Private property is increasingly being locked up by landowners.  In some cases ranches and farms are inherited or sold and the new owners no longer understand that their roads are actually RS 2477 public highways.  They put up NO TRESPASSING signs and lock their gates to prevent access for offroad recreation and other activities.  In other cases, land is subdivided by real estate developers and sold to wealthy out-of-state residents for second homes.  These absentee owners are often agressively anti-access and will often take extreme measures to keep YOU from exercising your right to cross their property for recreation or access.  Sometimes entire "gated communities" are built, blocking access to long-time locals.  In the vast majority of cases, the roads that are closed can be claimed as RS 2477 public highways. 

You can assert your RS 2477 rights simply by refusing to heed these NO TRESPASSING signs.  You can assert your RS 2477 rights by driving on roads through private property.  When such a public road is illegally blocked by a gate, you can assert your RS 2477 rights by cutting the lock.

• Educate your county sheriff and commissioners about RS 2477 and your right to use roads on private land for access and recreation.
  

• Do your homework.  You do NOT have to prove the existence of constructed roads.  If you can find a map with a creek or footpath, you can claim it as an RS 2477 public highway.

• If the sheriff threatens to cite you for criminal trespassing, make sure he knows that you can use RS 2477 as a defense in virtually every situation.  If you are on any kind of road (including a creek or footpath, which are considered RS 2477 public highways), RS 2477 is a valid defense.

• Use the threat of lawsuits against uncooperative landowners.  Many owners are not wealthy and cannot afford to defend against an RS 2477 lawsuit.  If possible, get your county commissioners to help.

• RS 2477 lawsuits can take many years to resolve, forcing landowners to capitulate even if you cannot prove that a road is valid under RS 2477.  One case in Colorado has been going on for six years, costing the landowner more than $100,000.  Most ranchers and farmers will simply back down and open their gates when threatened with legal action, even in cases where it cannot be proven that their road is an RS 2477 public highway.
  

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