. A descriptive analysis of Montana's forest resources. Forests and forestry Montana Statistics; Timber Montana Statistics. It has been found that visitors use only a small proportion of the estab- lished trail systems in such areas. In the Spanish Peaks Primitive Area, for example, about two-thirds of all visitor travel occurs on one-fifth of the available trails (fig. 37). As one might anticipate, horse riders spread out more than do hikers. The use by all visitors is even more concentrated in both the Bob Marshall and the Selway-Bitterroot Wildernesses (Lucas 1974). An important perspective
. A descriptive analysis of Montana's forest resources. Forests and forestry Montana Statistics; Timber Montana Statistics. It has been found that visitors use only a small proportion of the estab- lished trail systems in such areas. In the Spanish Peaks Primitive Area, for example, about two-thirds of all visitor travel occurs on one-fifth of the available trails (fig. 37). As one might anticipate, horse riders spread out more than do hikers. The use by all visitors is even more concentrated in both the Bob Marshall and the Selway-Bitterroot Wildernesses (Lucas 1974). An important perspective on these use patterns is offered by the Wilderness Act of 1964, which defines solitude as a major quality of Wildernesses. But the quality of solitude, much as the physical resource itself, is fragile and easily degraded. Increasing congestion threatens the continued ability of visitors to find solitude. In addition, conflicts between different types of users--hikers and horsemen, large parties and small—are often serious problems (Stankey 1973). To protect the intangible values of Wildernesses and to protect the physical resource itself, a redistribution of users seems necessary. Limits on numbers, methods of travel, and other activities appear inevitable in those areas where use pressures are increasing most rapidly (Hendee and Lucas 1973) . Another kind of use pressure that has changed the nature of the recreation resource is the demand for fishing in high-mountain lakes. Naturally low nutrient levels have led to fragile aquatic ecosystems producing few fish. Ar- tificial stocking with brook trout, rainbow, and yellowstone cutthroat, even in Wildernesses has sometimes been to the disadvantage of native 100 Figure 37.—Concentra- tion of use in the Spanish Peaks Primitive Area, 1970. 0 20 40 60 80 Cumulative trail-miles (percent 100 71. Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - co
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