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More than 14 million acres of federal public land in Colorado could be eligible for sale if Congress passes the Trump administration's budget bill, per a new analysis by a conservation nonprofit.

Why it matters: This includes some of the state's most popular hiking, skiing and camping areas across the Western Slope.

The big picture: The Republican-led proposal would require the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management to put up to 3.3 million acres on the market for housing development.

The bill's focus is on parcels outside of protected lands (like national parks, monuments or wilderness areas, which are exempt) but near roads and other development deemed suitable by local and state lawmakers.

The Wilderness Society estimates more than 250 million acres across 11 Western states could be eligible for sale.

Zoom in: In Colorado, that means some of its most prized public lands could be up for grabs, including sweeping sections of the Arapaho, San Juan and Rio Grande national forests.

Also on the line are iconic stretches of the Million Dollar Highway and beloved hiking spots near Kenosha and Guanella passes, especially popular during fall leaf-peeping season.

Follow the money: Most of the revenue — projected between $5 billion and $10 billion over the next decade — would go to the U.S. Treasury. Just 5% would trickle down to local governments.

It's unclear how much the sale of public lands would negatively impact the outdoor recreation economy, which generated $1.2 trillion in economic output and supported 5 million jobs nationwide in 2023.

Reality check: A recent Headwaters Economics report found less than 2% of public lands in the West near housing-hungry towns are actually suitable for development, and could be complicated due to high wildfire risk.

The fine print: For the first decade, the land could only be sold for housing or related infrastructure — but after 10 years, that restriction vanishes, opening the door to virtually any kind of development, from strip malls to oil rigs.

What they're saying: Colorado Democratic U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper, who sits on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources committee, told CPR no Democrats on the committee were given advance notice or could offer input, despite their states being on the list.

"I was shocked," Hickenlooper said. "That's not the way government's supposed to work."

What's next: The Senate has until July 4 to vote on the budget reconciliation bill, which includes the land-sale provision.

Congress could sell off 14 million acres of public land in Colorado

Some of the state's most popular hiking, skiing and camping areas across the Western Slope could be up for grabs.

Colorado's Rio Grande National Forest, pictured here, is part of a vast swath of public land eligible for sale under a GOP-led budget bill. Photo: Brandon Bell/Getty Images

More than 14 million acres of federal public land in Colorado could be eligible for sale if Congress passes the Trump administration&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="budget bill" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2025/06/11/trump-budget-bill-lisa-mcclain-senate" data-vars-content-id="a4fa5f7e-338d-4157-8ed5-7e46204a30e9" data-vars-headline="Congress could sell off 14 million acres of public land in Colorado" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2025/06/11/trump-budget-bill-lisa-mcclain-senate" target="_self">budget bill</a>, per <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="a new analysis" data-vars-click-url="https://www.wilderness.org/articles/media-resources/250-million-acres-public-lands-eligible-sale-senr-budget-reconciliation-package" data-vars-content-id="a4fa5f7e-338d-4157-8ed5-7e46204a30e9" data-vars-headline="Congress could sell off 14 million acres of public land in Colorado" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.wilderness.org/articles/media-resources/250-million-acres-public-lands-eligible-sale-senr-budget-reconciliation-package" target="_blank">a new analysis</a> by a conservation nonprofit.Why it matters: This includes some of the state&#x27;s most popular hiking, skiing and camping areas across the Western Slope.

News

Politics

The U.S. Supreme Court's impending decision on a homeless camping ban in an Oregon city could affect how Colorado cities enforce their own laws.

Why it matters: The high court's decision could upend Denver's controversial urban camping ban — or reinforce its law if the court sides with Grants Pass, Oregon.

The big picture: The case, Grants Pass v Johnson, stems from a 2018 lawsuit filed by the Oregon Law Center.

The suit was filed on behalf of the homeless population in Grants Pass, a city in southwest Oregon, and targets a local city code banning people from sleeping in parks or using sleeping materials to set up temporary living spaces.

Oregon Law Center's director of litigation, Ed Johnson, told Axios Portland the code violates the Eighth Amendment's "cruel and unusual punishment" clause.

Whether the code is deemed to be cruel and unusual may hinge on whether the court believes it is punishing a behavior — camping on public land — or a status — being homeless. Status punishments have been found to be a violation of the Eighth Amendment.

Context: If the court sides with the Grants Pass ordinance criminalizing sleeping outside, it would bolster laws like Denver's, University of Denver Sturm College of Law associate law professor Ian Farrell tells us.

Denver's law allows ticketing and even jailing people for camping outdoors.

If the court sides with unhoused residents of Grant Pass, it could force cities to take "less punitive" measures to address homelessness, University of Colorado Law School professor Ann England tells us.

Reality check: Tickets for violating Denver's urban camping ban are rare.

55 tickets have been issued since the law's inception in 2012, per Denver police data. There've been 12 cases involving jail time.

Between the lines: Farrell says it's possible the justices make a ruling with a major caveat, saying camping bans are only enforceable when shelter beds are available.

A few justices also seemed to question whether it was appropriate for the court to weigh in on local government policy on such a complicated issue.

Zoom in: A similar case against a Boulder law banning homeless camping faces a lawsuit from the ACLU of Colorado, which claims it targets people facing "extreme poverty."

Farrell believes a SCOTUS ruling in favor of Grants Pass could mean a similar outcome in the Boulder case, whose trial starts in August.

What they're saying: Denver Mayor Mike Johnston's spokesperson, Jordan Fuja, tells us in a statement that regardless of the federal case's outcome, Denver will keep connecting people "to safe and stable housing."

The mayor has prioritized enforcing the city's camping ban with sweeps only when sheltering is available — but that doesn't always happen.

Zoom out: Advocates for homeless people, who have repeatedly said urban camping bans like Denver's criminalize homelessness, rallied for the federal case outside the state Capitol on Monday.

Housekeys Action Network Denver's lead organizer, Terese Howard, told supporters Denver's law amounts to "cruel and unusual punishment."

What's next: A ruling is expected this summer.

Supreme Court weighs case that could affect Denver's approach to homelessness

The high court's decision could upend Denver's controversial urban camping ban.

A light green camping tent with the word SWEEPS KILL and a white skull is seen next to two people, including one person holding up a cardboard sign with the words HOUSING IS A HUMAN RIGHT. In the foreground, a man holds up his cellphone. 

A camping tent put up by advocates for people experiencing homelessness during a rally outside the state Capitol in Denver. Photo: Esteban L. Hernandez/Axios

The U.S. Supreme Court&#x27;s impending decision on a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="homeless camping ban in an Oregon city" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2024/04/22/grants-pass-supreme-court-homelessness-status" data-vars-content-id="b04613ae-7c1b-4f85-acfa-d490fdad28ee" data-vars-headline="Supreme Court weighs case that could affect Denver&#x27;s approach to homelessness" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2024/04/22/grants-pass-supreme-court-homelessness-status" target="_self">homeless camping ban in an Oregon city</a> could affect how Colorado cities enforce their own laws.Why it matters: The high court&#x27;s decision could upend Denver&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="controversial urban camping ban" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2022/05/16/denver-camping-ban-10-years" data-vars-content-id="b04613ae-7c1b-4f85-acfa-d490fdad28ee" data-vars-headline="Supreme Court weighs case that could affect Denver&#x27;s approach to homelessness" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2022/05/16/denver-camping-ban-10-years" target="_self">controversial urban camping ban</a> — or reinforce its law if the court sides with Grants Pass, Oregon.

Meira Gebel

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