Tourism, Recreation and Trail Impacts - Tourism and Trails: Cultural, Ecological and Management Issues - page 150

Table 5.7 Observed behavioral events on Jefferson County open space trails

Event Hikers

(n = 210)

Dual-sport users
(n = 400)

Mountain bikers
(n = 163)

Evaluation of hikers
Rude and discourteous

30 54 49

Not yielding the right of way 34 54 53

Passing too closely 26 47 39

No warning on approach 45 58 50

Evaluation of mountain bikers
Riding out of control

58 71 60

Riding too fast 69 74 62

Rude and discourteous 48 59 52

Not yielding the right of way 60 68 64

Passing too closely 64 70 67

No warning on approach 71 74 67

Source: After Carothers et al. (2001: 53).

establishments as they are directly by tourists. While conditions have
changed substantially since the early days of trekking in Nepal, in the early
years of its growing popularity, it was not uncommon for lodge and food
stall owners to dispose of unwanted material near hiking trails (Basnet,
1993). Even today, some areas in the Himalayas suffer from stallkeepers, who
sell cold drinks, mineral water and food to tourists, throwing waste around
the trailside stalls (Kuniyal & Jain, 1999). All of these factors affect people's
trail experiences by degrading the aesthetic appeal, raising safety concerns
and hindering access (Marion & Leung, 2001)
Lynn and Brown (2003) studied the effects of various trail impacts on
people's environmental perceptions and experiences. Garbage, damage to
vegetation and fire rings led to the most disturbing and uncomfortable
footpath experiences, followed distantly by trail widening, erosion and
muddiness.
These aforementioned conditions can and often do result in avoidance
behavior (Kearsley & Coughlan, 1999) or conflict between kinds of trail
participants, which is a widespread concern on all sorts of routes and in all
locations (Huber, 1994). User-to-user conflicts occur in a variety of circum-
stances. Walkers and hikers tend to complain the most when they encounter
mountain bikes, horses or motorized vehicles, in some cases, as noted above,
because it breaks their solitude (Morey et al. , 2002). As well, horses are some-
times seen as environmentally careless, especially when non-riders encounter
equine dung on or near a pathway (Beeton, 1999a, 1999b). In wilderness and
rural settings most studies point to mountain bikes as the main trail