Transportation Implementation Plan and Environmental Assessment
Bandelier National Monument (BAND) has a history of transportation and congestion management issues during peak visitation periods, including traffic congestion at the Monument entrance and parking shortages. These challenges have been made more difficult by recent wildfires and flooding, which have forced the NPS to temporarily close nearly half of the parking facilities in BAND….
Transportation System Alternatives Study
The Arapaho-Roosevelt National Forest (ARNF) is located within a one-hour drive of the Denver/Boulder metropolitan area, attracts over 23 million recreation visits annually, and is one of the three most-visited forests in the National Forest System. Mount Evans Recreation Area, Guanella Pass, and Brainard Lake Recreation Area are among the most popular recreation sites on…
Visitor Use and Safety in the Happy Isles Trail Corridor
Yosemite National Park accommodates nearly 4 million visitors annually, and the Happy Isles Trail Corridor is among the most popular hiking areas in the park. More than one-quarter of park visitors hike in the Happy Isles Trail Corridor, which provides access to iconic park destinations including Vernal Fall, Nevada Fall, and Half Dome. As a…
Aircraft Noise Modeling and Visitor Soundscape Experience Survey
The National Parks Air Tour Management Act of 2000 requires the development of Commercial Air Tour Management Plans (ATMP’s) for national parks. A primary purpose of ATMPs is to manage potential impacts of air tour operations on park resources and visitors’ experiences, including aircraft noise impacts. The National Parks Air Tour Management Act of 2000…
Integrated Transportation and Capacity Assessment
Yosemite National Park ranks among the most heavily visited national parks in the United States, accommodating approximately four million visitors annually. Much of the park’s visitor use is concentrated in Yosemite Valley; the valley comprises merely four percent of the park’s total area, yet accommodates 98% of all park visitation. Furthermore, one-third of all park…
Modeling Hiker Exposure to Natural Sounds and Quiet in the Tuolumne River Watershed
Tioga Road is a National Scenic Byway that passes through the Tuolumne River Wild and Scenic River watershed in the heart of Yosemite National Park’s high country. The road provides access to trailheads, a campground, and other high country destinations in the park. Moreover, Tioga Road provides outstanding opportunities for scenic driving, which is among…
Integrated Transit Service Planning and Visitor Use Management
Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) was one of the first national parks to adopt an alternative transportation system, initiating a shuttle bus system in 1978. To address parking lot shortages in the popular Bear Lake Road Corridor, while accommodating growing numbers of visitors, RMNP expanded their shuttle service in 2001. While the expanded shuttle service…
Modeling Hiker Exposure to Transportation Noise
The Bear Lake corridor in Rocky Mountain National Park is one of the most heavily used areas of the park. It is attractive both for easy accessibility to Bear Lake, and for its many trailheads leading to backcountry locations. As a result, the corridor supports a relatively high volume of vehicle traffic, which can adversely…
Half Dome Cables Visitor Use Measurement and Modeling
The hike to the summit of Half Dome is among the most iconic and popular backcountry excursions for visitors to Yosemite National Park. The culmination of the hike involves ascending the last 400 feet of Half Dome via a cable system. Recent accidents involving fatal falls from the granite dome caused concern about safety on…
Intelligent Transportation Systems Planning and Deployment
Mount Rainier National Park (MORA) accommodates more than one million visitors annually, and experiences intensive visitation during summer months. During peak periods of visitation, visitors must wait in long lines of traffic to enter the park and have difficulty finding places to park their cars once they enter the park. The park’s General Management Plan…