Abstract
Corner-crossing is a tactic used by recreators in Western states with ample public land. Corner-crossing occurs when a recreator reaches a four-way junction of two corners of public land and two corners of private land and steps or climbs diagonally from one corner of public land to another. This practice frequently occurs in areas where public and private lands are interlocked in an alternating checkerboard pattern. Due to the millions of acres of corner-locked public land in Wyoming and the implications of this practice on private property rights, corner-crossing is an extremely pressing issue in Wyoming. The legality of corner-crossing has significant implications for public land access throughout the West. Corner-crossing is neither explicitly legal nor illegal in Wyoming. As such, corner-crossing is a grey area in Wyoming law, as some consider corner-crossing to be a trespass, while others consider corner-crossing to be a right following from the public’s right to access, use, and enjoy public land. This Comment argues that corner-crossing should not be considered a trespass under current Wyoming law because these public/private corner junctions should be analogized to public trust resources and these shared junctions should be treated similarly to Wyoming’s stream and river access laws. Furthermore, this Comment posits that the public should not bear the entire burden of these public/private corner junctions while the private landowners reap all of the benefits of the shared corners.
Recommended Citation
Christian Moncrief,
Public Lands in Private Hands: Corner-Crossing Is an Ominous Grey Area in Wyoming Law,
103 Neb. L. Rev. 273
(2024)
Available at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/nlr/vol103/iss2/5