About one-third of this 1.2 billion acres 
is in each of the three land-use 
categories of forest, range/pasture, and 
crops/hay. 
Of the estimated 1.2 billion acres of 
land in nonindustrial private ownership 
in the contiguous United States, about 
23 percent is open for public use free, 
on payment of a daily fee, or through 
lease. Much of this open land is in the 
East and in the Rocky Mountain/Great 
Plains regions. Some activities tend to 
be permitted and some, forbidden. For 
example, hunting, birdwatching, and 
hiking are usually allowed, but off-road 
driving, camping, and target shooting 
are generally not permitted. In part 
because of liability problems, access to 
the remaining private land is restricted. 
About 58 million acres are completely 
closed to recreation. Over 318 million 
acres are open for the exclusive use of 
the owners and their immediate 
families. We estimate that access to 
579 million acres, or 45 percent of the 
private land base, is open to people 
personally acquainted with the owner. 
Thus, despite lability problems, most 
of the private land is used for some 
form of recreational activity. Access to 
the general public is becoming more 
limited, however. Over the past 10 
years, the percentage of private lands 
open to the public for recreation has 
dropped from 29 to 23 percent. 
About 4 percent (47 million acres) of 
nonindustrial lands are leased for 
recreational use at an annual average 
fee of $2.97 per acre. About two-thirds 
of this leased area is in the South. The 
proportion of landowners reporting a 
leasing arrangement has grown from 2 
percent in 1977 to 7 percent in 1987. 
The principal reasons for leasing 
include paying land taxes, 
supplementary income, and protection 
of the land. Hunting leases are the most 
common type. 
There are many different types of 
commercial enterprises associated with 
outdoor recreation and wilderness. 
They include guides and outfitters, 
equipment rental firms such as boat 
rentals, private campgrounds, bed and 
breakfast operations, marinas, and 
skiing facilities. 
The number of campgrounds on private 
lands in the United States decreased | 
percent between 1978 and 1987. This 
decline was due to the closing of 
smaller, marginal operations with low 
economic returns. Even though the 
number of campgrounds has decreased 
slightly, their size has been increasing. 
The average number of sites per 
campground grew 32 percent between 
1977 and 1987. Now, there are nearly 
1.3 million campsites in private 
campgrounds nationwide. 
Approximately 55 percent of all 
campgrounds are privately owned. 
They account for over 70 percent of 
total capacity and 97 percent of full- 
hookup sites. Over 70 percent of 
private campgrounds and campsites are 
in the eastern half of the country, close 
to population concentrations. 
Nonprofit recreational organizations 
provide access to resources and 
recreation settings and organize 
activities and trips that might otherwise 
be unavailable to their individual 
members. Membership in nonprofit 
organizations has grown rapidly. These 
organizations have special concerns 
over resource protection, access and 
multiple use of lands, and recognition 
of the rights of individuals. 
Federal Lands and Water 
The Federal recreation land base has 
many parts and dimensions. It is 
administered by seven different 
agencies, each having its own 
legislative authority and its own 
recreation objectives, standards, and 
programs. 
About 690 million acres of Federal 
lands are available for access to various 
types of recreational activities. 
Primarily, these lands provide 
undeveloped—remote or roaded— 
partially developed recreational 
opportunities. Even though these 
Federal lands account for over one- 
third of the Nation’s recreational space, 
they accommodate only about 13 
percent of outdoor recreation 
participation. The largest proportion of 
Federal recreation land is in the West. 
and relatively remote from population 
concentrations except for cities on the 
west coast and in the Pacific 
Southwest. 
There are about 5,000 campgrounds on 
Federal lands in the United States. The 
Forest Service manages 70 percent of 
them, and the Corps of Engineers, 17 
percent. About two-thirds of the 
Federal campgrounds are in the Rocky 
Mountain and Pacific coast regions, 
where less than one-fifth of the U.S. 
population lives. In general, Federal 
campgrounds have fewer amenities and 
are smaller than private campgrounds. 
Federal agencies operate over 63,000 
picnic areas. There are also over 
144,000 miles of roads and 160,000 
miles of trails on lands managed by 
these agencies. Federal agencies 
provide a variety of water-based 
recreational opportunities. For 
example, there are 7,178 miles of rivers 
in the National Wild and Scenic Rivers 
system with management responsibility 
allocated primarily among the Forest 
Service, the National Park Service, the 
Bureau of Land Management, and the 
Fish and Wildlife Service. Boat ramps, 
swimming areas, and beaches are also 
found on Federal lands. A number of 
