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<br />Access to the area is excellent. The area is served by two airlines and a major bus line. <br />The primary highways serving the area are U.S. 50 and State Highway 92. For more <br />information concerning the socioeconomics, refer to Appendix A, Socioeconomics and <br />Visitor Use Assessment, <br /> <br />RECREATION OVERVIEW <br /> <br />National Park Service areas within approximately 100 miles include: Colorado (National <br />Monument) NM, Arches National Park (NP), Black Canyon of the Gunnison NM, <br />Canyonlands NP, Curecanti National Recreation Area (NRA), and Dinosaur NM. In <br />addition, there are portions of six National Forests (Grand Mesa, Gunnison, Manti-La Sal, <br />San Juan, Uncompahgre, and White River), several million acres of Federal land <br />administered by the Bureau of Land Management, several recreation areas managed by <br />the States of Colorado or Utah, and numerous private or non-profit museums and other <br />attractions. <br /> <br />Some of the more popular recreational activities in the region include: sightseeing, <br />camping, hiking, rafting, boating, fishing, hunting, bicycling, and 4-wheeling. Opportunities <br />to engage these activities are abundant in western Colorado and eastern Utah, <br /> <br />Recreation use within the GGRA is managed in accordance with those guidelines <br />contained in BLM's Interim Management Policy and Guidelines for Lands Under <br />Wilderness Review (IMP), Resource Management Plan (RMP) Recreation Area <br />Management Plan (RAMP), and Addition to the RAMP. <br /> <br />For more detailed information concerning recreation use and visitation trends, refer to <br />Appendix A, Socioeconomic and Visitor Use Assessment. <br /> <br />LAND OWNERSHIP AND USE <br /> <br />The Gunnison Gorge Recreation Area includes approximately 64,139 acres. Within the <br />boundaries approximately 62,192 acres (97 percent) are under Federal surface ownership <br />and managed by the BLM. Approximately 1,947 acres (3 percent) are privately owned. <br />Nearly all of the privately owned property is used as part of a ranch operation with grazing <br />of livestock being the dominant use. No permanent year around residences are located <br />within the study area boundary. <br /> <br />The BLM property is managed under a resource management plan as Units 4, and 6, <br />Unit 4 (40,792 acres) is identified as the Gunnison Gorge Special Recreation Area with <br />stipulations for oil and gas development, locatable minerals development, salinity control, <br />wildlife habitat development, livestock grazing, harvesting woodlands, off-road-vehicle <br />use, visual resource management for Class IV lands, development of utility facilities, <br />access development and fire management. <br /> <br />Unit 6 is 22,078 acres and is identified as the Gunnison Gorge Wilderness Study Area. <br /> <br />6 <br />