Visitor use monitoring in Muir Woods and on Alcatraz Island

University of Vermont Park Studies Laboratory; Resource Systems Group, Inc.

NPS initiated this study with the University of Vermont (UVM) and Resource Systems Group (RSG) to collect visitor use information designed to support the General Management Plan and Implementation planning efforts for GGNRA. Muir Woods National Monument and Alcatraz parklands are managed by Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA). Each of these areas receives intensive public use, with more than one million people visiting each area annually. The National Park Service (NPS) is revising GGNRA’s General Management Plan (GMP) and developing Implementation Plans to guide management of visitor use at Muir Woods and Alcatraz. This planning is framed by objective based management, with a key component involving the development of indicators and standards of quality for visitor experiences. NPS initiated this study with the University of Vermont (UVM) and Resource Systems Group (RSG) to collect visitor use information designed to support GMP and Implementation planning efforts for GGNRA. In supporting GGNRA’s management by objective approach, this study’s purpose is to monitor indicators of experiential quality at each area. Indicators of quality are specific, sensitive, measurable and manageable proxies for management objectives. Identification and monitoring of indicators allows managers to document resource and experiential conditions and track changes in quality over time or following managerial action. This study deploys a number of indicators at locations throughout Muir Woods and Alcatraz. The indicators monitored at each location were selected by park managers in consultation with study investigators based upon their measurement feasibility, salience to visitor experiences, and management objectives. Specific site—indicator pairings are described in the following sections of this report. Indicators were monitored by direct observation. Observations were collected during the summer of 2009 by a five field staff from the University of Vermont and Student Conservation Association. These staff collected observations at each area for 20 days, staggering early and late shifts to capture daily peak and off-peak usage. At most sites indicators were monitored via visitor counts. At regular intervals of time staff counted the number of individuals within the indicator site’s boundaries. Notable exceptions to this general method include the monitoring conducted on the Hillside Trail in Muir Woods and within Michigan Avenue on Alcatraz. This report is organized in two primary sections, one for Muir Woods and one for Alcatraz. Each of these primary sections is further divided into subsection for each indicator site. The subsections present site and indicator specific methodological details and summaries of the sampling effort and monitoring results including: Average daily usage Usage percentiles and maxima Differences in usage by weekday vs. weekend Differences in usage by hour of day These results document the current condition of indicators of quality at each site and are intended to provide an empirical basis to support NPS decisions about indicators and standards of quality for visitor experiences.

Visitor use monitoring in Muir Woods and on Alcatraz Island

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