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Abstract
The New River Gorge National River has become a major destination for sport climbers in the eastern U.S. A new climbing management plan is being developed for the site. This study examined the satisfaction levels of climbers with some of the easily managed facilities at climbing sites and looked at attributes of the social setting preferred by climbers. Climbers at the NRG were found to place a low level of importance on most recreation site facilities and believed that the National Park Service performed well in providing these facilities. The climbers in the sample were also very tolerant of social behavior and crowds at the climbing sites unless those crowds increased the wait for access to a climbing route.
Parent Publication
Citation
Ramthun, Roy; Blake, Andy. 2003. Exploring quality standards for New River Gorge climbing sites: establishing a baseline for the future. In: Schuster, Rudy, comp., ed. Proceedings of the 2002 Northeastern Recreation Research Symposium. Gen. Tech. Rep. NE-302. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Research Station. 87-89
