BLM Imposes Temporary Public Lands Closures for 2026 Parker 500 Race

Public lands in and around Parker and Bouse were temporarily closed by the Bureau of Land Management, Lake Havasu Field Office, as a safety measure during a Legacy Racing off‑highway vehicle event that culminated on Feb. 3, 2026. The closures were intended to reduce collision risk between racers and spectators and curtailed pedestrian and vehicle access across the designated race corridor.

“As authorized under the provisions of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, as amended, notice is hereby given that temporary closures and temporary restrictions of activities will be in effect on public lands administered by the Lake Havasu Field Office, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), to minimize the risk of potential collisions with spectators and racers during the Legacy Racing off-highway vehicle (OHV) race event authorized under a Special Recreation Permit.” The Federal Register notice named the legal authority and described the action as necessary because of “the high-speed nature of the race event and the added safety concerns due to the limited visibility when there is no daylight.”

The closure area was described in the Federal Register as following the Parker 400 racecourse as designated in the 2007 Lake Havasu Resource Management Plan. The route description in the notice runs east of the eastern boundary of the Colorado River Indian Tribe Reservation, along Shea Road, into Osborne Wash, onto Parker‑Swansea Road, to the Central Arizona Project Canal, north on the west side of the CAP Canal, across the canal on a county road, then northeast into Mineral Wash Canyon and southeast on county roads. The temporary closure order states that it “applies to all public use, including pedestrian and vehicles, unless excepted.” Roads leading into the closed public lands were to be posted with copies of the orders and maps, and maps and associated documents were made available at the Lake Havasu Field Office at 1785 Kiowa Avenue, Lake Havasu City, Arizona.

Jason Vanbuskirk, BLM public affairs specialist, described the footprint on the ground as concentrated “between the Shea Road and Parker Airport...that block right out there is where we hold those races,” and said the schedule included buffer days to clear users and install signage. “The event is actually the 14th through the 17th. The extra days are up front to give us time to make sure there are no campers or users in the area and to get our signage up. And then the final extra day is to get the signage down for infrastructure afterwards,” Vanbuskirk said.

Locally, the temporary restrictions disrupted weekend camping, trail access and casual use of the river-adjacent desert blocks that La Paz County residents and visitors use for dispersed recreation. Signs, fencing and barriers at key access points limited ad hoc access to wash crossings and county roads that typically serve weekend riders and hunters. The special recreation permit that authorized the event makes closure legal under federal land-management rules, but the Federal Register notice did not list detailed exceptions or enforcement penalties in the extracts made available to this reporter.

News coverage and social posts used mixed event names, with the Federal Register and some local reporting referring to the Parker 400 racecourse while other outlets used the Parker 500 name; that discrepancy remains unresolved in available public excerpts. For maps and the posted closure orders, visit the Lake Havasu Field Office at 1785 Kiowa Avenue, Lake Havasu City, where the BLM said printed orders and maps are available and closure notices are posted online. As the dust settles, residents and visitors should expect similar temporary restrictions around major OHV events and check with the Lake Havasu Field Office for exact boundaries, effective times and any permitted exceptions before heading into the Parker‑Bouse public‑lands corridor.