Management for surface disturbance, land tenure adjustments, areas closed or administratively unavailable for mineral development, special designations, proactive recreation management actions, and other resource management actions form the basis for comparing impacts to recreation among the alternatives. Proactive management under Alternative B would most enhance facilities and amenities to meet niche demands for recreation while minimizing potential user conflict, followed by alternatives D, A, and C. Alternative B would enhance the recreational experience of users expecting a more primitive recreational experience and opportunities for solitude the most, followed by alternatives D, A, and C. Dispersed motorized recreation opportunities would be limited to designated areas the most under Alternative B, which may result in the greatest adverse impacts to motorized recreation use compared to other alternatives, followed by alternatives D, A, and C. Alternative C would result in the most opportunities for dispersed motorized recreation, but primitive forms of recreation and opportunities for solitude would not be a priority and may diminish as OHV use increases over the planning cycle. Alternative D manages the second-most area for off-road motorized vehicle use, but also restricts motorized vehicle use to designated roads and trails in the second-most acreage that would limit recreation opportunities for motorized travel.

Special designations and management for resource protection in ACECs and WSRs that maintains their recreation settings for scenery and wildlife viewing would result in the greatest benefit to recreationists under Alternative B, followed by alternatives A, D, and C.

Alternative B would result in the least amount of surface disturbance, minerals development, ROW authorizations, and other conflicting resource uses that would displace recreation and potentially degrade the recreation setting, followed by alternatives D, A, and C. Alternative B would benefit recreational settings, experiences, and beneficial outcomes the most because the alternative manages the most areas as SRMAs for desired recreation settings to benefit outcome objectives, activities, experiences, and benefits, followed by alternatives D, A, and C. Alternative C manages the fewest areas as SRMAs, and would result in the greatest adverse impacts to the desired settings, opportunities, activities, experiences, and beneficial outcomes in areas with substantial recreation values, followed by alternatives D, A, and B. Although Alternative D manages less acreage in SRMAs than Alternative A, by managing these areas for the realization of benefits by maintaining the desired RSCC, SRMAs under Alternative D would result in more beneficial impacts to recreation experiences than under Alternative A.