Trail Use Research Articles

A Qualitative Case Study of Trail Visitors’ Experiences and COVID-19 Mitigation Decisions During the Pandemic

Although there have been numerous studies concerning COVID-19 and its impact on people’s recreational experience, most projects only documented observable behaviors or used cross-sectional surveys to ask respondents about their behavior. Few projects explored the participants thought processes and attitudes about how the pandemic affected their recreation during this period. This project consisted of 31 interviews that were designed to understand recreational users’ trail use during the pandemic and the motivations and decision making when they adopted (or not) guidelines given to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. The interviews, structured around six main questions, revealed four key themes: changes in trail use, perceptions of risk and safety, adoption of COVID-19 mitigation behaviors, and influences on these decisions. This research provides valuable insights into the behaviors and attitudes of trail users during the pandemic.

Association Of Trail Use, Physical Activity, And Mental Well-being In A Rural Tennessee County

Association Of Trail Use, Physical Activity, And Mental Well-being In A Rural Tennessee County

Understanding the barriers and facilitators of urban greenway use among older and disadvantaged adults: A mixed-methods study in Québec city

Urban greenways are multipurpose and multi-user trails that provide a range of socio-ecological and health benefits, including active transportation, social interactions, and increased well-being. However, despite their numerous benefits, barriers exist that limit urban greenway access and use, particularly among older and disadvantaged adults. This study addresses a significant research gap by examining the nuanced factors that influence the choices and experiences of these specific user groups in Québec City, Canada. We use a mixed-methods’ approach to explore the facilitators of and barriers to access and use of two urban greenway trails among older and disadvantaged adults. Our methods included a greenway user count, 96 observation time slots, and 15 semi-structured user interviews. The results revealed significant use of greenway trails by older adults for afternoon walks in both seasons studied (autumn and winter). We also observed variations in use patterns, such as higher levels of solitary walking, reduced levels of winter cycling, and the impracticality of the secondary greenway trail owing to snow conditions. In addition, the findings revealed a wide range of factors that influence greenway access and use, categorized as individual or personal, physical or built environment, social environment, and meteorological or climatic dimensions. Future research can build on these insights to design and assess interventions that capitalize on the facilitators and address any barriers, enhancing the value of urban greenways for older and disadvantaged adults.

Assessing the Environmental Impacts, Condition and Sustainability of Mountain Biking Trails in an Urban National Park.

Mountain biking is a popular recreational activity in natural areas, with thousands of formal trails designed, constructed and maintained by land managers. Increasingly, there are also rising numbers of informal trails created by riders. A challenge for land managers is identifying, assessing, and then mitigating environmental impacts created by trails, including in protected areas. Here we assessed mountain biking trails in a large, popular national park on the Gold Coast, Australia, addressing the currently limited research comparing the extent, environmental impacts, condition and sustainability of these trails. Impacts from the 31.4 km of formal and 33.7 km of informal trails through the forests in Nerang National Park (1659 ha) included soil erosion (16.48 m3) and loss of vegetation along and adjacent to the trails (90,955 m2). Formal trails were six times more popular and wider on average (1.1 m vs 0.7 m) than informal trails, but less incised than informal trails (4.6 cm deep vs 6.3 cm). Generalised Linear Models showed that Trail Grade, slope and alignment best-predicted trail condition, highlighting the importance of good trail design in minimising trail impacts. It is recommended most of the informal trails are closed and rehabilitated, as they were not well-designed, increase fragmentation and have environmental impacts, with some traversing ecologically sensitive areas. In addition, some formal trails need to be upgraded to deal with erosion and other impacts. More broadly, the increasing demand for mountain biking must be addressed, including exploring opportunities to promote areas outside of national parks while minimising environmental impacts and other challenges associated with the creation and use of informal mountain bike trails in protected areas.

Stay on trails: Detrimental effects of recreational activities on soil compaction and infiltration

Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park (BTS-NP) in East Java, Indonesia showcases a breathtaking volcanic landscape and cultural allure, drawing hundreds of thousands of domestic and international visitors. Recreational activities involving human and animal trampling and motorized-vehicle traffic caused soil disturbance along their networks of paths, trails, or roads, potentially having a detrimental long-term effect on the tourism industry and environmental services provided by the national parks. However, the extent of the impact of these disturbances on soil properties remains unclear. This study assessed the impact of different disturbance intensities, consisting of undisturbed locations as a control (zone 1), low to medium- (zone 2), and high- (zone 3) disturbance intensities on five different BTS-NP tourism hotspots, including Entrance Wonokitri (EW), Whispering Sand (WS), Parking Temple (PT), Teletubbies Hill (TH), and Entrance Bromo Stairs (EB), on soil properties, including soil compaction represented by soil penetration resistance, and soil infiltration. This study revealed that the higher severity impact of recreational activities on soil compaction was parallel with higher disturbance intensity, particularly in EW and TH. In these particular locations, higher soil compaction is significantly linked to lower soil infiltration, thus needing extra attention and protection. Meanwhile, in WS, PT, and EB, soil infiltration was more controlled by the establishment of a cemented topsoil layer consisting of mixed sand, sulfur, and water. Better management strategies, such as the use of proper trails and road infrastructures, particularly on EW and TH, might be relevant to minimize the impact of recreational activities on these ecologically, economically, and culturally important areas.

Walking trail access, exercise behavior, and going out-of-home among older adults: Examining longitudinal associations and mediators

AimAlthough the presence of a walking trail within a neighborhood would be an important environmental determinant of health behaviors, such as exercise and going out-of-home, their longitudinal associations and mediators are still unconfirmed. This study examined the longitudinal associations of walking trail access with exercise behavior and going out-of-home and mediating roles of awareness and use of walking trails on their associations among older adults. MethodsA four-wave questionnaire-based longitudinal survey was conducted among Japanese older adults (Wave 1: baseline; Wave 2: after one year; Wave 3: after three years; and Wave 4: after five years). Each survey measured weekly exercise time and frequency of going out-of-home. Wave 4 survey also measured awareness and use of walking trails. This study calculated distance to nearest walking trail using geographic information systems. This study analyzed the data from all waves (n = 834) for longitudinal associations and the data from Wave 4 (n = 567) for mediated associations. ResultsLatent growth modeling showed insignificant longitudinal associations of walking trail access with weekly exercise time and frequency of going out-of-home. The path analyses showed that a shorter distance to the walking trail was indirectly and significantly associated with longer weekly exercise time (standardized indirect effect=-0.03, p<.001) and a higher weekly frequency of going out-of-home (standardized indirect effect=-0.03, p<.001), mediated by awareness and use of walking trails. ConclusionsThese findings indicate that the influence of walking trail access on exercise behavior and going out-of-home would be attenuated by awareness and use of walking trails among older adults.

The risk of contact between visitors and Borrelia burgdorferi-infected ticks is associated with fine-scale landscape features in a southeastern Canadian nature park

BackgroundInfectious diseases are emerging across temperate regions of the world, and, for some, links have been made between landscapes and emergence dynamics. For tick-borne diseases, public parks may be important exposure sites for people living in urbanized areas of North America and Europe. In most cases, we know more about the ecological processes that determine the hazard posed by ticks as disease vectors than we do about how human population exposure varies in urban natural parks.MethodsIn this study, infrared counters were used to monitor visitor use of a public natural park in southern Quebec, Canada. A risk index representing the probability of encounters between humans and infected vectors was constructed. This was done by combining the intensity of visitor trail use and the density of infected nymphs obtained from field surveillance. Patterns of risk were examined using spatial cluster analysis. Digital forest data and park infrastructure data were then integrated using spatially explicit models to test whether encounter risk levels and its components vary with forest fragmentation indicators and proximity to park infrastructure.ResultsResults suggest that, even at a very fine scales, certain landscape features and infrastructure can be predictors of risk levels. Both visitors and Borrelia burgdorferi-infected ticks concentrated in areas where forest cover was dominant, so there was a positive association between forest cover and the risk index. However, there were no associations between indicators of forest fragmentation and risk levels. Some high-risk clusters contributed disproportionately to the risk distribution in the park relative to their size. There were also two high-risk periods, one in early summer coinciding with peak nymphal activity, and one in early fall when park visitation was highest.ConclusionsHere, we demonstrate the importance of integrating indicators of human behaviour visitation with tick distribution data to characterize risk patterns for tick-borne diseases in public natural areas. Indeed, understanding the environmental determinants of human-tick interactions will allow organisations to deploy more effective risk reduction interventions targeted at key locations and times, and improve the management of public health risks associated with tick-borne diseases in public spaces.

Weather effects on natural surface trail use in an urban wilderness multi-use trail system

Previous research has concluded weather conditions can influence physical activity (PA) on trails. However, these studies focused primarily on mixed-use paved surface trails. Many recreational areas use natural surface trails for mountain biking, trail running, and walking. The purpose of this study was to analyze the association between weather conditions and the use of natural surface trails for PA. In addition, this investigation sought to determine if the type of trail surface material, gravel vs. dirt, impacted PA differently by weather factors. Infrared trail counters were used to measure hourly trail use within Knoxville's Urban Wilderness in Knoxville, TN. An onsite weather station was used to obtain hourly weather variables. Negative binomial regression models were used to analyze the relationship between trail use and weather conditions. Both trail locations experienced bi-modal peaks in usage with Spring and Fall months showing the highest usage. As temperature increased, so did trail use (β = 0.115, p = 0.00); however, gravel trail use began to decrease at temperatures above 86 °F. Precipitation negatively impacted trail use on both gravel (β = −3.114, p = 0.00) and dirt (β = −2.281, p = 0.00) trails. Relative humidity and had a negative relationship with trail use on both trails. UVRI (β = −0.036) was only significantly associated with dirt trail use. The direction of the effect of weather measures on natural surface trail use is similar to previous studies on paved trails; however, the magnitude of the effect varies. Gravel trail use was more sensitive to temperature and precipitation, while relative humidity, absolute pressure, and UVRI had a greater impact on dirt trail use. The variations in the magnitude of the effect may be a function of the activity performed on the different trail surfaces. Trail surface material should be considered to fully understand the impact weather has on trail use. Management implicationsBy understanding the behaviors of natural surface trail users in response to various weather conditions, managers can adapt their trail planning (i.e., type of trail, surface material), maintenance, and funding for various projects. Managers could collect weather-related information in conjunction with trail surface conditions to inform users of more user-friendly trails during adverse weather events. This could decrease trail maintenance by shifting users to trails that can tolerate more use in poor weather. Additionally, this information would enable managers to develop programs more effectively (e.g., special events, learning clinics) and thus engage more people in outdoor recreation.

Abstract P448: Urban Trail Infrastructure and Physical Activity Levels: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Natural Experiments

Background: In response to climate change, cities across Canada are investing over $1B in new cycling infrastructure to support more active transportation. Little empirical evidence exists describing the effectiveness of adding protected cycling trails on changes in cycling or physical activity (PA) levels. Hypothesis: We hypothesized that areas with new infrastructure would experience increased PA and trail use by cyclists and pedestrians compared to areas without new infrastructure. Design and Methods: We searched CINAHL, EMBASE (Ovid), MEDLINE (Ovid), SPORTDiscus, TRD/Transportation Research Information Services (TRIS), Web of Science and Google Scholar for articles published from 2010 to 2023. We included studies with an experimental pre-post design that reported a PA outcome or trail counts for an intervention and control area. The interventions were limited to protected and/or separated bike lanes, including cycle tracks, multi-use trails, greenways, and bike lanes with concrete barriers. Our primary outcomes were individual level physical activity (PA) and trail use counts (cyclists and pedestrians). A modified risk of bias tool will be employed to assess the methodological quality of each selected study. We followed PRISMA reporting guidelines and the review was pre-registered with Prospero (CRD42023438891) Results: Three independent reviewers screened abstracts from 3936 articles, of which 58 were included in a full text review. After resolving conflicts, 28 articles describing natural experiments of new cycling infrastructure met eligibility criteria were included for data extraction. We extracted data for population characteristics in both intervention and control areas, such as socioeconomic status, mean age, race, and the percentage of females, as well as outcomes related to physical activity. 1/28 papers used accelerometer data, 12/28 used survey data, 3/28 used eco counter data, 2/28 used manual counters. Of the 15 studies that reported it, sample size ranged from 70 to 21,488. Due to high variance in data reporting style, not all studies could be meta-analyzed. We found a high risk of bias for all natural experiments studies and very few adhered to TREND reporting guidelines for quasi-experimental studies. Conclusions: Changes in built environment preliminarily appear to increase cycling and pedestrian counts. Reporting style varies too greatly across research studies for an effective meta-analysis. As a scientific community, we need to work together to follow reporting standards.

Multi-Year Monitoring of Asclepias syriaca L. Spread in the Deliblato Sands Protected Reserve in Serbia

The invasion of non-native plant species has a detrimental effect on native biodiversity. In a seven-year research project, we investigated the occurrence of the invasive species Asclepias syriaca L.in the Deliblato Sands protected area, located at a south-eastern part of the Pannonian Plain, and identified the factors that contribute significantly to its colonisation. The distribution of this invasive species was monitored on more than 300 km of the accessory, bordering and selected internal roads. A. syriaca occurs within the protected area but is much more widespread on accessory and bordering roads. The number of locations of A. syriaca increased every year of the study, even within the protected area, indicating a further spread of this species. A. syriaca is much more abundant on the north-eastern edge than in the south-west. The reason for this is most likely the much larger area of abandoned agricultural land in the north-east. Roads used for public transport are the main entry points for the further spread of A. syriaca. In contrast, recreational trail use does not enhance the spread in the Deliblato Sands natural reserve. This study can be used to further analyse the ecological dynamics of A. syriaca and to develop timely strategies by which to prevent or slow down its spread.

ІЛЕ-АЛАТАУ ҰЛТТЫҚ ПАРКІНІҢ ГЕОГРАФИЯЛЫҚ ЕРЕКШЕЛІКТЕРІ НЕГІЗІНДЕ СТУДЕНТТЕРДІҢ КӘСІБИ ҚҰЗЫРЕТТІЛІГІН ҚАЛЫПТАСТЫРУ

In this article, the development of the geographical features of the Ile-Alatau National Park by the project method is presented as one of the effective ways to form professional competencies and environmental culture of students. In a pedagogical university, this method is possible in the presence of a well-formed developing educational environment, as an opportunity to form in students (future teachers) not only the desire to learn for themselves, but also the need to teach others, discover the world for their students, develop their inclinations and abilities. The types, tasks, stages of the organization of ecological trails are studied. The objectives of the creation and use of ecological trails are considered, the method of projects is proposed as a way of forming students' professional and general cultural competencies. The educational professional-developing environment should prepare the graduate for the realities of an updated education, orientation in various educational systems, curricula, programs, textbooks, educational technologies at the level of knowledge, skills, creativity, value orientations, to form competencies and needs for independent acquisition of knowledge and skills, primarily pedagogical content. The development of ecological trails contributes to the more successful conduct of educational, scientific, research work, creates conditions for the education of an environmentally literate person, allows teachers to acquire the necessary environmental experience that contributes to the development of scientific projects of students.

Vegetation type and trail use interact to affect the magnitude and extent of recreational trail impacts on plant communities

Protected areas may prohibit large-scale deforestation and development, but still allow recreation via networks of roads and trails. Managers need to understand how the type of trail usage and the habitat the trail traverses influence the nature and extent of the trail impact. We measured the effect of trails on plant communities in a large, protected area in the southern Rocky Mountains of Alberta, Canada. We surveyed 118 transects adjacent to trails and 24 control transects at least 100 m from trails, recording the presence and abundance of all vascular plant species. We modelled changes in species richness, community composition, and the presence of exotic species as a function of trail type, vegetation type, and the distance from the trail edge. Overall, species richness increased with proximity to trails and community composition shifted significantly, with a greater likelihood of exotic species presence closer to trails. Heightened species richness and greater probability of exotic species presence extended a greater distance from off-highway vehicle trails than from footpaths, but only in shrubland and mixed forest vegetation. In addition, exotic species at higher elevations were most often associated with off-highway vehicle trails. Our study shows that the magnitude and extent of trail impacts on plant communities varies depending on trail type, vegetation type, and sometimes interactions between the two. The high frequency and intensity of off-highway vehicle trail use likely increases both propagule pressure and the severity of disturbance, while vegetation type determines light availability and hence invasibility. Managers can use this information to prioritize trail areas for exotic species monitoring and restrict high-intensity off-highway vehicle trails to less sensitive vegetation types at lower elevations.

Differential response of three large mammal species to human recreation in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, USA

Outdoor recreation benefits local economies, environmental education, and public health and wellbeing, but it can also adversely affect local ecosystems. Human presence in natural areas alters feeding and reproductive behaviors, physiology, and population structure in many wildlife species, often resulting in cascading effects through entire ecological communities. As outdoor recreation gains popularity, existing trails are becoming overcrowded and new trails are being built to accommodate increasing use. Many recreation impact studies have investigated effects of the presence or absence of humans while few have investigated recreation effects on wildlife using a gradient of disturbance intensity. We used camera traps to quantify trail use by humans and mid- to large-sized mammals in an area of intense outdoor recreation–the Upper East River Valley, Colorado, USA. We selected five trails with different types and intensities of human use and deployed six cameras on each trail for five weeks during a COVID-enhanced 2020 summer tourism season. We used occupancy models to estimate detectability and habitat use of the three most common mammal species in the study area and determined which human activities affect the habitat use patterns of each species. Human activities affected each species differently. Mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) tended to use areas with more vehicles, more predators, and greater distances from the trailhead, and they were more likely to be detected where there were more bikers. Coyotes (Canis latrans) and red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) were most likely to use areas where their prey species occurred, and foxes were more likely to be detected where the vegetation was shorter. Humans and their recreational activities differentially influence different species. More generally, these results reinforce that it is unlikely that a single management policy is suitable for all species and management should thus be tailored for each target species.

Visitation patterns in a peri-urban natural park: Comparing mountain bikers, runners, walkers and hikers

Urban natural parks are popular destinations for activities such as short walks, longer hikes, mountain biking and running. But how does visitation for these activities vary, and how can information about visitation patterns facilitate management by enhancing social and environmental benefits? Employing a case study approach, we compared the four activities in Serra de Collserola Natural Park, a large popular park close to Barcelona in Spain. When 1788 visitors were surveyed and data analysed using Categorical Principal Components Analysis and Chi-squared tests, clear differences were found in sociodemographics (age, gender, occupation, educational level and where people lived), visitation patterns (frequency, means of transport, group size and composition, when visited, length of visit, and trail use), motivations (active, relaxation, nature, landscapes, socializing, time with family, etc.), and environmental and social impacts, including conflicts among user groups and crowding. This diversity in visitation highlights ways in which management could be better tailored to specific cohorts of visitors. For this specific park it highlighted issues with concentrated use (more resources needed on weekends), how equity of use could be enhanced (promoting running and biking for women), and how conflict could be reduced (by spatial segregation for faster and slower activities). Future surveys could examine emerging issues associated with changes in use since COVID-19, facilities for aging populations, and the spread of e-bikes among others.

Structural Equation Modeling Analysis of Factors Affecting the Loyalty of Forest Trail Users

Background and objective: With the increasing public awareness of health due to COVID-19 and the quality of life, people have come to prefer natural spaces with fewer crowds. Public use of forest trails is increasing as a place that satisfies the demand for such natural spaces. As a result, the basic plans for trails and mountaineering support were established, and there has been government-level support such as the establishment of the Korea Mountaineering Support Center, which resulted in a quantitative and qualitative increase in the use of forest trails. Accordingly, efforts must be made to ensure satisfaction and loyalty in using forest trails.Methods: Therefore, this study identified the factors affecting the overall satisfaction and loyalty toward forest trails through structural equation modeling. As for the research data, we used data from the Fact-finding Survey on Forest Welfare Facility Users to analyze the use of forest trails.Results: As a result, safety and comfort, kindness, travel time, and program experience variety had a significant effect directly and indirectly on overall satisfaction and loyalty. Safety and comfort affected personal activity experience variety, while kindness affected program experience variety. For travel time, the direct effect on loyalty showed a positive correlation, but the indirect effect showed a negative correlation.Conclusion: These results showed that safety should be considered a top priority on forest trails, and that long travel time to forest trails could be a factor that increases loyalty by offering various programs. In addition, loyalty has a multifaceted correlation between several factors, suggesting that it is necessary to consider not only direct effects but also indirect effects.

Forecasting daily foot traffic in recreational trails using machine learning

This paper discusses weather factors that may affect the level of visitation at recreational walking trails and provides insights into how specific factors (wind, rain etc.) can influence visitation. The quantity of visitors received affects trail management strategies, as there are often damaging effects attributed to the excessive visitation of natural areas. Therefore, accurate forecasting can inform trail management plans. Trail partners have expressed a demand for a system that can deliver qualitative insights to inform trail management while also providing accurate visitor forecasts. This study applied the approach, utilising Machine Learning and historic footfall data from electronic people-counting sensors alongside weather data; our model is a first in the introduction of Tourism Climate Indexes into forecasting models. Factors influencing visitation levels at three walking trails across the Atlantic Area of Europe were discussed. The results highlight that the model predicts trail use with satisfactory accuracy to inform adaptive management frameworks measuring visitor experience indicators. Management implications•Environmental monitoring can gather insights into the situational factors that affect visitation levels on their trails, or if there are other contributing factors aside from weather data that could be investigated.•Trail-related recreation operators can formulate and develop strategies and plans to prevent the occurrence of tourist crowding or congestion in periods of high demand and increase trail visitor arrivals in low demand.•Trail managers can develop new service that will attract visitors under different weather conditions such as shelters, indoor museums, tents that hosts visitors during rainy or sunny days.•Trail managers can prepare for a lower trail visitation demand through marketing and offering alternative recreational activities.

Increased Trail Use Sustained In Appalachia Following Pandemic - Analysis Of Physical Activity From 2017-2022

Increased Trail Use Sustained In Appalachia Following Pandemic - Analysis Of Physical Activity From 2017-2022

Estimating encounter probabilities among recreational trail user groups.

We provide managers of recreational trail systems with a quantitative, objective, and noninvasive method to monitor activity among trail user groups. This method can be altered both spatially and temporally to fit any recreational trail system's research questions. These questions may involve congestion, trail carrying capacity, or user group and wildlife encounters. Our method advances current knowledge of trail use dynamics by quantifying the extent of activity overlap between different user groups that may be prone to conflict. Managers can use this information to incorporate relevant management strategies to mitigate congestion and conflict for their own recreational trail system.

Spatio-temporal patterns of co-occurrence of tigers and leopards within a protected area in central India

Abstract. The global decline of large carnivore populations warrants scientific insights into intraguild relationships. Patterns of co-occurrence among sympatric predators are governed by their density, distribution, diet, activity overlaps, and behavioural strategies. Tigers are sympatric with leopards across their distribution range, overlap substantially in their diet, and are both nocturnal. The subdominant leopard is believed to coexist with tigers via several mechanisms like spatial segregation, temporal avoidance, and differential prey selection. Investigation of spatio-temporal patterns of co-occurrence of tigers and leopards can provide insights on mechanisms that permit coexistence. We used camera trap-based photo captures of tigers and leopards in prey-rich (58.15±10.61 ungulates per km2) Pench Tiger Reserve to determine their spatio-temporal patterns of co-occurrence. Spatially explicit density estimates of tigers were approximately 5 per 100 km2 and leopards were approximately 4.5 per 100 km2 and remained stable over the years. This implies that both these co-predators are likely to attain carrying capacity within the study area. Areas with high tiger density had lower leopard density. Quantile regression analysis between tiger and leopard density at 2×2 km grid showed that leopard density had a parabolic relationship with tiger density, initially increasing with tigers (β=0.393; p=0.001), stable at medium tiger density (β=0.13 and p=0.15), and declining at high tiger densities (β=-0.37 and p&lt;0.001). Both tigers and leopards were crepuscular in nature with no temporal segregation (Δ=89 %). Time lag of consecutive leopard photograph after a tiger capture ranged between 0.002 to 36.29 d. Leopard use of trails was not related to use by tigers. Our results suggest that leopards adjust their usage of space at fine scales to avoid confrontations with tigers. We also observed high temporal overlap and no spatio-temporal segregation between tigers and leopards, despite the two predators being nocturnal and having similar prey choices. The availability of ample prey within the study area is likely to be the driving factor of the co-occurrence of tigers and leopards within this dry deciduous habitat of central India.

Liberating trails and travel routes in Gitxsan and Wet'suwet'en Territories from the tyrannies of heritage resource management regimes

Liberating trails and travel routes in Gitxsan and Wet'suwet'en Territories from the tyrannies of heritage resource management regimes