed as an update to BLM Manual 6340—Management of Designated Wilderness Areas, incorporates Congressional direction from the Protecting America's Rock Climbing (PARC) Act, as included in section 122 of the Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences (EXPLORE) Act. The BLM is seeking public comment to inform the final guidance for inclusion in Manual 6340. DATES: Send your comments on the draft policy and guidance on or before August 14, 2026. The BLM is not obligated to consider comments received after this date. ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods. Please include the words “Draft Recreational Climbing in Wilderness Guidance” as an identifier in your message. See also discussion of Public Availability of Comments below. To view a copy of the draft guidance and to submit comments electronically, go to https://www.regulations.gov. In the Search-box, enter the Docket number “BLM-2026-0034” and click the “Search” button. Click the “Comment Now!” button. Comments can also be mailed or hand delivered to: U.S. Department of the Interior, Director (630), Bureau of Land Management, 1849 C St. NW, Room 5646, Washington, DC 20240, Attention: Draft Recreational Climbing in Wilderness Policy Guidance. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sean MacDougall, BLM Division of National Conservation Lands, email BLM_HQ_410_Wilderness@BLM.GOV, telephone: (970) 256-4934 for additional information. Individuals in the United States who are deaf, blind, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access telecommunications relay services for contacting Mr. MacDougall. Individuals outside the United States should use the relay services offered within their country to make international calls to the point-of-contact in the United States. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The BLM has released updated policy and procedural guidance for managing recreational climbing in BLM-managed ( printed page 35997) units of the NWPS. This draft guidance, proposed as an update to BLM Manual 6340—Management of Designated Wilderness Areas, incorporates Congressional direction from the PARC Act, as included in section 122 of the EXPLORE Act (16 U.S.C. 8422). It recognizes recreational climbing—including the use, placement, and maintenance of fixed anchors—as an appropriate wilderness use when conducted in accordance with the Wilderness Act and other applicable laws; clarifies criteria for casual use; and outlines processes for authorizing activities that exceed casual-use thresholds, managing legacy routes and anchors, and addressing emergencies, fixed equipment, and commercial services. In accordance with 16 U.S.C. 8422(f), the BLM is seeking public comment to inform the final guidance for inclusion in Manual 6340. Substantive edits to Manual 6340 related to section 122 of the EXPLORE Act include: Section 1.6.B.2.j, installations; Section 1.6.C.13.c.ix. Primitive recreation; Section 1.6.C.13.f. Recreational climbing activities in wilderness; Section 1.6.D.5.a. Wilderness Management Plans; Climbing Management Plans; and Glossary revisions for “anchor, permanent fixed,” “anchor temporary,” “clean climbing,” “fixed equipment,” and “installation”. Before including your address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment—including your personal identifying information—may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.