Managing Outdoor Recreation, 2nd Edition

Information/Education

• Promote alternative roads/parking areas (e.g. within park, other parks)
• Promote alternative times to use roads/parking areas (e.g. hours, days, seasons)
• Inform visitors of current impacts/conditions on trails (e.g. traffic congestion, lack of parking) on roads/parking areas

Rationing/Allocation

• Set capacity (for roads/parking areas) and allocate access by reservation system
• Set capacity (for roads/parking areas) and allocate access by queuing system
• Set capacity (for roads/parking areas) and allocate access by fee system
• Set capacity (for roads/parking areas) and allocate access by lottery system
• Set capacity (for roads/parking areas) and allocate access by merit system
• Implement differential fee system (e.g. temporally, spatially)

Rules/Regulations

• Set capacity (for roads/parking areas) and require a use permit
• Require a reservation for entry/use
• Require a fee for entry/use
• Require special knowledge/skills for entry/use
• Implement a maximum length of stay
• Limit group size
• Close roads/parking areas (e.g. temporally, seasonally, permanently)

Law Enforcement

• Establish presence of a uniformed ranger
• Require visitors to show a use permit
• Sanction (e.g. fine) visitors for unauthorized use

Zoning

• Zone roads/parking areas for lower use
• Zone roads/parking areas for no use

Facility Development/Site Design/Maintenance

• Set capacity (for road/parking areas) and design visitor facilities (e.g. parking lots) and services accordingly
• Make access to road/parking areas more difficult (e.g. lower standard roads, trails, transit)
• Improve access (e.g. higher standard roads, trails, transit) to alternative roads/parking areas (within park, other parks)

Information/Education

• Inform visitors of the range of recreation areas and opportunities available
• Promote use of low-use areas

Rationing/Allocation

• Not applicable

Rules/Regulations

• Extend time that area is open to visitor use (hours, days, seasons)

Law Enforcement

• Not applicable

Zoning

• Zone alternative areas for higher use

Facility Development/Site Design/Maintenance

• Improve attractions, facilities, services in alternative areas
• Develop attractions, facilities, services in new areas
• Improve access to new/alternative areas

Information/Education

• Promote (e.g. ITS) alternative roads/parking lots (e.g. within park, other parks) to disperse use
• Promote (e.g. ITS) alternative times to use roads/parking lots (e.g. hours, days, seasons) to disperse use
• Promote (e.g. ITS) resistant/hardened roads/parking lots to concentrate use
• Inform visitors (e.g. ITS) of current impacts/conditions (e.g. resource impact, congestion, lack of available parking)
• Inform visitors (e.g. ITS) of acceptable and unacceptable recreation activities (e.g. no oversize vehicles)
• Inform visitors (e.g. ITS) of acceptable and unacceptable behavior (e.g. respect speed limit, no unauthorized parking)
• Educate visitors about why selected activities/behaviors are unacceptable (e.g. oversize vehicles cause excessive congestion, speeding endangers wildlife, unauthorized parking damages fragile soil and vegetation)
• Promote (e.g. ITS) alternative transportation/public transit (e.g. biking, shuttle buses)
• Educate visitors about advantages of alternative transportation/public transit (e.g. less congestion, less environmental impact, more convenient)

Rationing/Allocation

• Not applicable

Rules/Regulations

• Prohibit high-impact uses (e.g. oversize vehicles, private vehicles)
• Prohibit high-impact behavior (e.g. no speeding, no unauthorized parking)
• Implement a maximum length of stay in parking lots

Law Enforcement

• Establish presence of a uniformed ranger
• Sanction (e.g. warn, fine) visitors for inappropriate use/behavior (e.g. oversize vehicles, speeding, unauthorized parking)

Zoning

• Zone area for low-impact uses only (e.g. passenger cars only, public transit)
• Separate conflicting activities by spatial zoning (e.g. separate travel lane for bicycles)
• Separate conflicting activities by temporal zoning (hours, days, seasons) (e.g. road closed to private vehicles and open to biking during selected hours)

Facility Development/Site Design/Maintenance

• Provide facilities/services for low impact uses only (e.g. public transit)
• Locate roads/parking lots on impact-resistant sites (e.g. impact resistant soils and vegetation, away from wildlife habitat)
• Design roads/parking lots to minimize impact (e.g. locate roads in non-sensitive resource areas)
• Maintain roads/parking lots to minimize impact (e.g. maintain the integrity of fencing around parking areas)

Information/Education

• Inform visitors of current conditions (i.e. resource degradation, congestion on roads and at parking lots)

Rationing/Allocation

• Not applicable

Rules/Regulations

• Not applicable

Law Enforcement

• Not applicable

Zoning

• Not applicable

Facility Development/Site Design/Maintenance

• Locate roads/parking lots in durable areas (e.g. soils that are resistant to compaction and erosion)
• Develop facilities to “shield” fragile resources
• Design roads/parking lots to concentrate use on naturally resistant or hardened areas
• Maintain or rehabilitate impacted roads/parking lots
• Close and rehabilitate impacted roads/parking lots
• Maintain/repair damage to impacted roads/parking lots
• Clean/maintain roads/parking lots regularly