Demand for Trails and Routes - Tourism and Trails: Cultural, Ecological and Management Issues - page 116

as Rickly-Boyd's (2012) study noted with rock climbers, various levels of
communitas develop as more people become involved with and attached to the
trail. This results in many people undertaking pilgrimage-like journeys to
conquer, collect and achieve bragging rights. For some, it is a quasi-spiritual
journey and, according to Kyle, Graefe and Manning (2004), a significant
predictor of hiker satisfaction.
The Appalachian Trail Conservancy has helped develop this sense of
community by bestowing the official title '2000 Miler' to anyone who com-
pletes the entire trail. Between 2005 and 2011, some 4177 Appalachian Trail
hikers received this coveted label (Appalachian Trail Conservancy, 2013).
Because the number of thru-hikers and 2000 Milers is quite small, their sense
of community is strong. As with most groups of people embarking on an
arduous journey with a commonly understood vision, a group culture is cre-
ated wherein people strive to collect sites and figurative trophies (Nisbett &
Hinton, 2005).
Trail design and environmental features
The physical characteristics of trails and routes and their immediate envi-
ronments are influential on people's satisfaction with, and enjoyment of,
their recreation and touristic experiences. Footpath and trail surfaces are of
particular concern to bicyclists, and to a lesser extent to runners, hikers and
equestrians. Smooth surfaces and well-maintained ways are highly favored
by most consumers, with the exception of wilderness hikers and long-
distance cultural route travelers. In-line skaters, skateboarders and wheel-
chair-bound participants are severely restricted by corridor surfaces which,
especially for people with disabilities, can significantly reduce their level of
satisfaction with a recreational trail encounter. For non-mountain biking
cyclists, paved trails are preferred over any other surface type (van Damme &
van Dijk, 1990). In Lieber and Fesenmaier's (1984) study, cyclists favored
paved trails so much that they would have been willing to travel an extra 35
minutes to access a paved trail rather than settle for an earthen or gravel path.
Related to surface characteristics is elevated relief and challenging topog-
raphy. Hilliness or other drastic changes in elevation are among the most
difficult challenges for cyclists and hikers on almost all types of trails (Cope
et al. , 1998; Troped et al. , 2005). These issues are less relevant for bridleways,
automobile-based heritage routes, or many urban greenways, but for
wilderness tracks and cross-country trails they may prove to be significant
challenges. Difficult terrain is one of the most common complaints among
bikers on England's Coast to Coast Cycle Route (Cope et al. , 1998).
Studies have also shown that good-quality waymarking and signage are
important positive attributes (Downward & Lumsdon, 2001; Troped et al. ,
2005). In one study, cyclists cited a lack of signposting, good maps and
quality guides as their greatest source of dissatisfaction with long-distance,