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Abstract
An exploratory study examining the relationships between visitor satisfaction, perceived crowding, and expected crowding was conducted using both quantitative and qualitative methods. The study sample consisted of non-motorized watercraft users in two adjacent popular canoe areas in New York State's Adirondack Forest Preserve: the Saint Regis Canoe Area (SRCA) and the Saranac Lakes Wild Forest (SLWF). The SRCA is managed essentially as a non-motorized wilderness area with no road access, while the SLWF allows for some motorized recreation and is easily accessible. A total of 80 questionnaires and 36 questionnaires combined with interviews were collected during weekends in June, July and August 2001. Nineteen percent were day visitors; 81% camped at least one night. Overall satisfaction levels were very high; 67% reported that they were very satisfied, 33% reported that they were satisfied, and none reported that they were neutral, dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied. Compared to visitors who reported being satisfied, those who reported being very satisfied expected and experienced significantly less crowding. Of those interviewed, six categories or "families" of responses (social contact within party, social contact outside party, beauty and aesthetics, unanticipated or uncontrollable elements, management considerations, and elements of nature) were identified in over three-quarters of the interview sample, and were judged to be the most salient contributors to visitor satisfaction.
Parent Publication
Citation
Pfaffenbach, Becky J.; Zinn, Harry C.; Dawson, Chad P. 2003. Exploring satisfaction among paddlers in two Adirondack canoeing areas. 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. 222-228
