UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- A Penn State study analyzing the quality of visitors’ experiences at a national park is now a guiding tool for managers in the U.S. National Park Service (NPS).
Peter Newman, professor and head of the Penn State Department of Recreation, Park and Tourism Management, and Derrick Taff, assistant professor for the department, led the study, which was conducted within the Moose-Wilson corridor of Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.
“This type of information can provide the park with a more complete picture of visitor use and desired experience within this unique, fragile area of Grand Teton, thus allowing park managers to make more informed decisions that preserve the the ecological and experiential conditions of the area,” Taff said.
The NPS plans to use the study, as well as others conducted by Utah State University, to guide future plans for the area in terms of visitor use and visitor experience, while protecting the park’s resources and values.
“The data and information we gained through the Penn State study furthers our fundamental goal of developing a science-based plan that will direct how we manage the Moose-Wilson corridor for the future,” said Grand Teton National Park Superintendent David Vela. “Understanding visitor use patterns and learning about visitors’ motivations and expectations for this exceptional area within the park is a critical element of our comprehensive planning effort.”
The Moose-Wilson corridor includes roughly 10,000 acres around nearly eight miles of road and is home to a diverse array of plants and wildlife, according to the NPS.
The area has seen an increase in visitation since 2006. A section of private land spanning more than 1,100 acres was transferred to Grand Teton in 2007 and opened to the public as the Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve. The increased traffic travels a narrow, two-lane road that does not include a shoulder or bike lane.
Penn State researchers collected more than 1,700 surveys from visitors in vehicles, on foot, and on bicycles. Participants said adding a bike path and improving road conditions could better their experience.
The researchers said the study was innovative because they asked visitors about their expectations and plans at the start of their visit, used GPS technology to determine where they went, and then asked them about their experiences after their visit. The methods for examining visitor use and experience could potentially be applied in other park studies, they said.
The Penn State research team also included doctoral candidate Jennifer Newton and graduate student Lauren Abbott.