Potential Management of Mountain Environments Using Summit Registers

Abstract

A common tourist activity in mountain landscapes is summiting the local high point of a region. Increased tourism and overall demand on mountainous regions, however, might have long-term consequences on visitor experience and environmental conditions. In some mountainous regions, a fee system has been proposed to limit overcrowding and reduce ecological damage. Although a payment system might limit overcrowding and environmental degradation, a fee system might severely limit accessibility for certain socioeconomic groups. An alternative to fees might be educational programs and material to notify hikers of common hiking periods and inform tourists of possible environmental degradation. Educational programs and materials, however, need to be targeted at specific individuals who access the mountains. Summit registers provide spatial and temporal information on the individuals to be targeted. The summit register on Wheeler Peak, Nevada was obtained for the 12-month period of June 2012 through May 2013. The location of origin for each hiker was digitized and mapped to reveal spatial clusters of hikers who accessed the summit. Date of summit was also used to identify common hiking times on the mountain. Results indicate the spatial and temporal patterns of hikers who summit Wheeler Peak are significantly clustered. The identification of these clusters through summit registers is currently an underutilized record of mountain users. Data contained in summit registers can provide important information to mountain managers and might assist with management of sensitive mountain environments and ensure continued enjoyment by mountain visitors.