I learned this the hard way watching my uncle lose riding access to a back forty he'd had a handshake agreement on for eleven years. Landowner passed away, heirs didn't honor a word of it, and that was that. No trail, no access, done.
So when I started helping my riding crew scout potential land purchases for shared trail use, I pushed hard for written, recorded easements — not just a friendly conversation and a wave. Folks will tell you a good relationship with the neighbor is enough. I believed that once too.
The truth is, relationships don't survive estate settlements, divorces, or land sales. A recorded access easement does. Yes, it costs more upfront. Yes, it can feel like you're insulting a perfectly decent landowner by asking for paperwork. Do it anyway.
In Tennessee especially, verbal access agreements on private land are practically unenforceable once ownership changes hands. That dirt trail you've been riding for a decade can vanish overnight.
Anybody here actually had a verbal agreement hold up through a land transfer? I'd genuinely like to hear it.