Glacier National Park socioeconomic monitoring: Summer 2016

Resource Systems Group (RSG)

This report describes the results of a visitor study at Glacier National Park (NP) conducted from July 29, 2016 through August 7, 2016. During the sampling period, 1,063 visitor groups were contacted to participate in the survey. Of those groups, 977 agreed to participate in the study by accepting a mail-back survey packet. Questionnaires were completed and returned by 600 visitor groups, resulting in a completion rate of 61% among those visitor groups that agreed to participate in the study and an overall response rate of 56% for the study. This report profiles a systematic random sample of Glacier National Park visitors. Most of the results are presented in graphs and frequency tables. Summaries of visitor comments are included in the body of the report. Verbatim comments are included in the Visitor Comment Appendix (bound separately). Forty-seven percent of visitor groups were groups of two, and 48% of visitor groups were groups of three or more members. A majority of visitor groups (74%) identified as groups of family. Eighteen percent of visitors were 65 years old or older, 22% of visitors were 55 to 64 years old, 26% of visitor were 35 to 54 years old, 17% of visitors were 18 to 34 years old, and 18% of visitors were under 18 years old. Hispanic or Latino visitors comprised less than 3% of visitation during the survey period. Most visitors (92%) were white. Few visitors were Asian (6%), American Indian or Alaska Native (1%), black or African American (<1%), or Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander (<1%). Nearly all visitor groups preferred to speak (98%) and read (98%) English when visiting an area such as Glacier National Park. Individuals from the United States comprised 87% of total visitation during the survey period. At the state level, 20% of visitors were from Montana, 8% of visitors were from Washington, 8% from Minnesota, and smaller proportions of visitors were from 45 other states. International visitors comprised 13% of total visitation with 63% of international visitors from Canada, and smaller proportions of visitors from 13 other countries. Eighty-one percent of visitors indicated having visited the park only once during the last 12 months, while 8% had visited more than two times during the past year. Twenty-nine percent of visitors indicated that they had not visited another National Park Service (NPS) site within the past 12 months. Ninety-four percent of visitor groups obtained information about Glacier National Park prior to this trip. The most commonly reported information sources used were park website (60%), friends/relatives/word of mouth (46%), previous visits (42%), and maps/brochures (40%). The vast majority (92%) of visitor groups had the information they needed about Glacier National Park for their trip. Ninety-three percent of visitor groups used a car, truck, or SUV to get from their home to the park. Thirty-one percent of visitor groups spent up to six hours traveling from their home to the park. Thirty-one percent of visitor groups traveled up to 500 miles from their home to get to the park. Fifty-one percent of visitor groups indicated that visiting Glacier National Park was one of several equally important destinations on their trip away from home. Forty-six percent of visitor groups indicated that visiting Glacier National Park was the primary or sole purpose of their trip away from home. The most important reasons for visitors to visit Glacier National Park included to view wildlife or natural scenery (47% of visitor groups), to spend time with friends/family (24% of visitor groups), and to visit an NPS site (8% of visitor groups). Thirty-six percent of visitor groups reported that day hiking (less than one hour) was their primary activity. Twenty-five percent reported that viewing wildlife, natural features, scenery, and wildflowers was their primary activity. Thirteen percent of visitor groups reported having no primary activity.

Glacier National Park socioeconomic monitoring: Summer 2016

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