Supreme Court Lets Corner Crossing Ruling Stand

Written by HLRBO Staff| 10/21/2025

The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear a challenge to the legality of “corner crossing,” leaving intact a 10th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that opened millions of acres of public land in the West to hunters and recreationists.

As we reported in April, the appeals court found that stepping from one parcel of public land to another at the meeting point of four corners is not trespassing.

This ruling is a win for hunters because of the "checkerboard" land pattern across the American West. Millions of acres of public land were previously "corner-locked," meaning they were surrounded by private property and only touched other public land at a single corner. 

Before this decision, those public acres were effectively inaccessible. Now, the ruling legally secures the right for hunters in multiple states to use corners to reach previously locked-up public land.

States Across The West 

The decision applied in Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Kansas, and Oklahoma, and it was called a major win by Backcountry Hunters and Anglers (BHA) and other groups.

By refusing to hear the case Iron Bar Holdings v. Cape, the Supreme Court has preserved the outcome from earlier this year. BHA estimates the ruling secures access to millions of acres of land in the six states.

“It’s a victory worth celebrating,” said Devin Odea, a conservation manager for BHA. “Access to 3.5 million acres of public lands has been secured because four hunters from Missouri took a leap of faith across a corner and the Wyoming chapter of BHA stood up in their defense.”

The high court’s action resolves a long fight in Wyoming, where hunters once faced a $9 million lawsuit after using a ladder to cross from one corner of public land to another. Landowners argued they trespassed through private “airspace” while stepping onto a public plot.

Ongoing Fight for Land

While advocates are celebrating, BHA cautioned that the fight is not over. Landowners and other groups may pursue restrictions through state legislatures or future lawsuits.

“Today’s win is historic, but it cannot be mistaken for a finish line,” said Jack Polentes, a policy manager for BHA.

For now, large swaths once considered inaccessible are legally open to the public. But as our earlier story made clear, “corner crossing” will continue to test the boundaries of public access across the West.

--This article is an update to HLRBO’s “Corner Crossing Laws Change in the West,” published April 14, 2025.