In Focus: Denali Park Road: An integrated study of road capacity at Denali National Park
Phillips LM, Hooge P, Meier T. 2010. In Focus: Denali Park Road: An integrated study of road capacity at Denali National Park. Park Science. 27(2):1,3,28–32
In 1986, managers at Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska limited vehicle trips on the park road to 10,512 annually based on studies and observations that the number and behavior of vehicles may negatively affect wildlife behavior and the quality of the visitor experience. In 2006, vehicle use was approaching this limit and park managers began a process to comprehensively reevaluate the strategy for transporting people on the road. Managers enlisted an interdisciplinary team of scientists to conduct a series of studies over three years with the goal of assessing the effects of increased traffic volumes on important indicators of social and resource values and combining the results into a predictive traffic simulation model. The model enables park managers to integrate findings from wildlife behavior and visitor experience studies into planning documents and decisions that will guide transportation management in the park for years to come.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Phillips, Laura; Hooge, Philip; Meier, Thomas
- Units
- DENA , NRSS
- Keywords
- Access, capacity, Denali National Park, Resources, Road, standards, Visitor Experience