Over 15 million acres of public land in the U.S. is locked away with no legal access. 

Not because the trails are closed. Not because there's been a fire or a flood. But because other lands stand between the public road and the public land, with no legal right of access through. 

These are mountains you can see from the highway. Lakes that look open on a map. Forests waiting to be explored. 

Meanwhile, the outdoor places we can reach are straining under the weight of everyone trying to experience them. Trailheads overflow. Campsites book up months in advance. Parks that were once a quiet escape now feel like a crowd. The public lands we love are being worn thin — while millions of acres sit just out of reach, blocked by a missing link that was never protected.  

This is the hidden crisis in American outdoor access. And it's exactly what The Conservation Fund is built to solve.  

We work with willing private landowners — conservation-minded people who want to see these connections made — to identify and secure the missing links: the private parcels and inholdings that, once protected, open up vast stretches of surrounding public land. We move fast, because when land comes to market or a willing seller is ready to act, the window to protect it is often measured in weeks, not months. 

The results speak for themselves: 

• 5.4 million acres protected for public access 

• 11,375 miles of trail preserved 

• Thousands of projects completed across all 50 states 

Often, it only takes one piece of land — and one conservation-minded landowner — to change everything: a trailhead, a short stretch of access, a single missing link. Your gift helps us secure those critical pieces before the opportunity is gone. 

With gratitude,