Visitor Use Survey for Alternative Sites to the Bear Lake Road Corridor (ROMO)

Rocky Mountain National Park Survey

2013

[INSERT SPECIFIC LOCATION HERE]

Hidden Valley, Deer Ridge Junction, Alluvial Fan,

Lumpy Ridge Trailhead, or Sprague Lake

ID: ________

Location ([INSERT SPECIFIC LOCATION HERE]):____________________

Date: ______________ Time: ___________AM/PM

OMB Control Number: 1024-0224

Expiration Date: 8-31-2014

NOTE TO OMB REVIEWERS: For the purposes of this review and submission the justifications for each question or section of questions is highlighted in a shaded text box above each question. These text boxes will not be printed on the final version of the surveys. The Topic Areas noted are consistent with the currently approved pool questions for the NPS Programmatic Review Process (1024-0224 – Current Expiration Date: 8-31-2014). The questions that are slight variations are denoted as such. Any questions that are outside the general scope of the programmatic review process have been carefully discussed and generally approved by the NPS Information Collection Review Coordinator with understanding that that those questions will require further review and consideration by OMB before full determination and approval can be granted.

SECTION I. YOUR TRIP CHARACTERISTICS

The purpose for the upcoming set of questions is to gain a good understanding of what factors determined your decision to visit [INSERT SPECIFIC LOCATION HERE] today.

TOPIC AREA 1 - VISITHIS2a
1.	Have you visited [INSERT SPECIFIC LOCATION HERE] before today? (Check one.)
		Yes (CONTINUE TO QUESTION 2)
		No (SKIP TO QUESTION 3)
		Did Not Use

TOPIC AREA 1: VISITHIS2b
2.	How many times have you visited [INSERT SPECIFIC LOCATION HERE], including this visit?
		______ Number of visits
		Don’t know/Not sure

TOPIC AREA 1: GR3
3.	How many people are in your [personal, organized, tour] group, including you?
		____ Total Number of people
		____Number of Adults (18 years and older)
		____Number of Children (17 years and younger)

TOPIC AREA 3: TRIP BEHAVIORS – TRIPC3a
4.	On this trip, did you and your personal group stay overnight away from your permanent residence either inside Rocky Mountain National Park or within the nearby area (within 1-hour drive)?(Check one.)
		Yes (CONTINUE TO QUESTION 6)
		No (SKIP TO QUESTION 7)

TOPIC AREA 3: TRIP BEHAVIORS – TRIPC3b
5.	Please list the number of nights you and your personal group will have stayed in Rocky Mountain National Park and in the area (within 1 – hour drive)
		____ Number of nights inside the park
		____ Number of nights in the area outside the park

TOPIC AREA 3: TRIPC17 (Variation)

6.

When did you arrive and when do you plan to depart [INSERT SPECIFIC LOCATION HERE] (for the time, please specify AM or PM)

Arrival				Estimated Departure
Date		Time (AM / PM)		Date		Time (AM / PM)

TOPIC AREA 3: ACT1c
7.		On this visit to [INSERT SPECIFIC LOCATION HERE], in which activities did you and your personal group participate? (Check all that apply)
		Picnicking
		Hiking
		Jr. Ranger Program / Visit Contact Station
		Other: (please specify)__________________________________

TOPIC AREA 3: TRIPC12
8a.		On this visit to [INSERT SPECIFIC LOCATION HERE],, did you and your personal group have any difficulties locating the site? Check one.)
		Yes (CONTINUE TO QUESTION 8b)
		No (SKIP TO QUESTION 9)

TOPIC AREA 3: TRIPC13
8b.		What was problem?
		Response:

TOPIC AREA 3: TRIPC41 (Variation)
9a.		I visited, or plan to visit Bear Lake on this visit to Rocky Mountain National Park. (Check one.)
		Yes
		No
		Not sure
TOPIC AREA 3: TRIPC41 (Variation)
9b.		I entered the park on this visit at: (Check one.)
		Beaver Meadows Entrance Station
		Fall River Entrance Station
		Grand Lake Entrance Station
		East Portal
		Other: (please specify)__________________________________

SECTION II. PARK INFORMATION AND SERVICES

The next set of questions is to gain a better understanding of the features you utilize while you are at the park.

TOPIC AREA 2: TPLAN1
10.	Prior to this visit, how did you and your personal group obtain information [INSERT SPECIFIC LOCATION HERE]? (Check all that apply.)
		Obtained no information prior to visit
		Live in local area
		Website
		At Visitor Center At Local Hotel NPS Ranger or Employee Friends/Family
		Other: (please specify)__________________________________

TOPIC AREA 3: TRIP31b
11.		On this visit to Rocky Mountain National Park, did you and your personal group use any of the following electronic devices to obtain park information (Check one.)
		None
		Laptop computer
		Cell phone
		MP3/MP4 player (audio tour)
		Other portable electronic device (iPhone, Blackberry, PDA, etc.)
		Handheld Global Positioning System receiver (navigation)

TOPIC AREA 3: TRIP31c
12.		If you did use one of the devices to obtain park information, what park information did you obtain using these devices?
		Response:

TOPIC AREA 6: EVALTRAN4

13.

How important are the following features for a transit (bus) service within Rocky Mountain National Park?

Feature	Not At All Important	Slightly Important	Moderately Important	Very Important	Extremely Important
On-time Service					
Number of Stops					
Frequency of Service					
Ability to Access Trailhead					
Ability to Bring Gear with me					
Knowledge of Driver					
Green Technology					

TOPIC AREA 6: EVALTRAN2
14.	Overall, what is your attitude toward the use of a shuttle service for visitor travel once inside U.S. National Parks?
		Very Favorable
		Favorable
		Neither favorable nor unfavorable
		Unfavorable
		Very Unfavorable

SECTION III. YOUR EXPERIENCE AT

INSERT SPECIFIC LOCATION HERE] TODAY

The next set of questions is to gain a better understanding of the experience you had today at [INSERT SPECIFIC LOCATION HERE]

TOPIC AREA 5: CROWD2
15.	On this visit to [INSERT SPECIFIC LOCATION HERE], please rate how crowded you and your personal group felt by the number of people present at the following locations. Please select only one answer for each place

LOCATION /AREA			Not At All Crowded	Slightly Crowded	Moderately Crowded	Very Crowded	Extremely Crowded	Did Not Use/ Not Applicable
Parking area (All surveys)			1	2	3	4	5	
Trail (All surveys)			1	2	3	4	5	
Context Station (Hidden Valley Survey only)			1	2	3	4	5	
Picnic Area (Hidden Valley and Sprague Lake Surveys)			1	2	3	4	5	
Climbing areas (Lumpy Ridge Survey only)			1	2	3	4	5	
Campground (Sprague Lake Survey)			1	2	3	4	5	
Other (specify): ___________________			1	2	3	4	5	
[TOPIC AREA 5: CROWD3
16.	On this visit to [INSERT SPECIFIC LOCATION HERE], compared to what you expected, how crowded did you and your personal group feel? Please select only one answer.
		I didn’t know what to expect
		Less crowded than expected
		About the same as expected
		More crowded than expected

TOPIC AREA5: CRWDATT2 (Variation)
17.	The number of other people I see [INSERT SPECIFIC LOCATION HERE] influences my perception of crowding. (Check one)
		Strongly agree
		Agree
		Neither agree nor disagree
		Disagree
		Strongly Disagree

TOPIC AREA 5: VERP1– the respondent will be given a randomly selected photo out of 5 possible options to respond to this question)
18.	We would like to know how many other people you think you could encounter in [INSERT SPECIFIC LOCATION HERE] without feeling too crowded. To help judge this, please rate the photograph of [INSERT SPECIFIC LOCATION HERE] by indicating how acceptable you find it based on the number of people in the photo. (Check One)

Encounter…	Very Unacceptable	Unacceptable	Slightly Unacceptable	Neutral	Slightly Acceptable	Acceptable	Very Acceptable
Photo #	-3	-2	-1	0	1	2	3

TOPIC AREA 5: VERP4
19.	Which photograph looks most like the number of people you typically saw in [INSERT SPECIFIC LOCATION HERE] today? (Separate series of 5 photos shown for Questions 17-18.
		Photo 1…
		Photo 2…
		Photo 3…
		Photo 4…
		Photo 5…

TOPIC AREA 5: VERP2
20.	Which photograph looks most like the number of people you would prefer to see in [INSERT SPECIFIC LOCATION HERE]?
		Photo 1…
		Photo 2…
		Photo 3…
		Photo 4…
		Photo 5…

TOPIC AREA 5: CROWDATT11 (Variation this question previously approved and used in 2008 Rocky Mountain National Park surveys at Emerald Lake, Dream Lake Trail, Alberta Falls, and Glacier Gorge Trail)
21.	In general, how did the encounters you had with other people in [INSERT SPECIFIC LOCATION HERE] today affect your overall enjoyment? (Please check one response, even if you did not see other people).
		Greatly added to my enjoyment	Somewhat added to my enjoyment	Had no effect	Somewhat reduced my enjoyment	Greatly reduced my enjoyment
						

TOPIC AREA 5: CROWDATT18
22.	Please indicate whether (and if so, how often) you have ever done each of the following in any Rocky Mountain National Park site.
			Ever Done?		If so, how often?
			No	Yes	Rarely	Occasionally	Often	Usually	Always
		Visit earlier or later in the season to avoid seeing other people	No	Yes	1	2	3	4	5
		Visit on weekdays to avoid weekend crowds	No	Yes	1	2	3	4	5
		Go to trails that are less crowded	No	Yes	1	2	3	4	5
		Avoid places that have limits on the amount of use	No	Yes	1	2	3	4	5
		Go to other areas where you are less likely to see other people	No	Yes	1	2	3	4	5
		Avoid places that regulate the use of horseback riders	No	Yes	1	2	3	4	5
		Avoid attractions that are crowded	No	Yes	1	2	3	4	5

23	Compared to what you expected, what was the quality of the sites that you and your personal group visited? (Check one.)
			Poorer than expected	About the same	Better than expected
		Trailhead / Contact Station	1	2	3
		Trails	1	2	3
		Picnic Areas	1	2	3
		Parking	1	2	3
		Others?	1	2	3

TOPIC AREA 5: CROWD9
24.		On this visit to [INSERT SPECIFIC LOCATION HERE], did you and your personal group experience traffic congestion or parking difficulties at any of the following places? (Check all that apply.)]
		Did not experience traffic congestion or parking difficulties
		Traffic congestion at Park Entrance Station
		Traffic congestion on Trail Ridge Road
		Parking difficulties at [INSERT SPECIFIC LOCATION HERE]

TOPIC AREA 3 – FVIS1
25.	a.	Would you and your personal group consider visiting [INSERT SPECIFIC LOCATION HERE] again? (Check one.)
		Yes, likely
		No, unlikely
		Not sure

TOPIC AREA 3 – FVIS2
25.	b.	Why or Why not?
		Response:

TOPIC AREA 3 – FVIS3
26.	What would encourage you and your personal group to visit [INSERT SPECIFIC LOCATION HERE] again?
		Response:

SECTION IV. ABOUT YOU

The last set of questions relates to general demographic information about you and your group.

TOPIC AREA 1:RES3
27.		Do you live in the United States? (Check one.)  Yes (What is your zip code? __________)  No (What country do you live in? ______________________________)

TOPIC AREA 1: AGE2
28.	In what year were you born? 19_______

TOPIC AREA 1: ED1
29.	What is the highest level of formal education you have completed (Check one.)
		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

TOPIC AREA 1: GEND1
30.	What is your gender? (Check one.)
		Male
		Female

TOPIC AREA 1: RACE/ETH2
Are you Hispanic or Latino
	 Yes
	 No

TOPIC AREA 1: RACE/ETH3
31.	Please tell us which of the following categories best represents your race:
		American Indian or Alaska Native
		Asian
		Black or African American
		Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander
		White

Thank you for your help with this survey!

Please return the completed questionnaire to the survey administrator.

PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT STATEMENT: The National Park Service is authorized by 16 U.S.C. 1a-7 to collect this information. This information will be used by park managers to understand the visitor use here and perceptions of crowding at [INSERT SPECIFIC LOCATION HERE]. Responses to this request are voluntary and anonymous. Your name will never be associated with your answers. No action may be taken against you for refusing to supply the information requested. A federal 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 be 10 minutes per response. Please direct comments regarding the burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection to:

Superintendent

Rocky Mountain National Park

Estes Park, CO 80538

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