Backcountry Visitor Experience and Social Science Indicators for Glacier Bay National Park
Furr G, Lamborn C, Sisneros-Kidd, Ph.D. A, Monz, Ph.D. C, Wesstrom S. Backcountry Visitor Experience and Social Science Indicators for Glacier Bay National Park. 2017-2021
A study conducted by Utah State University in partnership with Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve consisted of two separate data collection efforts with two purposes: 1) to characterize visitors engaging in independent recreation (often in designated Wilderness), compared to those experiencing the backcountry from targeted classes of motorized marine vessels within park waters (often using guided, commercial services); and 2) to gather backcountry visitor trip characteristics, motivations, expectations, and overall quality of experiences to guide management decisions, including the update of the 1989 Wilderness Visitor Use Management Plan. Data collected in 2017—the pre-experience survey—was focused on backcountry visitors’ pre-trip planning, expectations, and motivations for visiting Glacier Bay National Park. Data collected in 2018—the post-experience survey—was more evaluative and focused on the quality of the visitor experience. In the context of this study, recreational opportunities outside of the Bartlett Cove developed area were considered backcountry experiences.
- Type
- Project
- Authors
- Furr, Gabriella; Lamborn, Chase; Sisneros-Kidd, Ph.D., Abigail; Monz, Ph.D., Christopher; Wesstrom, Shannon
- Units
- GLBA
- Keywords
- backcountry, Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, GLBA, motivations, place attachment, quality of experience, spatial distribution of use, thresholds of acceptance, wilderness
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Human Use | Visitor and Recreation Use | Visitor Use
Products
- Post-Experience Glacier Bay National Park Backcountry Visitor Survey (2018)
- Pre-Experience Glacier Bay National Park Backcountry Visitor Survey (2017)
- Post-Experience Glacier Bay National Park Visitor Survey (2018)
- Backcountry visitor experience and social science indicators for Glacier Bay National Park