Utah’s Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) are set aside to conserve habitat, reduce conflicts between wildlife and people, and provide space for hunting, fishing, and outdoor recreation.
In 2025, Utah’s Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) became the center of a statewide debate after new access rules affected hikers, runners, and mountain bikers using popular trails. Those rules have since been updated, making access much simpler for non-hunting recreationists.
2026 Update: Access Rules Have Changed as of July 1, 2026
Following feedback from hikers, runners, mountain bikers, and other outdoor recreationists, Utah lawmakers updated the WMA access law during the 2026 legislative session.
If you’re visiting an applicable Wildlife Management Area for recreation, you no longer need to purchase a hunting or fishing license. Instead, you can complete a short educational video and receive a free digital access permit.
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List of WMAs that currently require a digital access permit or license for access:
For the most up-to-date information, visit Utah.gov website here.
In May 2025, House Bill 309 took effect, requiring anyone 18 or older to carry a hunting, fishing, or combination license to access WMAs in Davis, Weber, Salt Lake, and Utah counties. The rule applied to everyone—whether you were hiking, biking, fishing, hunting, or simply running a trail.
But it didn’t take long for controversy to erupt. Trail runner Kyle Burgess posted on Instagram after being stopped by an officer at the Timpanogos WMA in Orem and told he needed a fishing permit just to run on the Bonneville Shoreline Trail. His story went viral, sparking frustration across the state from trail users who had never considered WMAs part of the “hunting and fishing” system.
The Timpanogos WMA highlights the complexity of managing public lands that serve very different communities. Unlike many WMAs, which see mostly hunting and fishing use, Timpanogos hosts a heavily trafficked section of the Bonneville Shoreline Trail—a trail designed for everyday recreation, not just sportsmen.
After widespread criticism, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) and the Division of Outdoor Recreation quickly created a special use permit for the trail. This exemption means hikers, bikers, and runners can continue to use the Bonneville Shoreline Trail within the Timpanogos WMA without purchasing a license.
Trails Utah finds this especially important as hiking, running and biking on trails is a “non-consumptive use” of a WMA.
Officials acknowledged that the trail lacked a public easement, complicating enforcement, and admitted the backlash showed how “one-size-fits-all” licensing failed to reflect real-world trail use.
Timpanogos WMA (Bonneville Shoreline Trail): You can hike, bike, and run without a hunting or fishing license.
Other WMAs in Davis, Weber, Salt Lake & Utah Counties: As of now, the license requirement remains in place. That means if you’re 18+, you’ll need to carry a license to hike, bike, or explore outside of special easement trails.
Seasonal closures: Some WMAs, like Timpanogos, also have seasonal restrictions (Dec 1 – Apr 15) to protect wildlife.
The quick reversal on Timpanogos raises questions:
Will more WMAs that overlap with popular trails receive similar exemptions?
How will enforcement be handled in areas where recreational users far outnumber hunters and anglers?
For now, the law is still on the books—but the Timpanogos case shows that community voices matter. When policies don’t align with how people actually use trails, change is possible.
Utah’s WMAs remain vital for habitat protection and outdoor recreation. But as the Timpanogos WMA episode proved, balancing conservation, hunting, and everyday trail use is a work in progress.
If you recreate in or near WMAs, stay informed, check trailhead signage, and be aware that rules may continue to shift in 2026.
Rest assured, Trails Utah be your advocate to encourage the Utah Legislature to revert to the past practice of allowing recreational trail users free access to our public lands.
