Riding on Arizona State Trust Land: The Permit You Need

The short answer: Riding on Arizona State Trust Land is allowed for recreation, including horseback riding, when you carry a recreational permit from the Arizona State Land Department. The permit is sold online or at the department's Phoenix office and is good for one year. State Trust Land is not public land in the way a national forest is; it is held in trust to earn money for beneficiaries like Arizona's public schools, so the permit is your ticket in.

Fall is here, and if you own horse property anywhere around the Metro Plex of Arizona, this is the season you have been waiting for. Cooler mornings, soft light on the desert, and miles of open country just past the end of your road. A lot of that open country is State Trust Land, and riding on Arizona State Trust Land is one of the best perks of living out here, once you have the right permit in your saddlebag.

I have ridden this state my whole adult life, and I still get excited every October. Here is what you need to know.

When Arizona became a state, the federal government granted it land to hold in trust and use to raise money for public beneficiaries, with public schools the largest one. The Arizona State Land Department manages that land. You see it everywhere on the edges of the East Valley and out toward Pinal County: open desert that looks like public land, but is really trust land with its own rules.

Because it is held in trust, you need permission to use it. For riders, hikers and other recreational users, that permission is the recreational permit.

Yes. The State Land Department's recreational permit covers certain recreational activities on State Trust Land, and horseback riding is one of them. Riding without a permit means you are on trust land without permission, so the permit is the easy, friendly way to do it right.

The State Land Department's fee schedule lists the Recreational Annual Use Permit at $15 for an individual and $20 for a family unit (two adults and children under 18). It is an annual permit, so plan to renew it each year.

Either way, it is one of the best deals in Arizona for a horse owner. A year of riding for less than a bale of hay.

You can buy and print it online through the Arizona State Land Department, or buy it in person at the department's office in Phoenix. Print a copy, keep it on you when you ride, and keep a photo of it on your phone too.

The permit is for recreation, not for setting up shop. A few things to keep in mind:

• It is not a grazing lease. Turning horses out to graze on trust land is a separate leasing matter with the department.
• It is not a commercial permit. If you plan to run paid trail rides, lessons or events, ask the department about commercial use.
• It does not open closed areas. Some trust land is leased, gated or closed. Respect posted signs and gates.
• Camping has its own limits. The permit's terms limit recreational camping to no more than 14 days per year.

This is a great question to ask before you buy horse property, not after. The Arizona State Land Department publishes maps of trust land parcels, and your county assessor's parcel viewer will usually show who owns the land next to you. When I show acreage, I like to look at what is on all four sides, because the land next door shapes how you will actually ride.

Access matters too. Just because trust land touches your back fence does not mean you have a legal way to get to it from every direction. Our guide to easements and right-of-way on rural Arizona land covers how access really works.

These are the same good-neighbor habits every rider I know lives by:

• Leave every gate the way you found it. The permit terms say to leave gates open or closed as you found them. Ranchers lease some of this land, and their cattle count on you.
• Ride in a group or tell someone your route. Cell service out there can be spotty, which our rural internet and cell service guide talks about.
• Pack water for you and your horse. Even on a cool fall morning, the desert dries you out fast.
• Know your brand paperwork. If you trailer to a trailhead, carry what the law asks you to carry. Our Arizona horse brand inspection guide has the details.
• Leave it better than you found it. Pack out trash and stay on existing roads and trails, which the permit terms require.

• Assuming open desert is public land. A lot of it is trust land, and it needs a permit.
• Letting the permit lapse. It is good for one year from purchase, so set a reminder.
• Changing a gate. Leave it open or closed exactly as you found it. One wrong gate can undo a rancher's whole week.
• Buying a property for the riding without checking the neighbors. Leased, gated or sold trust land can change what is behind your fence.

Riding access is a real part of what makes a horse property feel like home. Two properties with the same house and barn can live very differently if one opens onto miles of riding and the other backs up to a busy road. I always walk buyers through what is around a property, not just what is on it.

Keep in mind trust land can also be sold or leased at auction over time, so riding access next door is a lifestyle bonus, not a promise. I talk that through honestly with every buyer.

I am Kim Williamson, REALTOR®, with REAL Broker, and I help buyers and sellers of horse property and acreage across the Metro Plex of Arizona. I have lived in Arizona 36 years, sold real estate here for 24 years, and I am an 8x WPRA World Champion, so I know what riders want from a property. If you want ideas for your next ride, our guide to the best horse trails in the East Valley is a fun place to start.

Do I need a permit to ride a horse on Arizona State Trust Land? Yes. The Arizona State Land Department's recreational permit covers recreational uses on State Trust Land, including horseback riding.

How long is a State Trust Land recreational permit good for? It is an annual permit, per the State Land Department's fee schedule.

Where can I buy a State Trust Land recreational permit? Online through the Arizona State Land Department, or in person at its Phoenix office.

Can I graze my horses on State Trust Land with a recreational permit? No. The recreational permit is for recreation. Grazing is a separate leasing matter with the department.

Is State Trust Land the same as public land? No. It is held in trust to raise money for beneficiaries such as public schools, which is why a permit is required.

• Arizona State Land Department: Application & Permit Fees (read October 10, 2026)
• Arizona State Land Department: Recreational Permits Terms and Conditions (read October 10, 2026)
• Arizona Administrative Code R12-5-1201 (State Land Department, recreational use rules article) (blocked when checked October 10, 2026)

Do your own due diligence. Confirm current permit prices and rules with the Arizona State Land Department before you ride.

Looking for horse property with room to ride in the Metro Plex of Arizona? Call or text Kim Williamson, REALTOR®, REAL Broker, at 480-206-1500, or start at www.ArizonaHorsePropertyForSale.com.