Welcome to the Bureau of Reclamation's Recreation Homepage
Taking pictures during your visit? Why not enter them into the annual “Share the Experience” Photo Contest! On behalf of the Bureau of Reclamation, the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Forest Service, the National Park Foundation and Active Network along with Destination America, invite you to share your favorite photos of your visits to America’s Federal Recreation Lands by entering the 2012 “Share the Experience” Photo Contest for a chance to have your picture featured on the 2014 Federal Recreational Lands Pass. From July 1st to December 31st, you can submit one photo per week for the chance to earn national recognition for your picture. You can also vote for your favorite photos and share your photos with family and friends. Enter by visiting www.sharetheexperience.org. There are several opportunities to win and tons of great prizes including cash, hotel packages and Federal Recreation Lands Passes! You could have the next winning photo to adorn the Federal Recreational Lands Pass!
The mission of the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) is to manage, develop, and protect water and related resources in an environmentally and economically sound manner in the interest of the American public. Reclamation is a Federal agency within the U.S. Department of the Interior and was established by the Reclamation Act of 1902 to develop water resources in the 17 Western States. Over the years, Reclamation has gravitated from development of single-purpose agricultural projects toward a multipurpose approach to water resource development that includes recreation.
Reclamation plays a major role in meeting the increasing public demands for water-based outdoor recreation facilities and opportunities. The 289 recreation areas developed as a result of a Reclamation water project are among the Nation’s most popular for water-based outdoor recreation (See Footnote). Reclamation projects include approximately 6.5 million acres of land and water that is, for the most part, available for public outdoor recreation.
Annually, over 90 million visitors participate in a wide variety of activities including camping, boating, fishing, hunting, wind-surfing, sailing, picnicking, wildlife viewing, swimming, and sightseeing. Additionally, visitors enjoy the many facilities such as marinas, campgrounds, lodging, food service, rental equipment, and golf courses that are provided by approximately 225 concessionaires. The Reclamation project areas that do not have developed recreation facilities often provide the visitors with dispersed recreational opportunities such as hiking, bird watching, photography, and sightseeing. Reclamation works with Federal and non-Federal partners to provide quality recreation opportunities throughout the 17 Western States. These partners have been, and will continue to 
be, the primary providers of recreation and concession-managed activities at authorized Reclamation projects. Reclamation has 66 non-Federal, 4 Federal, and 3 Indian Tribe partners that, in most instances, manage multiple recreation areas (e.g., Utah State Parks manages 11 recreation areas in the State of Utah and the U.S. Forest Service [USFS] has some level of recreation management responsibility at 55 recreation areas in several different states). Reclamation’s Federal partners are the USFS, National Park Service (NPS), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Bureau of Land Management. Reclamation retains management responsibilities for recreation at 33 recreation sites without the benefit of a managing partner, cooperatively manages an additional 8 sites with a non-Federal partner, and 1 site with a Federal partner. The remaining 247 developed recreation areas are managed under a partnership arrangement with a non-Federal and Federal entity, or Indian Tribe.
In addition to offering water-based outdoor recreation opportunities, these recreation areas often include important natural and cultural resources and provide unique educational and interpretive opportunities. Eleven (11) Reclamation water projects have been designated as National Recreation Areas that are managed by the NPS or USFS.
Reclamation projects have created a variety of recreation opportunities on the rivers downstream from the dams, including world class whitewater rafting and fishing opportunities. In other instances, Reclamation projects have created valuable national wildlife refuges and state wildlife management areas that offer recreation opportunities such as camping, hiking, hunting, photography, and wildlife viewing. Eleven (11) national wildlife refuges have been created as a result of a Reclamation Federal water project.
Reclamation also assists local communities in attracting recreation-related investments and involves local citizens in the decisionmaking process to ensure recreation developments meet public needs and expectations.
Use authorizations are not required for recreational use of recreation areas and facilities open to the public. Other uses of project lands may require proper authorization from Reclamation. Refer to http://www.usbr.gov/lands/ for additional information about applying for specific uses that may require a use authorization from Reclamation.
For information about the many recreational opportunities on all Federal lands throughout the United States visit http://www.recreation.gov/.
Footnote: A recreation area can be considered a recreation complex consisting of, among other things, campgrounds, day use areas, parking areas, boat ramps, restrooms, road and trail systems, and visitor centers. It usually encompasses an entire reservoir area defined by an established boundary. A recreation area may have multiple recreation sites.
Last updated: 9/5/12