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MRP Outstandingly Remarkable Values
MRP Section 7 Determination Process
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Classifications

The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act requires that river segments be classified and administered as Wild, Scenic, or Recreational, based on the condition of the river corridor at the time of boundary designation. The classification of a river segment indicates the level of development on the shorelines, the level of development in the watershed, and the degree of accessibility by road or trail. Classifications are defined in the act as follows:

Wild river areas: Those rivers or sections of rivers that are free of impoundments and generally inaccessible except by trail, with watersheds or shorelines essentially primitive and waters unpolluted.

Scenic river areas: Those rivers or sections of rivers that are free of impoundments, with shorelines or watersheds still largely primitive and shorelines largely undeveloped, but accessible in places by roads.

Recreational river areas: Those rivers or sections of rivers that are readily accessible by road or railroad, that may have some development along their shorelines, and that may have undergone some impoundment or diversion in the past.

The river classifications established by the Merced River Plan are as follows. Wilderness areas, which account for approximately 51 miles of the Merced Wild and Scenic River within Yosemite National Park, are classified Wild. Areas with moderate development within the corridor (west Valley and gorge) are classified Scenic, accounting for approximately 13 miles of the Merced River within the park. The east Valley, Wawona, the El Portal Administrative Site, and the impoundments are classified as Recreational, reflecting the higher level of development in these areas. Recreational areas account for approximately 17 miles of the Merced River within the park. The Cascades Diversion Dam and the Wawona Impoundment would change to a Scenic classification if and when the impoundments were removed. The classifications for the segments of the Merced River administered by the National Park Service are listed in table 1 and depicted in figure 1.

Table 1: Merced Wild and Scenic River Classifications

Appendix E of the Merced Wild and Scenic River Comprehensive Management Plan/FEIS contains a history of the determination of classifications.

 
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