Public Recreation Public recreation reaches beyond the local level to state and federal agencies. State forest and parks departments, the National Park, and the National Forest Service manage recreational opportunities on public lands. Interest in the national forests and parks remains high, with an explosion of visits to the 390 areas in the national park system and the 155 national forests in recent years. The National Park Service recorded 273.5 million visits to national parks, seashores, monuments and historic sites in 2005, an increase of 2.9% since 1996. This high use is affecting a system beleaguered by federal budget constraints, and the park service is grappling with policy issues concerning vehicle congestion, recreational vehicle access, a deteriorating infrastructure, and control of visitor volume and duration. A comprehensive study of public use of the park system has been identified by the National Park Service as a major priority