Demand for Trails and Routes - Tourism and Trails: Cultural, Ecological and Management Issues - page 110

Trail Uses
'To users, trails are travel routes and settings for activities and experi-
ence. Many users visit trails purely for recreation. Others use them more as
a means to get from one place to another, perhaps trailhead to alpine lake or
home to subway station. Either way, there is no doubt that trails are
extremely popular settings for recreation and valuable for transportation'
(Moore & Shafer, 2001: 2). This quote illustrates two of the most prominent
uses of recreational routes and trails, but there are others as well.
One of the most often-cited uses of trails is personal fitness and health
(Bichis-Lupas & Moisey, 2001; Dowson & Doxford, 1997; Lee et al. , 2002;
Librett et al. , 2006; Neff et al. , 2000; Omar et al. , 2012; Shafer et al. , 2000;
Troped et al. , 2005; Wang et al. , 2004a; Watkins, 1984). During the past quar-
ter of a century there has been a social movement in the Western world
toward more active living, including healthier food, increased exercise and
natural health care approaches. With the realization that sedentary lifestyles
are contributing to increased obesity and related health problems, trails have
been fingered as one of the most salient exercise venues for this movement
toward healthier lifestyles (Gobster, 2005; Merom et al. , 2003; Schasberger
et al. , 2009). This trend can be seen in the increased popularity of bicycles
and canoes for trail use during the past few decades (Lengfelder & Timothy,
2000; Ruff & Mellors, 1993) and the development of public campaigns, such
as Trails for Health, noted in the previous chapter. Also part of this
movement is the employment of trails in official school physical education
curricula, which aims to teach children about the wellness and recreational
value of pathways and to commit them to using them in the future
(Desjardins & Schwartz, 2007).
Related to wellness is the importance of trails as recreational resources.
As the urbanization process unfolded during the 20th century and in ever
more crowded cities and towns today, people have desired to escape to the
countryside in search of solitude and communion with nature, increasing the
popularity of trails for recreational and tourism purposes (Beeton, 1999b;
Lumsdon, 1996; MacDonald, 1987; Marrell, 2000).
Trails, routes and greenways contribute to the overall betterment of qual-
ity of life in communities (Shafer et al. , 2000) and are often more cost-effective
than operating sport facilities or parks (Palau et al. , 2012). Omar et al. (2012)
noted that trail provision has been found to be the best intervention strategy
to increase walking in neighborhood areas for the purposes of exercise and
health. Tracks and trails are used to experience scenic beauty and cultural heri-
tage (Wessell, 1997), and in so doing, they have been shown to build social
solidarity and a better appreciation for local culture and nature (Lew, 1991).
Every form of route, trail, path and track can be a tourism resource.
Some people travel thousands of kilometers to experience renowned hiking