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<br /> <br />The area is visible and viewed primarily from the <br />San Luis Valley area on the west and the Wet <br />Mountain Valley to the east. The area is <br />criss-crossed with trails and several passes go over <br />the Sangres near this area. Visitor use is high <br />along most of the trails and visual sensitivity <br />level is high. <br /> <br />A number of small lakes <br />V-Shaped drainage patterns <br />contrast sharply with the <br /> <br />, <br />and streams wi th deep, <br />provide visual relief and <br />vegetation and landform. <br /> <br />The visual variety class for the Sangre de Cristo <br />WSA includes 72,960 acre of Class A (outstanding) <br />and 144,872 acres of Class B (common) as shown on <br />Figure 10. <br /> <br />12. Recreation <br /> <br />The Sangre de Cristo WSA offers a wide spectrum of <br />recreation opportunities. The terrain presents <br />spectacular scenery with rugged peaks, high mountain <br />lakes, and a variety of vegetation and wildlife. <br />Visitors enjoy hiking, backpacking, horseback <br />riding, fishing, general nature study, motorized use <br />on trails, and four-wheel driving on roads. <br />Because of the steep terrain, however, use is more <br />or less confined to the trails and the accessible <br />streams and lakes. Overall visitor use capacities <br />are generally low. On weekends those capacities are <br />quickly reached along the narrow corridors. Winter <br />cross-country skiing and snowshoeing are popular <br />along a few of the trails. <br /> <br />Current recreation use on the San Isabel part of the <br />area was estimated to be 56,200 visitor days in <br />1981. This was comprised of 43,800 visitor days for <br />various motorized and nonmotorized activities, 4,800 <br />visitor days for hunting, and 7,600 visitor days for <br />fishing. <br /> <br />Recreation use on the Rio Grande side was estimated <br />at 64,000 visitor days in 1981. This was comprised <br />of 46,600 visitor days of nonmotorized activities <br />and 17,400 visitor days of hunting and fishing. <br /> <br />60 <br /> <br />CC2G68 <br />