The Taylor Highway covers 160 miles, and the U.S. portion of the Top of the World Highway is about 13 miles. State lands in the Upper Yukon River area can provide many different resources to many different people, including minerals, fish, wildlife, timber, water, recreation and tourism opportunities, and places to live. There are many different ideas about how state lands should be used, and sometimes these uses conflict with each other. However, if the land is managed carefully, many uses can occur in the same area. The planning process is a way of settling the differences among possible uses.
Planning is a way of deciding how to manage state lands.
Through planning, the people who use these lands can help choose the ways the land should be managed. The plan also makes it clear to the public what choices have been made and the reasons for those choices. Finally, state laws require preparation of land use plans for state lands before leases or permits are issued. One example of an activity that is gaining importance in the Upper Yukon area is tourism. As the tourism industry has grown throughout Alaska, so has the use of the Taylor Highway.