From 1998 - 2003, HCCA employed small armies of GPS-equipped volunteers to help map almost every road and trail on the Gunnison National Forest. This in an effort to understand just how many roads existed out there, and what effects they were having. What we found was nothing short of staggering. The Gunnison National Forest has many areas that exceed 2 miles per square mile, the level beyond which most agree has damaging effects. We also found areas where the road density exceeds 10 miles per square mile

The overall cumulative effect of road densities on the Gunnison is apparent. This is near Whitepine.