To set the stage: Went camping this weekend on the east side of Bear Lake (UT-ID border). At one point we decided to go for a little ride and explore the area east to the east. Delorme's atlas and gazateer series showed lots of little road crisscrossing the area and showed that some of it was public land. We drove around, saw lots of sagebrush and cows, but it seemed every road we thought would go through ended at a gate, sometimes locked.

My question is: How do you know when it's legal and proper to go through the gate (closing it behind you of course) and when the gate indicates the end of the road?

I just go by if the gate is locked or there is a sign that says to not go through, otherwise I usually go through them.

exactly as ahhjaws... not sure about alws there but I know here in CO if it isn't posted that there is no trespassing beyond the gate and it isn't locked, then no one can press charges because you had no way of knowing it wasn't private property.

Laws and regulations differ on this matter state to state and even county to county,

Check with the local authorities.

Cruisin the posts and found this thread.

I was once told one of the laws of backroads (unwritten law of course) Is you never pass a gate that you don`t have the key too, should it be locked on your way back.

I had this unfortunate thing happen to me several months ago, only I thought I had the key! I was given permission to explore an area that was gated and told that my company security key would unlock the gates. When I got there the first gate was open and I was able to unlock the next gate that was a few hundred feet down the road. On the way back I discovered that the first gate had been locked with a different key!

There is nothing worse than having this happen to you, believe me. kind of a bummer to be so close to the highway home, yet so far.