Public Access on State Lands Within the Dalton Highway Corridor

Photo credit: PAAD

Project Description

The State of Alaska, Department of Natural Resources (DNR), through the Alaska Statehood Act, has selected lands for statehood entitlement in the area that has been encumbered by the federal government through Public Land Order (PLO) 5150 since 1971. The recent decision by the Secretary of the Interior to revoke PLO 5150 will allow state selections to attach to these lands after the PLO is lifted. Once conveyed to the state these lands will be subject to existing state law, including AS 19.40.210 which restricts motorized access within the Dalton Highway Corridor (DHC), thereby affecting access patterns for the general public and for Federally qualified subsistence users.

Due to the potential impacts to public access within the DHC, DNR is moving forward with a public process to gather information related to access in the former-PLO 5150 area. Through this engagement process, DNR will work with affected communities, residents, and subsistence users to:

• Identify existing travel routes and access points currently used to reach federal public lands.
• Determine where future access corridors should be established across State lands following conveyance.
• Ensure that rural Federally qualified subsistence users are provided sufficient access across the newly acquired state land to adjacent Federal public lands.
• Identify and assess potential Section Line Easements (SLEs) pursuant to AS 19.40.210 to provide motorized access to adjacent Federal public land, Native allotments, and Alaska Native corporation lands, while minimizing the potential for conflicts to preexisting uses.
• Clarify that any decisions that the State makes under AS 19.40.210 will facilitate reasonable access to motorized users, including Federally qualified subsistence users.

The DNR will begin outreach to communities along the Dalton Highway corridor and nearby villages in the spring of 2026 to gather input on preferred access locations. This engagement may include community meetings, coordination with local governments and tribal entities, and opportunities for written input. This webpage will be a central location where the public can access information related to the time and location of public meetings, conveyance of state lands, existing public access, and the public engagement process.

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