• Rocky Mountain Research Station
• 240 West Prospect
• Fort Collins, CO 80526
• (970) 498-1100

Describing Wilderness Experiences for Backcountry Visitors in Denali National Park, Alaska

The Ruth Amphitheater, Kahiltna Base Camp, and the Pika, Buckskin, and Eldridge Glaciers in Denali National Park and Preserve have exceptional scenic values, provide access to some world renowned climbing destinations, and are the primary destination for air taxis and scenic airplane tours in the Park. Recreational visitation to these areas has grown dramatically in recent years. For example, scenic landings in the Ruth Amphitheater increased from 220 in 1991 to 1,800 in 2001. The number of climbers on Mount McKinley has doubled in the last 25 years with 659 attempts to summit in 1980 and 1,340 in 2006. This study provides information to: 1) assist park managers understand the factors influencing visitor experiences at these backcountry sites, and 2) support selection of management actions that reduce user conflicts and improve visitor experiences in these high use, but remote areas.

Qualitative interviews with dayusers, skiers, mountain climbers and air taxi operators provided substantial insight into some of the dimensions of experiences the Park managers may want to try to protect. A follow-up quantitative survey of day and overnight users allowed further refinement of definitions of these experience elements and understand some of the things that influence them. For example, about 30 percent of the day users indicated that the number of planes on the glacier they landed on did not matter to them, and just under half said that the number of planes passing overhead did not matter to them. Almost half indicated that the number of large dayuse groups on the glacier did not matter to them. About 29 percent of multi-day users felt that other climbing groups had a negative influence on their experiences - about the same number who felt that the number of aircraft passing overhead had a negative influence on them. About one-fifth thought the number of people camped by them, either away from the landing area or at the landing area, had a negative influence on their experiences. Less than half reported having negative aspects of the experience attributable to the numbers of climbers or flightseers they saw at the base camp landing area.The air taxi operators tended to have a positive influence on 84 percent of multi-day visitor experiences, 77 percent felt the members of their group improved their visit, and around two-thirds tended to evaluate interaction with management as a positive aspect of their experience.

In research, we increased our understanding of not only who the visitors are, but also who the pilots are that provide access to backcountry glaciers for both day and multi-day users. We also learned a great deal about the experiences day users and multi-day users receive while in the backcountry, as well as greater understanding of the things that influence those experiences. Through this research we are also better able to understand how people respond to some specific things we expect them to encounter in the backcountry, and their reaction to possible management actions to address human impacts there.

References

Denali National Park and Preserve: A Different Kind of Wilderness. A special issue of the International Journal of Wilderness 11(2). Executive Editor: Alan Watson