Visitor use management is fundamental for maximizing benefits for visitors while achieving and maintaining desired resource conditions and visitor experiences on federally managed lands and waters. By using this Visitor Use Management Framework, managers collaboratively develop long-term strategies for providing access, connecting visitors to key visitor experiences, protecting resources, and managing visitor use. The purpose of the framework is to provide cohesive guidance on four major elements for analyzing and managing visitor use on federally managed lands and waters. It is also intended to provide a legally defensible, transparent decisionmaking process that meets law and policy requirements, ensures agency accountability, and provides sound rationales upon which to base management decisions and actions. A common thread throughout the framework is the use of the sliding scale. A sliding scale is used to ensure the investment of time, money, and other resources for a project is commensurate with the complexity of the project and the consequences of the decision. Issues with clearly small impacts usually require less depth and breadth of analysis than those with impacts of greater significance. Overall, this framework is meant to be adaptable to different agencies' policies and regulations and yet allow for a professional, comprehensive, and consistent approach to visitor use management on federally managed lands and waters.