What is the difference between roadless areas and wilderness areas?

Answer 1

ROADLESS AREA: Any part of the landscape that contains few if any roads and is large enough to maintain the values associated with large undeveloped tracts of forest. Often second growth forests, these areas represent parts of the landscape that have been least heavily impacted by human uses and could potentially be designated as reserves, wilderness, or other natural areas.

WILDERNESS AREA: A congressionally designated area of undeveloped federal land retaining its primeval character and influence, without permanent improvements or human habitation, that is protected and managed to preserve its natural conditions and that (1) generally appears to have been affected mainly by the forces of nature, with human imprints substantially unnoticeable; (2) has outstanding opportunities for solitude or a primitive and unconfined type of recreation; (3) has at least 5,000 acres or is large enough to make practical its preservation and use in an unimpaired condition; and (4) may also contain ecological, geological, or other features of scientific, educational, scenic, or historic value.

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P.S. You can fly a plane over a wilderness area but have to maintain a minimum altitude that is nonobtrusive... usually about 3,000 feet. While backpacking a plane at that altitude is still noticeable... when flying I try to stay higher if traversing wilderness, but for mountainous areas that can be difficult in a small plane where the ceiling of operation may not be that much higher than the terrain below.

Answer 2

A roadless area is a place with no roads exactly like it sounds. A "wilderness area" is a piece of land designated by the federal government. A wilderness has few to no signs of human presence.

Answer 3

Vehicles, machines etc are not allowed in wilderness areas. You are not even allowed to fly a plane over a wilderness area!

Roadless areas are simply areas without roads. You could drive an SUV in these areas, there are juse no roads.