Backcountry visitor experience and social science indicators for Glacier Bay National Park

Furr, Gabriella; Lamborn, Chase; Sisneros-Kidd, Abigail; Monz, Christopher; Wesstrom, Shannon

doi:10.36967/nrr-2287258

Glacier Bay National Park (GBNP), located in the panhandle of southeast Alaska, preserves more than 3.2 million acres and provides for a range of visitor opportunities. Marine waters make up nearly one fifth of the park, and no point of land is more than 30 miles from the coast. A range of backcountry experiences are possible, both on land in designated Wilderness (e.g., camping and hiking) and on water (e.g., sea kayaking, fishing, sightseeing, natural and cultural interpretation, and wildlife viewing). This study, conducted over a two-year period, consists 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 both 2017 and 2018, spatial use data was collected from independent, non-motorized backcountry visitors, which mainly consisted of sea kayakers. In the context of this study, recreational opportunities outside of the Bartlett Cove developed area were considered backcountry experiences. The populations surveyed in this study included people riding the day boat, independent backcountry visitors (sea kayakers and a few backpackers), independent private boaters, visitors on charter vessels and tour vessels, residents of Gustavus (the park’s gateway community), and those who had visited the park and were leaving from the Gustavus Airport. Visitors not included were cruise ship passengers, flightseers, outer coast visitors, or Alsek River rafters.

Backcountry visitor experience and social science indicators for Glacier Bay National Park

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