National Park Service A Study of the Park and Recreation Problem of the United States

THE POPULATION is largely in the irrigated sections, concentrated around Phoenix and Tucson, with great stretches of desert and mountain country containing few if any inhabitants. Approximately two-thirds of the State is in Federal ownership, national parks and monuments, national forests, wildlife areas, Indian lands, reclamation lands, grazing districts and unreserved public domain.

The great wealth of scenic, historic, and scientific recreation resources, including climates favorable for all types of recreational activities hoth for summer and winter, accounts for the continually increasing number of tourist and seasonal residents coming into the State.

Most of the population centers are fairly well served by municipal, metropolitan or county parks and nearby forest areas. There is no State park system and there does not appear to be a real need for one. Consideration should be given to preserving the scenic values along the highways and the provision of wayside parks for the benefit of travelers. There are many important historic and archeologic sites which should be preserved for the benefit of the State and the Nation.

Large bodies of water in this desert and semidesert country are of special recreational significance, and those such as Lake Mead and Lake Havasu are of sufficient importance because of the spectacular settings to warrant development for recreation by the Federal Government.

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¹ Area under Federal administration June 1938.