I watched that trailer for the Forest Service DVDs. Reading between the lines, the commercial interests of grazing, logging and mining compete against the recreational interests, and it all gets resolved by your regional FS office after they field complaints in every direction, until someone in some...

Not that carrying a map is a bad idea, but two of the worst hiking experiences I've ever had occurred when I knew exactly where I was on the map. One was coming down Mazatzal Peak, which has no easy trail to the top, and the other was coming down from peak #4 of the Four Peaks. There's nothing worse...

Also, they take down the pay stations in the Supes during the summer. That's my prime hiking time there, no fee and I usually have the trails to myself. Obviously the forest service wants the most bang for the buck and won't spend the time or money to maintain a paystation that is not paying for it...

In response to joe bartels' reply: Joe, I think you've described the problem very well, and in so few words. What some people call wilderness is simply an area outside of town. Such areas are frequently visited, sometimes by hundreds of people per weekend. These areas are not true wilderness, and i...

In response to stsimmer's reply: Mr Zimmer, you and others might want to question why some areas get higher use than others. There are really only two reasons: proximity to metro areas, and paved roads, both of which can be termed jointly as easy access. The beauty of the landscape comes in at a di...