CORALLY

Can you ride forest tracks by motorcycle in Extremadura? What the law says

Last reviewed: November 9, 2026

On public rural ways, yes: they are open to free passage unless their owner restricts them (Extremadura Agrarian Act 6/2015, article 192). Forest tracks in public-utility forests need a permit (art. 262.2.c), and drove roads an exceptional permit for a given route and date. In protected areas, only where their plan allows.

Allowed

  • On public rural ways (owned by town and provincial councils): free passage, as long as you stay on the way (Act 6/2015, art. 192.1).
  • On the roads and ways that a protected area's plan leaves open (Act 8/1998, art. 46.1.n).
  • On a forest track in a public-utility forest, if you have a special-use permit (Act 6/2015, art. 262.2.c).
  • On a drove road, with a permit for that route and that date, at 30 km/h at most (Decree 65/2022, arts. 19.2 and 22.2).

Not allowed

  • On forest tracks in public-utility forests without a permit (Act 6/2015, art. 262.2.c).
  • On drove roads without a permit (Act 6/2015, art. 224.2), nor any speed or skill event even with one (Decree 65/2022, art. 19.1).
  • In a protected area, outside the authorised places (Act 8/1998, art. 46.1.n).
  • On singletrack and bridle paths: the law defines them as unfit for wheeled traffic (Act 6/2015, art. 172).
  • Off-track, away from roads, ways and tracks (Act 43/2003, art. 67.k).
  • On a way its owner has restricted or closed, or one closed for wildfire risk (Act 6/2015, art. 194; Act 5/2004, art. 42.2).
  • On private ways and rights of way: they are not public ways (Act 6/2015, art. 170).

Rural ways: free passage

In Extremadura, ways are covered by the Agrarian Act 6/2015, which repealed the old 2001 public ways act. Public rural ways, owned by town and provincial councils, «are open to free passage» (art. 192.1). With good use: stay on the way, close gates, respect wildlife, plants and farms, keep the noise down and light no fires.

Their owner can restrict traffic for all or some vehicle types because of the state of the way, safety or environmental protection: ban it, set conditions or require prior permission, on one stretch or the whole way (art. 194). A sign or a municipal by-law will say so (art. 193). There is no general speed or group-size limit on these ways.

Tracks in public-utility forests: with a permit

Forest tracks in the region's own forests and in those listed as of public utility are public ways, but forestry law governs them (art. 170). And in listed forests, riding a motor vehicle on forest tracks needs a special-use permit from the forest's managing authority, with a favourable report from the forestry Directorate-General (art. 262.2.c). The Directorate-General decides within three months; no answer means no (art. 262.5).

Outside listed forests, the law has no general rule for motorcycles: the owner and the signs decide. Corally does not know who owns a forest or whether a track is listed: if you see a public-utility forest sign or a chain, the track is not open to you without a permit.

Drove roads: a permit per route and date

Cañadas, cordeles, veredas and coladas are not ways for motorcycles. Non-agricultural motor vehicles on them need prior permission, which «shall in all cases be exceptional» (Act 6/2015, art. 224.2).

Decree 65/2022 sets out how to apply:

  • It is valid only for the route and date applied for (art. 22.2); federations can apply for a year's calendar of routes.
  • Never above 30 km/h (art. 19.2) and no speed or skill events (art. 19.1).
  • No permit on drove roads not legally recovered, with livestock on them, while the grass is growing, or of ecological and cultural interest; the number of vehicles per date can be capped (art. 21).
  • You must notify SEPRONA and the environmental rangers 10 days ahead (first additional provision). No answer within a month means no (art. 23).

Protected areas and eco-cultural corridors

In every protected natural area in Extremadura, riding motor vehicles «outside the authorised places» is incompatible (Act 8/1998, art. 46.1.n), and doing so in a protected area or a Natura 2000 site is a minor offence (art. 66.2.28). Which tracks are allowed is set by each area's plan: in Monfragüe, for example, only the EX-208 road and two paved access roads inside the national park.

In eco-cultural corridors (drove roads or ways declared as such), no motor vehicle is allowed except for livestock, farming, surveillance and maintenance (art. 26.3).

Wildfires: when ways are closed

The high-danger season is set every year by an order: in 2026, from 1 June to 15 October (Order of 26 May 2026, art. 4.1), and it can be extended. The order does not ban motorcycles by itself: it bans fire and spark-producing machinery at very high or extreme risk.

What it does allow is closing access: access to and traffic on ways across forest land can be restricted or banned when the risk calls for it (Act 5/2004, art. 42.2; 2026 Order, art. 7.c). Before a summer ride, check your municipality's risk level on the INFOEX website and the signs at the forest entrance.

What is not clear

There is no public list of which forest tracks are in listed forests, or of which ways each town council has restricted. We have not read each protected area's plan except Monfragüe's, nor which eco-cultural corridors have been declared.

Until it is clear: ways that are clearly public and open, the sign rules and, if in doubt in a public forest or a protected area, ask the relevant Directorate-General or the environmental rangers.

What if you get fined

Riding a motor vehicle off roads, ways and tracks without permission, or where there is an express ban, is an offence under the state Forestry Act (art. 67.k): with no damage, minor, from €100 to €1,000 (art. 74). On a drove road, minor offences range from €60 to €600 (Act 6/2015, art. 346). In a protected area, motor traffic off the authorised ways is minor (Act 8/1998, art. 66.2.28), with a fine the act still sets in pesetas, roughly €60 to €6,010 (art. 67).

What each area is

Four designations you will meet out in the country, each with its own page: what it is, what the acronyms mean and what it means for your bike.

How Corally applies it

  • Singletrack (in Corally, «paths») is outside the default way filter: the planner does not use it and the analyser flags the sections of a GPX that run on it.
  • If OpenStreetMap says a way is closed to motorcycles or motor vehicles, the planner avoids it and the analyser flags it as «No motorcycles».
  • The «Zones with rules» layer flags the protected areas, public-utility forests and drove roads it knows on your route: it does not block it, it warns you so you can decide or ask for a permit.
  • What Corally does not know: whether a town council has restricted a way, wildfire closures, new chains and signs, and each area's plan. The data is public and collaborative and may differ from the ground: the signs rule.

Plan a dirt-track route in Extremadura

Frequently asked questions

Can you ride dirt ways in Extremadura?
On public rural ways, yes: they are open to free passage (Act 6/2015, art. 192.1), unless the town or provincial council restricts them with a sign or a by-law (art. 194).
What about forest tracks in a public forest?
In forests listed as of public utility, only with a special-use permit from the forest's managing authority (Act 6/2015, art. 262.2.c). No answer within three months means no.
Can I ride a cañada?
Only with an exceptional permit for that route and that date, at 30 km/h at most and notifying SEPRONA 10 days ahead (Act 6/2015, art. 224.2; Decree 65/2022). For a spur-of-the-moment ride, no.
Is there a speed or group limit?
There is no general rule for ways and tracks. On a permitted drove road, 30 km/h at most, and the permit can cap the number of vehicles (Decree 65/2022, arts. 19.2 and 21.2). In parks, whatever their plan says: in Monfragüe, 20 km/h on tracks.
Are tracks closed in summer?
The high-danger season (in 2026, 1 June to 15 October) does not close tracks by itself, but the regional government can restrict or ban traffic on forest ways when the risk calls for it (Act 5/2004, art. 42.2).
What is the fine?
For riding a motor vehicle where you may not, €100 to €1,000 with no damage (Act 43/2003, art. 74); on a drove road, €60 to €600 (Act 6/2015, art. 346).

Sources (with the article)

A practical guide written by Corally from the rules cited at the end. It is not legal advice: rules change, every protected area has its own plan, and signs on the ground always prevail.