An Analysis of the Outdoor Recreation Resource and Its Development in the Canyon Country of San Juan and Grand Counties, Utah

The wild lands recreational resources of the canyon country of southeastern Utah were analyzed within an evaluation framework specific to the region. Patterns of recreation development were established and recommendations for planning were submitted. The study area was found to be richly endowed with environmental recreation resources and opportunities. Contributing environmental factors included the uniqueness, diversity, configuration, and/or abundance of the scenic, water, climatic, and primitive resources. An unusually wide spectrumquality opportunities were present. Planning and development were inconsistent with the expression of the environmental resources. A lack of coordination among the responsible public agencies, disparities in allocation of planning and development priorities, and the failure of planning to derive maximum utility from the resources were evident. Deficiencies of existing development can be easily corrected because of the embryonic state of development. Recommendations pertinent to coordination among agencies, master planning, facilities development, land classification, wilderness allocation, interpretation, and scenic drives were proposed