Abstract
Recreation indicators and standards of quality may be influenced by: 1) the popularity (or overall use level) of a recreation area and 2) the time of day that an individual chooses to visit a popular site. To examine these connections, data were collected via on-site self-administered surveys at several "high"- and "low"-use sites in Acadia National Park in Maine. Comparisons by location and time were made for several indicator variables, including size of group, length of stay, and number of previous visits, perceptions of crowding at the location, perceptions of problems, and opinions about the park as a whole. Visitor standards for encounters at peak and nonpeak times were also compared. The number of significant differences in indicator variables suggests that recreationists at low- and high-use sites during nonpeak times have different recreation experiences from their peak time counterparts at high-use sites.
Parent Publication
Citation
Anderson, Laura E.; Manning, Robert E.; Valliere, William A. 2009. Indicators and standards of quality across space and time, as reflected in a study in Acadian National Park, Maine. In: Klenosky, David B.; Fisher, Cherie LeBlanc, eds. Proceedings of the 2008 Northeastern Recreation Research Symposium; 2008 March 30 - April 1; Bolton Landing, NY. Gen. Tech. Rep. NRS-P-42. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station: 130-138.
