Rock climbing legislation receives broad support from Wyoming lawmakers

(Cheyenne, WY) – A legislative proposal from Wyoming Rep. Lloyd Larsen, R-Lander, specifying that private landowners aren’t liable when they let rock climbers recreate on their lands, has received wide support in the Wyoming Legislature thus far.

House Bill 73 adds rock climbing to the list of activities outlined in the state’s Recreation Safety Act, which says “any person who takes part in any sport or recreational opportunity assumes the inherent risks in that sport or recreational opportunity, whether those risks are known or unknown, and is legally responsible for any and all damage, injury or death to himself or other persons or property that results from the inherent risks in that sport or recreational opportunity.”

The bill also includes rock climbing in the state statute (W.S. 34-19-1) that specifies that “an owner of land owes no duty of care to keep the premises safe for entry or use by others for recreational purposes, or to give any warning of a dangerous condition, use, structure or activity on such premises to persons entering for recreational purposes.”

Larsen said a local landowner requested the bill draft in order to address concerns about “providing access to those who would like to rock climb on his property.”

“(He was) wanting to make sure that, as a landowner, he’s not putting himself in a delicate situation by allowing access to do that,” Larsen told the House Travel, Recreation, Wildlife and Cultural Resources Committee this month.

Technically, rock climbing may already be covered under the Recreation Safety Act – which defines recreational opportunities as “commonly understood sporting activities” – and in W.S. 34-19-1, which defines “recreational purpose” as including “but not limited to” hunting, fishing, swimming, boating, camping, picnicking, hiking, pleasure driving, nature study, water skiing, winter sports, bicycling, mountain biking, horseback riding, and more.

But when recreators ask landowners for permission to rock climb on private property, “it can be a little concerning” to the property owner if the statute “doesn’t have their specific activity that they’re interested in on there,” Wyoming State Parks and Cultural Resources Deputy Director Chris Floyd said.

“Adding this rock climbing … does make sense in a lot of ways,” Floyd told the committee this month. “(HB 73) is probably a good thing from that perspective.”

He added that, because Wyoming has seen “increased pressure on our public lands for outdoor recreation” in recent years, it would be beneficial to the state to provide more opportunities for recreationists to utilize private lands instead.

“This seems like a good way to help make that happen,” he said.

HB 73 would also enhance the state’s economic diversification efforts, Floyd said, echoing an earlier comment from Central Wyoming Climbers Alliance Events and Marketing Director Chelsea Rude of Lander, who said “it would be really awesome if we had more accessibility to some of these climbing areas (to) help bring in money to this state.”

Rude shared a 2021 study by the University of Eastern Kentucky that showed “Lander alone brought in $4.5 million annually just from visiting climbers.”

That number demonstrates the “ripple effect” recreational activities like rock climbing can have on the state economy, Wyoming Rep. Pam Thayer, R-Rawlins, said, since visitors to the area will likely “stay in a hotel (and) spend money” at local businesses.

HB 73 does not apply to private landowners who charge a fee for use of their lands, Larsen noted, because “if you start charging (for) access, that changes the legal landscape considerably – completely.”

The House Travel Committee approved HB 73 unanimously 8-0 , with one lawmaker excused from the meeting.

The bill also received unanimous 60-0 approval on third reading in the Wyoming House of Representatives, with two lawmakers excused.

It was received for introduction in the Wyoming Senate last week.