How to Book Private Land Access: A Step-by-Step Guide

To book private land access, search for land by activity and state, read the listing, choose a pass that fits your plan, pick dates and group size, accept any waiver, pay, then bring your ticket. The pass is the owner’s permission, with clear limits. Licenses and tags are still your responsibility.

Why private land needs permission at all

In most of the United States there is no general right to roam on private property. Walking, hunting, foraging or camping without the owner’s permission can be trespass, and the details vary by state. Asking works, and how to ask a landowner for permission to hunt explains how to do it in person.

A pass is the same permission in a form that is easy to understand. It tells you what you can do, where, when and how much, and it gives the owner a record of who is on their land. That clarity is the reason many owners are willing to share ground at all.

Step 1: find land that fits your plan

Start with what you want to do and where. Use search to look by activity and state, or browse the Explore map to see places geographically. WildPass supports foraging, hunting, fishing, hiking, biking, horse and ATV trails, camping and glamping, water access, winter activities, farming plots, events, photography and birdwatching.

State and activity pages under the lands directory show public and open-access places, which can be useful for comparing a paid private option against free public ground. Not every area has private listings, so be flexible about location, dates and activity.

Think about what you actually need before you click. A morning of foraging needs a small, quiet patch and a short drive. A weekend hunt needs room, parking and a place to sleep.

A family camping trip needs flat ground, a toilet and a rule set that suits kids. The clearer you are, the faster you can rule listings in and out.

Step 2: read the listing like a contract

A listing is not an advertisement to skim. It is the document that tells you what you are agreeing to. Read all of it before you pay.

• Zone map: green zones are open to you; red zones are off-limits. Note where the entrance and parking marker are.
• Rules and harvest limits: what you can take, how much and what is forbidden.
• Species and seasons: what the host says is present and when. These are the host’s description, not a guarantee of what you will find.
• Amenities: toilets, water, fire rings, tables, cell service and anything else listed.
• Ratings: where a host has them, ratings tied to completed bookings give you a sense of how past guests experienced the host. A new host may have none yet.
• Photos: look for the gate, parking and the parts of the property you plan to use.

If you cannot find an answer, check the FAQ for how the platform works and look for details in the pass description. If a listing is vague about something important to you, pick a different one.

Step 3: choose the right pass

Hosts design their own passes, so no two are identical. A pass can last an hour, a day, a weekend, a week, a month, a season or a year. It has a price, a group-size cap, a daily capacity and a list of allowed activities, and may include per-pass harvest limits.

• Match the pass to your activity. A camping pass may not allow hunting, and a foraging pass may not allow camping.
• Choose the right duration. A day pass is simple to try; a season pass may cost less per visit if you will return often.
• Watch for personal versus commercial. Commercial harvest is a separate setting, and a personal pass does not allow you to sell what you gather.
• Check the group-size cap and whether the host offers per-person pricing or a group discount.

Step 4: pick dates, group size and names

Choose a start date (the pass’s duration sets how long it runs) and the number of people; the group-size menu stops at the host’s cap. If you are bringing a group, one checkout covers everyone for the same dates, and you can list each person’s names on the shared pass. Make sure the number you enter is the number who will be there, since the group cap is a rule rather than a suggestion.

You must be 18 or older to book. Accounts are open to people 13 and older, but 13 to 17 year olds must link to an adult guardian and cannot book on their own. The adult books a group pass that includes them. For help organizing a bigger party, read how to plan a group outdoor trip.

Every booking asks you to acknowledge that you take part at your own risk and have read the Field Safety rules. If the host requires a liability waiver, you will also be asked to accept it. As the person booking, you are the one who accepts, and the waiver covers minors you supervise and includes an indemnity for claims brought by your guests, so read it carefully and share it with your party. Waivers are legal documents, and WildPass cannot give legal advice. If you have questions, ask a lawyer.

Step 5: pay and understand what you are paying

You pay the host’s listed price plus a 6% WildPass fee. Payments run through Stripe, and the host receives the listed price, less standard payment-processing costs. Cancellation policies are set by each host, so check the listing and pass description before you pay, and message the host through your booking thread if you need to cancel. For paid passes you enter card details on Stripe’s secure checkout rather than on WildPass, and international cards are charged in USD.

Frequent visitors can look at WildPass Unlimited, a $65 monthly membership for up to 25 non-commercial day passes a month at participating properties. Eligibility depends on enough participating listings in your home state, so it will not suit every area.

Step 6: get your ticket and prepare

After you book, your ticket includes a QR code, the zone map and check-in details. Tickets work offline in the Android app, which also offers full-screen offline maps, so you are not stuck if cell service drops at the gate. iPhone users can use the website as an installable web app. Details are on the app page.

• Save or screenshot your ticket and the zone map in case your connection fails.
• Download an offline map of the area before you leave.
• Check weather, road conditions and any messages from the host.
• Confirm your licenses, tags and permits. A pass is permission from the owner and is not a license from the state.
• Tell someone where you are going and when you expect to return.

For hunt bookings, you can save your hunting license number on your account to share with hunt hosts. It is optional, and a pass never replaces the licenses and tags the state requires.

Do a final check the night before. Confirm the entrance, parking, your group size, the rules and the weather. If anything in the listing changed or seems unclear, resolve it before you drive. Arriving with questions on a rural road with no signal is a bad way to start.

On the day, and after

Arrive on time, park where the map says and read any sign at the gate. Stay in the green zones, stay inside your harvest limits and follow the rules in the listing. If you want to do something not covered, ask before you do it.

Each booking has a message thread, so use it for questions about the day, a change in plans or something you found that the host should know. If something goes wrong, WildPass has incident reports.

• Leave gates as you found them.
• Pack out everything you bring in.
• Respect livestock, crops, buildings and neighbors.
• Be honest if you broke a rule or damaged something, and tell the host promptly.
• Leave a fair rating. Ratings are two-way and tied to completed bookings, and a careful review helps the next guest and the host.

The more careful guests are, the more likely owners are to keep their gates open. For more on being the guest owners want back, see private land camping etiquette and the WildPass guidelines.