Strategic Insights

Public lands planning

RSG’s nationally recognized work in public lands planning and management supports decisions around how to reconcile tensions that often exist between accommodating public demand for outdoor recreation on public lands and protecting the natural and cultural resources of these areas and the quality of visitors’ experiences. 

We apply analytical rigor and industry expertise to help clients address nationally significant issues, including: 

  • visitor use analysis 
  • visitor use measurement and modeling  
  • transportation visitor experience survey research 
  • alternative transportation management
  • policy development 

We work closely with public lands agency officials and their stakeholders to translate project results into meaningful strategies for on-the-ground management and planning. 

Related Projects

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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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Transportation Implementation Plan and Environmental Assessment

RSG is working on a plan to improve transportation conditions, enhance the quality of visitors’ experiences, and reduce transportation-related impacts in Bandelier National Monument.

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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…
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Related Reports & Publications

Concept of Operations for Mount Rainier National Park Intelligent Transportation Systems

Integrated Transportation and User Capacity Research in Yosemite National Park: The Numbers Game

Mariposa Grove Visitor Use and Transportation Assessment, Yosemite National Park

Modeling and Mapping Hikers’ Exposure to Transportation Noise in Rocky Mountain National Park

Visitor Use Monitoring in Muir Woods National Monument and on Alcatraz Island

Visitor Survey Report to Support Development of Visitor Facilities Zone Indicators and Standards of Quality, Mount Rainier National Park