Fort McCoy: can the public drive across it?

[Machine_Elf]

Fort McCoy is a military reservation in central Wisconsin. Google Maps shows numerous roads criss-crossing the reservation.

Is the general public allowed to use any of these roads to drive from public land on one side to public land on the other, or are we required to detour around the outside perimeter?

[Senegoid]

I don’t know anything about Fort McCoy, or about other military reservations in general.

I can cite Fort Hunter Liggett in Monterey County, California, which is crisscrossed by roads, at least some of which are open to the public. I’ve driven through it, from Highway 1 to Highway 101.

The ruins of one of the California Missions can be found there (or nearby?); anyway, one drives through the fort to get there. I believe that some parts of the site are open to the public for recreational activities (like camping or hunting?) It’s mostly in a mountainous area.

There is certainly the proverbial “metric fuckton” or rules and regulations governing anyone who deigns to enter the site. You have to drive through a guard post to get in, at least on the King City side. I’m sure that activities like camping or hunting (if anything like that is actually allowed) must require reservations, permits, and truckloads of paperwork and red tape, all taken care of in advance.

ETA: Page on the above-linked site with info about hunting and fishing.

[Duckster]

Q. Can the public enter Fort McCoy and what things are open to them?
A. Access to the installation is regulated. Several recreational opportunities are available, to include hunting, fishing, camping and skiing. Training areas are off-limits except for hunting and fishing. Self-paced driving tour and History & Heritage brochures also are available. To request a brochure or to arrange a group tour, contact the Public Affairs Office by calling (608) 388-2407, by writing to the Public Affairs Office, 100 East Headquarters Road, Fort McCoy, WI 54656-5263, or by sending e-mail to usarmy.mccoy.imcom-central.list.pao-admin@mail.mil.

For information about hunting and fishing, contact the Directorate of Public Works (Permit Sales Office), 2171 South 8th Ave., Fort McCoy, WI 54656-5136, call (608) 388-3337, or e-mail usarmy.mccoy.imcom-central.mbx.dpw-permit-sales@mail.mil. Fishing and Hunting Regulations will be available at the Permit Sales Office (Bldg 2168), Hunter Information Points, and elsewhere on this website.

http://www.mccoy.army.mil/FAQ/index.asp

[jtur88]

Also, from the website for the Fort McCoy State Natural Area:

Visitors must call in advance to access the SNA that is located within the Fort McCoy Military Reservation. . . . Visitors must display in the passenger-side windshield a 5 x 8 card that lists name, purpose of visit, and emergency contact number.