The purpose of this paper is to assess the societal benefits of outdoor recreation and to determine the relationship of social stratification to utilization of outdoor recreation facilities. Conclusions are that many of America's outdoor recreation sites are located at considerable distances from population concentrations and require substantial expense to visit. In the case of lower class families, these sites are located at proportionally greater distances than for the population in general. Consequently, lower class families must spend both proportionally and absolutely greater amounts of their income in order to utilize outdoor recreation opportunities. Furthermore, an examination of the Land and Water Conservation Fund distrubution formula reveals possible inequities in the support of outdoor recreation by middle and lower class Americans. (Author/TL)