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<br />00,)130 <br /> <br />Many National Park Service areas are within a day's drive of Mesa <br />Verde. Neighboring monuments of archeological <br />interest - Hovenweep and Yucca House to the west, Aztec Ruins <br />and Chaco Canyon to the southeast - add to the story of the Mesa <br />Verde Indians. Canyonlands National Park, a significant geological <br />area to the northwest, contains sites and ruins of cultures similar <br />to those of Mesa Verde, Nearby Arches and Natural Bridges <br />National Monuments, both natural areas, are of considerable <br />geological importance and possess great scenic appeal, as does <br />Canyon de Chelly, a historical area. Extensive water-oriented <br />recreational activity goes on at Glen Canyon National Recreation <br />Area, 150 mi les west of Mesa Verde. <br /> <br />North and west of the park lie large areas of public domain. <br />administered by the Bureau of Land Management and used <br />primarily for grazing. <br /> <br />Southeast of the park, on the San Juan River. is the Navajo <br />Reservoir. Here, the State of New Mexico manages Navajo Lake <br />State Park; the Colorado Department of Game. Fish and Parks <br />operates the water-based recreation site at Arboles, <br /> <br />Roadless Study Areas <br />The five road less areas in Mesa Verde have a total acreage of <br />42.900 acres. These are outlined on Map No. 307-300000, <br />Wilderness Study, Mesa Verde National Park, August 1970. <br /> <br />Area 1: This seven- by two-mile elongated area contains 12.300 <br />acres. Lying between Wetherill Mesa and Spruce Canyon. it <br />encompasses Long Wickiup and Navajo Canyons and the <br />interven ing mesa tops. The canyons and mesa tops are largely <br />accessible by trail from adjacent management roads, The <br />management roads are utilized only for archeological research and <br />stabilization, fire control, or emergency needs. A great number of <br />prehistoric remains are located within this road less area which lies <br />between the two main developed archeological sites, Wetherill and <br />Chapin Mesas, <br /> <br />Area 2: This road less area of 11.500 acres extends from the south <br />park boundary eight miles north to the main road, between Chapin <br />Mesa and Moccasin Mesa. It spreads two and a half miles at its <br />widest point. The area includes most of the Soda Canyon and <br /> <br />18 <br />