California bighorn sheep (O. c. californiana) and recreationists were studied in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California [USA] from May-Aug. 1976. Direct observation of sheep and people, pellet transects and hiker interviews were used to assess overlap in areas of use and nature of interactions. Distance, juxtaposition, age and sex composition and herd size are important factors in reaction of bighorns to humans. Meadows used by humans were inherently poor meadows for bighorn sheep, based on vegetation analysis. Use of meadows by sheep was correlated with amount of preferred forage species and vegetative cover. Hiker foot-trails did not affect sheep movements in the summer range. Bighorn-human encounters were limited to specific locations and were not adversely affecting the bighorn population. Regulations should continue to limit use of the study area by humans.