# Is there any person who owns a complete mountain?

**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-person-who-owns-a-complete-mountain/984517
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [May 24, 2023, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-person-who-owns-a-complete-mountain/984517 "2023-05-24T13:58:06Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Showing post:** 10

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### Author: ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)
#### Post date: [May 24, 2023, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-person-who-owns-a-complete-mountain/984517/10 "2023-05-24T15:24:34Z")

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Due to the checkerboard pattern of public and private land in a lot of the US west, there are mountains that in essence are private due to the crackdown on “corner crossing”. I have a thread about this here:

> [@Corner Crossing - Large portions of US public land inaccessible to public](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corner-crossing-large-portions-of-us-public-land-inaccessible-to-public/975691):
>
> I’ve been reading about the corner crossing controversy for a couple years now and don’t think it’s been brought up here. I live in an area of the US that has this patchwork of public and private land. Before I knew of the controversy, I corner crossed thinking there must be nothing wrong with it. Little did I know that rich people that own the private land surrounding the public land begin to view that public land as their own private, and free, paradise. If it truly becomes illegal to corner c…

One particular case I highlight is Elk Mountain in Wyoming. That mountain is nearly private since the primary private owner is shutting down corner crossing and even helicopters and planes dropping on the public sections (sections are one square mile). Here is a gifted NYTimes article about it:

> **[It’s Public Land. But the Public Can’t Reach It. (Published 2022)](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/26/business/hunting-wyoming-elk-mountain-access.html?unlocked_article_code=SLcTt19ysFGWTM3Y1aCb_sPXiiDPuEdRsN8DOKEEvLHS5ZaSlWzUHSuA0787Kwj0HLWh5ysEDXcRRhEG9a_9byBJqI6tLqJUoKwDOqJTj0KcawS-u8Q-2umQWshkMKIxl2-r98ka5ghAsf39lO33ToXIhX4kodtS7W_JKSxIQuMyaIsEXsqvk1WYDaL67Maq2uZXU9wHW-_8EcEe2pxS4lVBSSM8rqIcBQg0VKZ6huzHD4AAT1_eiewL156eufUYx4ctXsUzISbChJq-oOjzTQ8h69DdPDiBl8ahqPtnK_HHJWj11fSp8DgzvGEKWY0evNhUlUnTGvcmgGxe8j6QcykbHLq_RCkmVHqoHyyK&smid=url-share)**
>
> A navigation app that illuminates public land within privately held property has supercharged the question of who gets to go where.

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