Great Smoky Mountains National Park Backcountry Visitor Survey

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Great Smoky Mountains National Park Backcountry Visitor Survey Log
Date: _________________

Name: _________________________

Sampling Start Time: ______________ Sampling End Time: _____________
Participated?
(Y or N)

Time

Group
Size

Group
Type*

Survey ID #
Refusal = “NA”

Language Barrier?
(Y or N)

Sounds Present During
Audio Clips**

*1 = day hiker; 2 = overnight backpacker
**1 = aircraft; 2 = motor vehicle; 3 = other mechanical noise; 4 = voices of other visitors; Blank = natural ambient only

OMB # XXXX-XXXX (NPS #XX-XXX)
Expiration Date: XX/XX/XXXX

Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Backcountry Visitor Survey
2009

ID: ___________________

Location: ________________

Date: _________________

Time: ____________AM / PM

A. Trip Description

1. How many people are in your group today? [1.GR3]
Group size: __________
2. Which of the following best describes the hike you are just now completing?
(Check one box.)

Day hike

Overnight backpacking trip

Topic Area 2 – Trip/Visit Characteristics
3. Approximately how much time did you spend hiking today?
Approximate amount of time hiking today: __________ (Minutes)

Topic Area 2 – Trip/Visit Characteristics
4. Have you ever day hiked and/or backpacked in the Cosby area of Great Smoky
Mountains National Park before? (Check all that apply.)

Yes, day hiked previously (CONTINUE TO QUESTION 5)

Yes, overnight backpacked previously (CONTINUE TO QUESTION 5)

No (SKIP TO QUESTION 6)

Topic Area 1 – Individual Characteristics
5. Including this hike, approximately how many times have you hiked in the Cosby area of
the park?
Total # of day hikes and backpacking trips: _______

OR

Don’t know/Not sure

Topic Area 1 – Individual Characteristics

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B. Visitor Experience

6. The following is a list of characteristics commonly associated with backcountry and
wilderness areas. Please indicate how important each of the items listed below was to you as
a reason to use the trails in the park today. (Check one for each item.) [4.PREF2]
Not
Slightly Moderately
Very
Extremely
important important important important important
Experience a pristine natural
environment

Experience solitude

Experience sounds of nature
and natural quiet

Experience a sense of
connection with others in
your group

Experience a sense of
remoteness

Experience a sense of
connection with nature

Experience a sense of
spiritual uplift

Avoid more crowded areas
of the park.

Don’t
Know/ Not
Sure
DK/NS
DK/NS
DK/NS

DK/NS
DK/NS
DK/NS

DK/NS

DK/NS

7. While you were hiking today, did you have the sense of being in wilderness? (Check one
box.)
Very much
Somewhat
Slightly
Not at all (SKIP TO QUESTION 9)
Topic Area 6 – Individual Perceptions of their Park Experiences

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8. While you were hiking today, what specifically contributed to your sense of being in
wilderness?
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
Topic Area 6 – Individual Perceptions of their Park Experiences
9. While you were hiking today, what specifically detracted from your sense of
being in wilderness?
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
Topic Area 6 – Individual Perceptions of their Park Experiences

10. Please indicate the degree to which you experienced solitude while you were hiking
today? (Circle one number.) [5.CROWD14]

1

2

3
4
Somewhat

Not at all

5

6
7
Moderately

8
9
Extremely

C. The Park Soundscape

11. We would like you to listen to several short recordings of sounds from this part of
Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Please rate each recording by indicating how
appropriate you would find the sounds heard in the audio clip during a hike in this area
of the park. Also, please indicate how similar each recording is to the sounds you
experienced during your hike today.
A. (Circle one number after listening to Recording 1.) [5.VERP7]
Very
Inappropriate
-4

Very
Appropriate

Recording 1
-3

-2

-1

0

+1

+2

+3

+4

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B. Recording 1 sounds similar to what I heard during most of my hike today.
(Check one box.)
Strongly agree
Agree
Neither agree nor disagree
Disagree
Strongly disagree
Topic Area 6 – Individual Perceptions of their Park Experiences

ASK THE SURVEY ATTENDANT TO ADVANCE YOUR PLAYER TO THE NEXT
RECORDING.
A. (Circle one number after listening to Recording 2.) [5.VERP7]
Very
Inappropriate
-4

Very
Appropriate

Recording 2
-3

-2

-1

0

+1

+2

+3

+4

B. Recording 2 sounds similar to what I heard during most of my hike today.
(Check one box.)
Strongly agree
Agree
Neither agree nor disagree
Disagree
Strongly disagree
Topic Area 6 – Individual Perceptions of their Park Experiences

ASK THE SURVEY ATTENDANT TO ADVANCE YOUR PLAYER TO THE NEXT
RECORDING.

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A. (Circle one number after listening to Recording 3.) [5.VERP7]
Very
Inappropriate
-4

Very
Appropriate

Recording 3
-3

-2

-1

0

+1

+2

+3

+4

B. Recording 3 sounds similar to what I heard during most of my hike today.
(Check one box.)
Strongly agree
Agree
Neither agree nor disagree
Disagree
Strongly disagree
Topic Area 6 – Individual Perceptions of their Park Experiences
ASK THE SURVEY ATTENDANT TO ADVANCE YOUR PLAYER TO THE NEXT
RECORDING.

A. (Circle one number after listening to Recording 4.) [5.VERP7]
Very
Inappropriate
-4

Very
Appropriate

Recording 4
-3

-2

-1

0

+1

+2

+3

+4

B. Recording 4 sounds similar to what I heard during most of my hike today.
(Check one box.)
Strongly agree
Agree
Neither agree nor disagree
Disagree
Strongly disagree
Topic Area 6 – Individual Perceptions of their Park Experiences
ASK THE SURVEY ATTENDANT TO ADVANCE YOUR PLAYER TO THE NEXT
RECORDING.

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A. (Circle one number after listening to Recording 5.) [5.VERP7]
Very
Inappropriate
-4

Very
Appropriate

Recording 5
-3

-2

-1

0

+1

+2

+3

+4

B. Recording 5 sounds similar to what I heard during most of my hike today.
(Check one box.)
Strongly agree
Agree
Neither agree nor disagree
Disagree
Strongly disagree
Topic Area 6 – Individual Perceptions of their Park Experiences

YOU HAVE COMPLETED THIS PORTION OF YOUR LISTENING SESSION.
CONTINUE TO THE NEXT PAGE.

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12a. Did you deliberately do any of the following during your hike today to limit the
amount of noise you made in the park? (Check one box for each item.)
Yes

No

I limited the amount of talking I did.

Not
Applicable

I talked in a low voice.
I turned off my cell phone so that it would not
make noise that other hikers could hear.
I turned off my portable music player (e.g., IPod) so
that it would not make noise that other hikers could
hear.

I turned off my portable music player (e.g., IPod) so
that I could hear natural sounds in the park.

Topic Area 3 – Individual Activities and Uses of Park Resources
12b. Did you deliberately do anything else during your hike today to limit the amount
of noise you made in the park? (Check one box.)
Yes (please specify):_________________________________________________
No
Topic Area 3 – Individual Activities and Uses of Park Resources
13a. Did you notice any sounds caused by other visitors during your hike today? (Check
one box.)
Yes
No (SKIP TO QUESTION 14a)
Topic Area 6 – Individual Perceptions of their Park Experiences
13b. Did any of the sounds caused by other visitors bother you? (Check one box.)
Yes (please specify):_________________________________________________
No
Topic Area 6 – Individual Perceptions of their Park Experiences

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14a. Did you hear any mechanical sounds (e.g., aircraft, motor vehicles, personal
electronics, etc.) during your hike today? (Check one box.)
Yes (please specify):_________________________________________________
No (SKIP TO QUESTION 15)
Don’t know/Not sure
Topic Area 6 – Individual Perceptions of their Park Experiences
14b. Did any of the mechanical sounds you heard bother you? (Check one box.)
Yes (please specify):_________________________________________________
No
Topic Area 6 – Individual Perceptions of their Park Experiences

15. About how many other hiking groups did you see during your hike today?
[5.CROWD15]
# of hiking groups seen today:______
- OR Did not see any hiking groups today
- OR Don’t know/Not sure
D. Background Information

16. Have you ever participated in an official low-impact practices training or workshop
(e.g., Leave No Trace training)? (Check one box.) [1.LNT2]
Yes
No
17. How familiar are you with the purposes and characteristics of federally designated
Wilderness areas? (Check one box.) [1.KNOW9]
Not at all familiar
Somewhat familiar
Very familiar
Extremely familiar

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18. Did you know that you can download and listen to National Park podcasts from the
internet? (Check one box.)
Yes (CONTINUE TO QUESTION 19)
No (SKIP TO QUESTION 20)
I don’t not know what a podcast is (SKIP TO QUESTION 20)
Topic Area 1 – Individual Characteristics
19. Have you ever downloaded and listened to a National Park podcast from the internet?
(Check all that apply.)
Yes, a Great Smoky Mountains National Park podcast
Yes, another national park podcast
No
Topic Area 1 – Individual Characteristics
20. Do you ever listen to music or other audio on a portable audio player (e.g., IPod) while
you are hiking? (Check one box.)
Yes, I enjoy doing this on most hikes
Yes, I enjoy doing this occasionally
No, I do not listen to music/audio while hiking
Topic Area 1 – Individual Characteristics
21. What is your gender? (Check one box.) [1.GEND2]
Male
Female
22. In what year were you born? [1.AGE1]
Year born:___________
23.

Do you live in the United States? (Check one box.) [1.RES3]
Yes (What is your zip code? __________)
No (What country do you live in? ______________________________)

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24. What is the highest level of formal education you have completed? (Check one box.)
[1.ED2]

Some high school
High school graduate or GED
Some college, business or trade school
College, business or trade school graduate
Some graduate school
Master’s, doctoral or professional degree

25. Are you Hispanic or Latino? (Check one box.) [1.RACE/ETH2]
Yes
No
26. What is your race? (Check all that apply.) [1.RACE/ETH3]

American Indian or Alaska Native
Asian
Black or African American
Native Hawaiian
Pacific Islander other than Native Hawaiian
White

Thank you for your help with this survey!
PRIVACY ACT and PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT statement: 16 U.S.C. 1a-7 authorizes
collection of this information. This information will be used by park managers to better serve the
public. Response to this request is voluntary. No action may be taken against you for refusing to supply
the information requested. The permanent data will be anonymous. An agency may not conduct or
sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a
currently valid OMB control number. BURDEN ESTIMATE statement: Public reporting burden for
this form is estimated to average 15 minutes per response. Direct comments regarding the burden
estimate or any other aspect of this form to:
Kurt Fristrup
National Park Service
1201 Oakridge Drive, Suite 100
Fort Collins, CO 80525-5596
[email protected]

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