Sage Creek Campground Use Study at Badlands National Park

	National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior OMB Control Number ________ Current Expiration Date:

Sage Creek Campground Use Study

Badlands National Park

2020

For technician to complete:

ID: ______________ Date: ______________ (mm/dd/yy)

Time:___________ (use 24-hr clock hh:mm) Campsite # _______

Weather: Sunny / Overcast / Rainy / Stormy

Special Event: No / Yes (Specify) ________________________________

Paperwork Reduction and Privacy Act Statements:

Burden Estimate:

DIRECTIONS

Please have the adult in your group (at least 18 years old) whose birthday comes next complete this questionnaire. That will help give us a statistically reliable sample.

For questions that use circles (O), please mark your answer by filling in the circle with black or blue ink. Please do not use pencil.

In this questionnaire, your camping group is defined as anyone you are camping with at your Sage Creek campsite on this trip. A visit is defined as the extent of your stay at Sage Creek Campground that included the day you were contacted to complete this questionnaire. A trip is defined as the total extent of time away from your personal residence that could include multiple visits to Badlands National Park.

Thank you for agreeing to complete this survey! All questions relate to your stay at Sage Creek Campground. Your responses will help Badlands National Park make informed management decisions.

1. Group and Trip Characteristics

1. Including yourself, how many adults, children, and pets are you camping with?

Number of adults (18 years or older)

Number of children (under 18 years)

Number of pets (e.g., dogs, cats)

2. How many Sage Creek campsites are you and your camping group occupying?
   
   ____ Number of campsites

3. Do you and your camping group have any stock animals at your Sage Creek campsite? Please
   mark (●) one.

O Yes
O No (SKIP TO QUESTION 4)

3a. How many of each stock animal type do you have?

Number of horses

Other stock animals (please specify stock animal type or types): _______________________

4. Which of the following best describes your camping group at Sage Creek Campground? Please mark (●) all that apply.

O I’m camping alone

O I’m camping with family

O I’m camping with friends
O I’m camping with people I met on social media
O I’m camping with people I met at Sage Creek Campground
O I’m camping with people I met in Badlands National Park, but not at Sage Creek Campground

O I’m camping with people I met on my trip outside of Badlands National Park

O I’m camping with an organized group (please specify): _____________________________
O Other (please specify): ______________________________________________________

5. How many nights in total are you planning to stay at Sage Creek Campground?

Number of nights in total

6. On the first day of your visit to Sage Creek Campground, what time of day did you arrive? Please mark (●) one.
   O After sunrise, but before noon
   O After noon, but before dark
   O After dark
   
   

7. Which of the following are you and your camping group using to sleep at Sage Creek Campground? Please mark (●) all that apply.

O Tent
O Pull-behind camp trailer
O RV (including camper vans)
O Truck

O Roof top/car top camping
O Other (please specify): _____________________________

8. Did you or will you also camp in any of the following locations in Badlands National Park during this trip? Please mark (●) all that apply.

O Cedar Pass Campground
O Badlands National Park backcountry

9. Which of the following activities are you here to do in Badlands National Park? Please mark (●) all that apply.

O	Viewing wildlife, scenery, wildflowers, etc.	O	Creative arts (photography/painting/writing)
O	Picnicking	O	Backcountry camping
O	Visiting a cultural or historic site	O	Participating in ranger-led programs/tours
O	Nature study	O	Bicycling
O	Driving for pleasure	O	Horseback riding
O	Walking/short hike (less than 1 hour)	O	Family gathering/reunion
O	Day hiking (1 hour or more)	O	Motorcycling
O	Backpacking	O	Other (please specify): ______________________

10. Have you camped at Sage Creek Campground before? Please mark (●) one.

O Yes

O No (SKIP TO QUESTION 14)

11. Approximately how many times have you camped at Sage Creek Campground?
    
    ________ Number of prior visits

12. In what year did you first camp at Sage Creek Campground?
    
    

________ Year

13. Since your first stay at Sage Creek Campground, how have each of the following changed? Please
    mark (●) one for each row.
    

	Worsened	Has not changed	Improved
Crowding at the campground	O	O	O
Disruptions from late night arrivals	O	O	O
Peace and quiet in the campground	O	O	O
Other (please specify): _______________________________	O	O	O

2. Visit Planning and Motivations

14. How did you first hear about Sage Creek Campground? Please mark (●) one.

O Social media (please specify): _________________________________
O Badlands National Park website (nps.gov/BADL)

O Word of mouth

O Other (please specify): _______________________________________

15. When did you decide to camp at Sage Creek Campground? Please mark (●) one.

O On the day we arrived at the campground

O More than a day before we arrived at the campground, but in the last week

O More than a week before our visit, but in the last month

O More than a month before our visit, but in the last year

O More than a year before our visit

O Don’t know/can’t recall

16. Which of the following best describes this visit to Badlands National Park? Please
    mark (●) one.

O Badlands National Park is my primary destination on this trip
O Badlands National Park is one of several destinations on this trip

O I am passing through Badlands National Park on this trip to my primary destination
O It was not in my plans to visit Badlands National Park on this trip

17. Which one of the following best describes why you are camping at Sage Creek Campground rather than another campground on this trip? Please mark (●) one.

O Camping at Sage Creek Campground is a “free" camping option in Badlands National Park
O Camping at Sage Creek Campground provides easy access to the Sage Creek Wilderness

O Camping at Sage Creek Campground allows me to bring horses and other pack animals

O I like the remote setting of Sage Creek Campground
O I wanted to camp at Cedar Pass Campground, but that campground was full
O Other (please specify): _______________________________________

18. Did you use any of the following types of information to plan and/or prepare for your stay at Sage Creek Campground? Please mark (●) one for each row.

	Yes	No
Previous visit	O	O
Friends/relatives/word of mouth	O	O
Inquiry to park via phone, mail, or email	O	O
Badlands National Park website (nps.gov/BADL)	O	O
Other website (please specify): _____________________	O	O
Local businesses (hotels, motels, restaurants, etc.)	O	O
Maps/brochures	O	O
Newspaper/magazine articles	O	O
Other units of the National Park System (NPS)	O	O
Review websites or apps (such as TripAdvisor, Google reviews, The Dyrt, etc.)	O	O
Social media (such as Facebook, Twitter, etc.)	O	O
State welcome center/visitors bureau/chamber of commerce	O	O
Television/radio programs/DVDs	O	O
Travel guides/tour books (such as AAA, etc.)	O	O
Other (please specify): _____________________________	O	O

19. How important to you is each of the following reasons for visiting Sage Creek Campground on this trip? Please mark (●) one for each row.

	Extremely important	Very important	Moderately important	Slightly important	Not at all important
To visit a National Park Service campground	O	O	O	O	O
To spend time with friends / family	O	O	O	O	O
To view wildlife or natural scenery	O	O	O	O	O
To relax	O	O	O	O	O
To learn more about American history and culture	O	O	O	O	O
To learn more about Native American history and culture	O	O	O	O	O
To learn more about nature	O	O	O	O	O
To hear the sounds of nature / quiet	O	O	O	O	O
To camp in a primitive campground	O	O	O	O	O
To camp somewhere with no campground fees (although there was a fee to enter the park)	O	O	O	O	O
To have somewhere to camp during my road-trip	O	O	O	O	O
To view dark night sky/stars	O	O	O	O	O
To socialize with other travelers that I meet	O	O	O	O	O
To attend a “meet-up” event organized through social media	O	O	O	O	O
To attend a special event (please specify): ____________________________________	O	O	O	O	O
Other (please specify): ___________________	O	O	O	O	O

3. Visit Expectations, Experience, and Satisfaction

20. Based on your camping experience during this visit to Sage Creek Campground, would you camp at Sage Creek Campground again? Please mark (●) one.
    O Yes
    O No

21. Please tell us whether the following items were problems during your visit to Sage Creek Campground. Please mark (●) one for each row.

	Not a problem	Small problem	Big problem
Litter	O	O	O
No available water	O	O	O
Privacy	O	O	O
Proximity to horses and odors from horse waste	O	O	O
Proximity to bison	O	O	O
Proximity to flea-bearing prairie dogs	O	O	O
Visitors harassing/feeding wildlife	O	O	O
Vehicle traffic on roads leading to the campground	O	O	O
Crowded parking areas at the campground	O	O	O
Lack of informational signage	O	O	O
Lack of available campsites	O	O	O
Uncertain boundaries between designated campsites	O	O	O
Light intrusion from other campers/campsites	O	O	O
Density of tents in the campground oval	O	O	O
Competition for picnic tables or shelters	O	O	O
Waiting times to use toilets	O	O	O
Number of RVs and/or camping trailers	O	O	O
Lack of power, water and sewage hookups for RVs	O	O	O
Cell phone reception	O	O	O
Drug or alcohol use by other campers	O	O	O
Wildlife stealing food / disturbing belongings	O	O	O
Trampled vegetation (by hikers, horses, or vehicles)	O	O	O
Noise from generator use	O	O	O
Loud noise or music from other campers	O	O	O
Other (please specify): _________________________	O	O	O

4. Potential Management Actions

22. Please tell us whether you support or oppose the following possible management actions for Sage Creek Campground. Please mark (●) one for each row.

	Strongly oppose	Slightly oppose	Neither support nor oppose	Slightly support	Strongly support
Pave the access road to Sage Creek Campground	O	O	O	O	O
Add more picnic tables and wind shelters to the Sage Creek Campground area (there are currently 25)	O	O	O	O	O
Add more toilets (there are currently 2)	O	O	O	O	O
Add potable water for campers	O	O	O	O	O
Provide more distance between the main camping sites (in the oval) and the horse-based camping areas (to the west)	O	O	O	O	O
Develop a separate RV / camping trailer camping area away from the tent-based campsites	O	O	O	O	O
Add walk-in campsites with a dedicated parking area outside the campground oval	O	O	O	O	O
Provide a campground host	O	O	O	O	O
Provide more frequent ranger safety patrols	O	O	O	O	O
Provide more frequent night-time ranger patrols to control noise	O	O	O	O	O
Charge a per night fee for each campsite	O	O	O	O	O
Enforce existing limits on the number of people per campsite	O	O	O	O	O
Enforce existing limits on the number of vehicles per campsite	O	O	O	O	O
Other (please specify): __________________________________	O	O	O	O	O

23. Sage Creek Campground currently has 18 designated campsites. In recent years, the number of camping groups has exceeded the number of campsites on a few days each week. Please tell us whether you support or oppose the following management actions to address this situation. Please mark (●) one for each row.

	Strongly oppose	Slightly oppose	Neither support nor oppose	Slightly support	Strongly support
Allow more groups to camp than the number of designated sites (groups with campsites will have to share space with new arrivals)	O	O	O	O	O
Increase the number of campsites by expanding the size of the campground	O	O	O	O	O
Publicize real-time campsite availability online (to discourage new groups from coming when the campground is full)	O	O	O	O	O
Publicize real-time campsite availability on a road sign at the start of the access road (to discourage new groups from coming when the campground is full)	O	O	O	O	O
Limit the number of groups to the number of designated campsites through an onsite, first-come/first-served system	O	O	O	O	O
Limit the number of groups to the number of designated campsites through an online reservation system	O	O	O	O	O
Other (please specify): __________________________________	O	O	O	O	O

5. Background Information

24. What is your age? _________
    
    

25. What is your gender? Please mark (●) one.

O Male

O Female

O Do not identify as male or female

O I prefer not to answer

26. Where do you live?

U.S. ZIP Code _____

Country (if not U.S.) __________________

27. Is there anything else you would like to tell us about your stay at Sage Creek Campground?

Thank you for your help! Please return the survey to the administrator or leave it in one of the drop-boxes provided.