Denali National Park and Preserve winter visitor use: Winter visitor experience survey and early road opening collaborative study

Aberg M, Keller R, Clark WC. 2019. Denali National Park and Preserve winter visitor use: Winter visitor experience survey and early road opening collaborative study. Natural Resource Report. NPS/DENA/NRR—2019/1893. National Park Service. Fort Collins, Colorado

Two aspects of Denali National Park and Preserve’s (DENA) winter and shoulder season motivated a visitor study of the park in the non-summer months. First, the early road opening (ERO) Denali Plowing Environmental Assessment (EA) requires monitoring the impact of vehicles on the road and at the Mountain Vista parking lot on wildlife, the soundscape, and other natural resources (NPS 2013). Second, DENA has experienced a persistent, annual increase in winter visitors within the past five years. A consistent rise in winter visitation necessitates a better understanding of why people come to the park in winter, their relative mobility in the winter, their needs and expectations, and whether the early road opening has a strong effect in attracting winter visitors. This study intentionally parses factors that drive winter visitation, aims to determine whether the Park is meeting expectations regarding service, and provides park managers with the context needed to determine the accrued costs and benefits of the early road opening and the function of the Winter Visitor Center and staffing. The study bridges 2017 and 2018 winter months in Denali: February – April.

Type
Published Report
Authors
Aberg, Madeline; Keller, Rose; Clark, William
Date of Issue
2019-03
Publisher
National Park Service
Units
CAKN , DENA , NRSS
Keywords
Alaska, DENA, Denali National Park, early road opening, preserve, visitor use, Winter use
Subjects
Ecological Framework: Human Use | Visitor and Recreation Use | Visitor Use

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