CORALLY

Public forests (MUP)

What is a public forest (MUP) and can you ride an adventure bike there?

Last reviewed: November 9, 2026

A monte de utilidad pública (MUP) is a public forest listed in the Catalogue of Public Utility Forests, which makes it public domain land (Law 43/2003, art. 12.1.a). Being public does not open all its tracks to bikes: national law leaves each region to decide how motor vehicles use forest tracks.

Acronyms and names

Monte público
Public forest: owned by a public body (State, region, municipality…). It can be public domain or patrimonial land.
Law 43/2003, art. 12
MUP
Monte de utilidad pública: a public forest listed in the Catalogue. It is public domain land.
Law 43/2003, art. 12.1.a
Catálogo de Montes de Utilidad Pública
Public register where MUPs are entered. Each region keeps its own.
Law 43/2003, art. 16
Pista forestal
Forest track: a dirt track for vehicles through the forest, off the road network. The region sets how motor vehicles use it.
Law 43/2003, art. 54 bis.2
Servidumbre de paso
Right of way for forest management, surveillance and firefighting. It cannot be blocked.
Law 43/2003, art. 54 bis.3
Zona de alto riesgo de incendio
High wildfire-risk zone: access can be restricted when the risk calls for it, with visible notice.
Law 43/2003, art. 54 bis.4

What a public utility forest is

A public forest belongs to a public body. Those listed in the Catalogue of Public Utility Forests are public domain land for reasons of public service (Law 43/2003, art. 12.1.a); other public forests are patrimonial land (art. 12.2). The Catalogue is a public register kept by each region (art. 16).

On maps and signs you will see «MUP» or «Monte de U. P.» followed by a number: its number in the region's catalogue. That number lets you find the forest on the region's or the Ministry's map viewer.

What national law says

The Forestry Law does not open or close forest tracks by itself. It leaves the regions to define the conditions for motor vehicles on forest tracks off the road network (art. 54 bis.2). It does not allow rights of way for management, surveillance and firefighting to be blocked (art. 54 bis.3), and it allows access to high wildfire-risk zones to be restricted, with visible public notice (art. 54 bis.4).

So «it is a public forest» does not answer the bike question. The answer is in your region's forestry law.

Track, path and off-track

  • Forest track: a dirt track for vehicles. This is where each region's rules say whether and how you can ride.
  • Path or singletrack: a narrow way for walkers. In the regions we have reviewed, not on a bike.
  • Off-track: riding a motor vehicle off roads, paths and tracks without a permit is an offence under the Forestry Law (art. 67.k).

What changes from region to region

Each region handles it its own way. In the ones we have reviewed:

  • Andalusia: forest tracks in public forests that are not public ways are kept for management, unless you have an exceptional permit; where you may ride, 40 km/h (Act 3/2026, art. 68.2; Decree 208/1997, art. 104.4).
  • Aragon: in public forests you can ride forest tracks open to general traffic without a permit, in groups of up to 5 vehicles and at 30 km/h at most. Tracks that are not open need authorisation from the department or the owning local authority (Legislative Decree 1/2017, art. 92).
  • Asturias: in any forest, motorcycles only on expressly authorised ways or with a permit (Act 3/2004, art. 48.e), and at wildfire risk 4 or 5 tracks touching public and communal forests close automatically (Resolution of 3-09-2024).
  • Canary Islands: no forests act of their own; the state one applies. In natural areas, tracks only and 30 km/h (Decree 124/1995, arts. 2 and 3); in Tenerife, leisure riding only on the «VM» track network (2018 track regulation, art. 7).
  • Cantabria: in every public-utility forest, riding off-track, on singletrack, firebreaks or riverbeds is banned (Act 4/2006, art. 87.d).
  • Castilla-La Mancha: forest service tracks are kept for management unless you have a permit (Act 3/2008, art. 44.3), and in public-utility forests, groups of 3 vehicles at most without a permit and no ways 2 m wide or less (Decree 63/2006, art. 8.2).
  • Castile and León: in any forest, on forest tracks and never off them (Act 3/2009, art. 60.4); in public-utility forests, an organised activity of more than 10 vehicles needs a permit (Decree 4/1995, art. 6).
  • Catalonia: it does not single out public-utility forests; on all forest land, paved tracks or tracks 4 m wide or more and ways in the inventory (Act 9/1995, art. 6).
  • Community of Madrid: in forests run by the region, only on tracks with a sign opening them (Decree 110/1988, art. 1).
  • Valencian Community: on open tracks with 2 m of surface or more in public forests, never on singletrack or off the track (Decree 91/2023, arts. 112 and 113).
  • Extremadura: riding forest tracks in a listed forest needs a special-use permit (Act 6/2015, art. 262.2.c).
  • Galicia: it does not single out public-utility forests; any forest track not for public use is kept for managing the forest (Act 7/2012, art. 98.2).
  • Balearic Islands: in publicly owned forests, motorcycles are banned, even on tracks (Act 13/2005, art. 52).
  • La Rioja: in public-utility and protection forests, no night riding on tracks, and a group of more than 5 may need an environment report (Decree 114/2003, arts. 118.5 and 121).
  • Navarre: on tracks and ways 2 m wide or more unless expressly closed, never off them (Foral Decree 36/1994, art. 11.1; Foral Act 13/1990, art. 65).
  • Basque Country: in Álava's public forests, only the main tracks, at 30 km/h, on dry ground and groups of 2 without a permit (Foral Decree 10/2010); in Gipuzkoa's, the authorised ways (Foral Rule 7/2006, art. 62.d); in Bizkaia, any track at 30 km/h (Foral Rule 2/2026, art. 81).
  • Region of Murcia: no specific rule for public-utility forests; in any forest, only on ways intended for vehicles (Order of 24 May 2010, art. 7.1).

Wildfire and hunting closures

In summer, and sometimes outside it, regions can restrict access to forests or close tracks for wildfire risk, and that closure takes precedence even if the track is open the rest of the year (art. 54 bis.4). In Aragón, for example, the wildfire danger season runs from 1 April to 15 October.

In the hunting season, a drive hunt can close the tracks of an area for a few hours. Check the region's notices and follow the signs.

Real examples

Sierra de Alcubierre (Huesca and Zaragoza): the track to the Orwell position

The signposted turn-off from the A-129 road (km 34.6) to the Orwell position runs through the public utility forest «La Sierra» (no. 22000330). No official source declares that track open to general traffic.

Under Aragón's law, a public forest track that is not open needs a permit (art. 92). On a bike, the clear part is the A-129; to the trenches, on foot.

Source: Legislative Decree 1/2017, Aragón Forestry Law, art. 92 (BOE, consolidated text) · Checked on November 3, 2026

Rules in Aragón

When several designations overlap

They add up. A natural park can be an SAC and an SPA at the same time, contain public forests and be crossed by a cañada: the rules of all of them apply at once, and if one of them closes the track, it does not matter that the others say nothing.

The other designations

How Corally applies it

  • The map's «Areas with their own rules» layer draws public utility forests as «Public forest».
  • Your plan's badge says «You go through the public forest…» with the km of the route inside it.
  • Corally does not know which tracks in a forest are open to general traffic or the day's closures: the signs and the region's notices take precedence.

Plan a route on dirt tracks What Corally tells you on your plan: areas with their own rules

Frequently asked questions

Are a public forest and an MUP the same thing?
Not quite. Every MUP is a public forest, but not every public forest is of public utility: only those in the Catalogue, which are public domain land (Law 43/2003, art. 12).
Can I ride any track in a public forest?
No. A public forest does not open its tracks by being public: your region sets the conditions (art. 54 bis.2). In Aragón, for example, only the tracks open to general traffic (art. 92).
How do I know if a track is open to general traffic?
From the signs on the ground and from what the region or the owning municipality publishes. If nothing says so and your region's rules require it to be open, ask before you go.
How many bikes can ride together?
Each region sets it. In Aragón, up to 5 vehicles in a line on open tracks (art. 92); in the Valencian Community, up to 25 without a permit (Decree 91/2023, art. 105). An organised ride needs a permit.
Who grants a permit if the track is not open?
Whoever manages the forest: the region's environment department or the local authority that owns it, depending on the case. In Aragón, art. 92 of its Forestry Law says so.
Can a forest be closed for wildfire risk?
Yes. The law allows access to high wildfire-risk zones to be restricted with visible notice (art. 54 bis.4). That closure takes precedence over any map, Corally's included.

Sources (with the article)

A practical guide written by Corally from the laws cited. It is not legal advice. The areas come from public data that can lag behind what is on the ground, and a barrier, a sign or a wildfire closure always takes precedence over this page.

Rules across Spain, region by region