Elk Mountain Access: How Checkerboard Land Ownership Blocks Public Land Use in Wyoming

Summary

The article tells the story of hunters Brad Cape and Phil Yeomans who discovered Elk Mountain in southeast Wyoming in 2019, only to find that accessing it was extremely difficult due to complex land ownership patterns. The mountain's checkerboard pattern of public and private land created significant access challenges, highlighting broader issues of land use, property rights, and public access to natural resources in the American West. The story explores how historical land grants and modern property laws create barriers to accessing public lands, with implications for hunting, recreation, and land management across the United States.