Cole, David N.; Watson, Alan E.; Hall, Troy E.; Spildie, David R. 1997. High-use destinations in wilderness: social and biophysical impacts, visitor responses, and management options. Res. Pap. INT-RP-496. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station. 30 p.

Recreation impacts at high-use destinations are often severe and widespread, and visitors to these places frequently encounter other visitors. Thus, managers often struggle with decisions about when and how to regulate use at high-use destinations. Authors of a recent publication, High-Use Destinations in Wilderness: Social and Biophysical Impacts, Visitor Responses, and Management Options (Cole et al. 1997), analyzed six high-use destinations in three of Oregon and Washington's National Forest Wilderness areas as case studies. Their objectives were to describe high-use area visitors, document current physical and social conditions, and discuss the likely costs and benefits of alternative management approaches. Authors quantified current recreation impacts on maintained trails, social trails, campsites, and lakeshores. They also conducted exit interviews with visitors to describe visitors and to quantify visitor encounter rates, responses to encounters, and management preferences.

Although resource impacts were substantial, they were highly localized and less pronounced than impacts reported for many wildernesses with lower use levels. Encounter rates during this study were high, exceeding those preferred by most visitors; however, most visitors reported the number of people encountered did not detract from their enjoyment as much as physical impacts, such as litter, vegetation loss, horse manure, and human waste. While 10-23 percent of those interviewed supported reducing current use levels, most supported site management approaches such as trail/site closures, revegetation programs, and visitor education to control impacts. Although visitors were diverse, the typical visitor interviewed was an experienced wilderness user who received greater satisfaction from visiting wilderness than other recreation areas, expressed commitment to wilderness, and was exploring this area because (s)he lived in a local urban area. Authors of this publication explored the costs and benefits of using visitor education, use reduction, and intensive site management programs to reduce recreation use impacts. They emphasized the need for managers considering use-reduction programs to address the impacts of displacing visitors to other wilderness and nonwilderness lands.