Monitoring indicators of the visitor experience and resource conditions in the Denali backcountry: Summer 2010

Fix, Peter; Hatcher, Heidi

The Denali Backcountry Management Plan specifies indicators of resource conditions and the visitor experience. This study developed a visitor survey to measure the level of the indicators experienced by the visitors. Both overnight backpackers and day hikers were included in the sample; different surveys were developed for the two groups. Completed surveys were received from 191 backpackers (42% response rate) and 446 day hikers (77.4% response rate). A non-response test did not reveal differences that would bias results. Comparisons of the indicators to the standards were conducted three ways: 1) comparing the mean level, or percent when appropriate, of the indicators to the standard, 2) estimating for how many individuals the standard was violated, and 3) calculating the number of days in which the standard was violated for at least one individual. Results indicate that overall, for both backpackers and day hikers, the indicators of natural sound disturbance and encounters with modern equipment had mean levels above the standard of one and zero, respectively, with 59.8% of backpackers and 51.8% of day hikers reporting a level of motorized sound above the standard and 27.1% of backpackers and 45.4% of day hikes reporting a level of encounters with modern equipment above the standard. In addition, both groups had a higher percent seeing litter or human waste than the standard of five percent; 11.2% and 14.1% for backpackers and day hikers, respectively. For backpackers the mean level of landscape modifications was not statistically different than the standard, and the level of encounters with other park visitors, groups larger than six, and NPS rangers or researchers was below the standard. On seven percent of nights camped, backpackers were unable to camp out of sight or sound of others. For day hikers, the mean level of encounters with other parties was above the standard of two per day, with 48.2% of respondents reporting levels above two. Overall, on average, day hikers did not violate the standards for encounters with large groups (>6 people) or NPS rangers or researchers. Analysis of backpacker response data by backcountry unit found that the motorized sound and landscape modification standards were violated by at least one individual of most all units of the backcountry; 27 and 28 units, respectively, of the 32 units in which respondents hiked revealed some level of standard violation for the two indicators mentioned. For the indicators of litter and human waste, modern equipment, and encounters with others, 10, 11, and 20 units out of the 32, respectively, did not violate the standard. Examining day hiker data with the criterion that a unit’s standard is violated if any one person in that unit encounters a condition above the standard shows for the indicators of motorized sound, landscape modifications, encounters with modern equipment, and encounters with other parks visitors there were very few backcountry units that met existing standards when using this strict interpretation of violation; one, one, four, and four units, respectively, of the 28 units in which respondents day hiked, were entirely within standard. Twenty units violated the litter and human waste standard and 8 units violated the large group standard. For results presented by unit it should be cautioned that some units had few respondents that hiked in them, reducing the representation of all hikers within those units.

Monitoring indicators of the visitor experience and resource conditions in the Denali backcountry: Summer 2010

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