Demand for Trails and Routes - Tourism and Trails: Cultural, Ecological and Management Issues - page 103

Characteristics of Trail Users
Trail travelers have many things in common, according to a vast and
growing research literature. At the same time, differences also exist between
different types of users and their personal characteristics and preferences
(Mowen et al. , 1998). This section aims to consolidate what has been written
on route consumer demographic and other characteristics and highlight some
unique features of different sorts of trails.
In very general terms, consumers of trails, paths, tracks and routes are
better educated with higher income levels than other social cohorts. They
tend to be male, relatively young to middle aged, and prefer to travel with
others. From the perspective of nature trails and cycling routes, research
shows that more men are involved than women (Cope et al. , 1998; Dowson
& Doxford, 1997). In the study by Cope et al. (1998), 73% of participants
were male, while 27% were female. Troped et al. (2001) concluded that men
were approximately two times more likely to have used the Minuteman
Bikeway than women were. Studies by Merom et al. (2003), Hammitt and
Patterson (1993), Nelson et al. (2002), and Bichis-Lupas and Moisey (2001)
also found that the use of cycling trails, backcountry paths and rail-trails
is more prevalent among males than females. It is possible, however, that
different trail types and settings can have different gender appeal, as evidence
in one study suggested that urban greenway users comprised slightly more
females than males (Furuseth & Altman, 1991). Perhaps women are more
inclined to use urban and suburban trails, but additional research is needed
to verify this and to understand the gender differences in trail preferences.
Most route cyclists in one study were 26-40 years of age (Cope et al. ,
1998), and in a study of track bushwalkers in Australia, most users were
15-39 years old (Garrard, 1982). The average age of backcountry trackers in
Hammitt and Patterson's (1993) study was 33 years. In one demographic
assessment of Katy Trail (a rail-trail) recreationists, 42 years was the average
age (Bichis-Lupas & Moisey, 2001). All of these findings are consistent with
the general notion of younger and lower middle-aged people being the most
avid users of trails, with most being married with young children at home
(Moisey & Bichis, 1999). This is the general trend of nature tracks or rail-
trails. One exception to this general pattern, however, is scenic byways.
According to Eby and Molnar (2002), older people are more inclined to seek
out and travel scenic byways than younger people are. In fact, the 18-29 age
range rated scenic byways much lower than older drivers in terms of their
interest and importance. The favorability of scenic routes among the older
population could be an indicator of retirement status with more time to
travel by recreational vehicle (RV) or car along interesting long-distance
routes (Figure 4.1). They also tend to appreciate heritage more than many
other age groups (Timothy, 2011a).