Skip to main content
Article
Sheeprock Mountains Visitor Use Report
All Current Publications
  • Jordan W. Smith, Utah State University
  • Ben Muhlestein, Utah State University
  • Melissa Chelak, Utah State University
  • Lorien Belton, Utah State University
  • Terry Messmer, Utah State University
Document Type
Report
Publisher
Institute of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism
Publication Date
11-1-2018
Funder

Yamaha Outdoor Access Initiative

Disciplines
Abstract

The Sheeprock Mountains, located in southern Tooele and northern Juab counties, support a variety of uses. The mountains are a popular destination for camping, hunting, and off-highway vehicle use; they also support domestic livestock grazing operations through public land grazing allotments, and provide important habitat for numerous wildlife species. These uses have co-existed for many years, with many of them well documented through either public records (e.g., grazing leases) or scientific data collection efforts (e.g., vegetation mapping). However, there is very little empirical data detailing outdoor recreation use in the region. The only known data come from two-way traffic counters; data from these counters suggest an increase in vehicle traffic throughout the region over the past several years. Aside from this, very little is known about visitors to the region. This report details the first visitor use study to be conducted in the Sheeprock Mountains. We specifically set out to: 1) characterize the types and amount of outdoor recreation use occurring within the region; to 2) better understand recreationists’ motivations for visiting the area; and to 3) identify the spatial patterns of off-highway vehicle use in the area.

Citation Information
Jordan W. Smith, Ben Muhlestein, Melissa Chelak, Lorien Belton, et al.. "Sheeprock Mountains Visitor Use Report" (2018)
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/jordanwsmith/20/