Figure 28—Demands for adventuresome 
activities are expected to increase. 
Outdoor Recreation 
Demand-Supply Comparisons 
If the public and private sectors 
continue to provide opportunities and 
to increase them at rates comparable to 
recent trends, the projected changes in 
supplies will meet most of the 
projected increases in demands. For 
others, where the number of 
recreational trips Americans would 
prefer to take exceeds the expected 
supply of opportunities for trips, 
demands will be brought into balance 
through increased fees, higher densities 
of use, or rationing. In general, demand 
pressures are projected to be greatest 
for dispersed land-based activities, 
such as day hiking and backpacking, 
and dispersed snow-based activities, 
such as cross-country skiing. For other 
activities, continuing past trends in 
resources means that sufficient growth 
will occur in resources to allow 
Americans to take as many activity- 
specific recreational trips as they 
choose. These activities include 
developed camping, downhill skiing, 
picnicking, swimming, and motor 
boating. 
Of the situations where recreation 
demand exceeds supply, some are tied 
to specific changes occurring in 
resource availability. For example, the 
effect of continuing to close more 
private lands to public access is clearly 
evident in the projected shortfalls of 
land- and snow-based opportunities 
near roads. Lack of access to private 
land opportunities will tend to add to 
use pressures on public lands and the 
remaining open private lands, 
especially in the East. For some 
particular activities, substantial 
shortfalls are expected: backpacking, 
day hiking, cross-country skiing, 
wildlife observation, and horseback 
riding. 
Wilderness 
Demand-Supply—The 
Outlook 
Outlook Overview 
e About 89 million acres are currently 
in the National Wilderness 
Preservation System. 
e About | of every 6 acres in the 
National Forest System is designated as 
“wilderness.” 
e Wilderness use accounts for less 
than | percent of all outdoor recreation. 
e Total time spent in wilderness areas 
has been relatively stable in recent 
years. 
e Wilderness areas contribute to 
maintenance of species diversity and 
protection of habitat for threatened and 
endangered species; and they are in 
other ways important unrelated to 
onsite recreation. 
e Major future growth of the National 
Wilderness Preservation System is not 
expected. 
Wilderness Areas 
The National Wilderness Preservation 
System is composed of lands dedicated 
by the Congress to the preservation of 
their scenic and natural characteristics 
(fig. 29). About 89 million acres 
currently are in this system, and more 
acreage has been proposed. About 56 
million of these acres are in Alaska. 
The National Park Service manages 37 
million acres of wilderness, almost all 
in Alaska. The Fish and Wildlife 
Service manages 19.3 million acres, 
and the Bureau of Land Management, 
369,000 acres. The Forest Service 
manages about 32 million acres of 
wilderness. Thus, about | of every 6 
acres in the National Forest System is 
designated as wilderness. 
