Managing Routes and Trails - Tourism and Trails: Cultural, Ecological and Management Issues - page 219

national parks as multi-use areas that should include preservation, protec-
tion and access for enjoyment, recreation and education. Horseback riding
is permitted within the provision of enjoyment and recreation clause in
many of Victoria's national parks. Beeton (1999a) also points to the his-
torical association of the state's past with a settler society that has always
honored horses and The Outback as part of why the state has pursued
and allowed multi-use trails, including horseback riding, in its national
parks. There are, however, clear codes of conduct among horse riders as
regards the ecological and social environment, including other travelers.
These were established by a horse riding code that was written by the
Australian Alps National Parks in the early 1990s for the Capital Territory
and the states of Victoria and New South Wales. The code addresses
planning, safety, keeping horses, feeding, numbers of horses, riding areas,
camping areas and guidelines, huts, bushfires and campfires, ways to
avoid gastroenteritis, and environmental protection (Beeton, 1999a: 218).
In compliance with the code, equestrians should be courteous and
avoid conflict situations with others. This behavioral self-regulation is
designed to facilitate horse riding as an appropriate means of appreciat-
ing and enjoying the outdoors, where impacts on trails are kept at
acceptable levels.
Hardening and softening measures
A third approach managers can adopt is to alter the physical fabric of
the trail or route itself. This is known as either hardening, when the surface
is changed to a less natural state to withstand increased pressure and foot-
fall, or softening, when information messages and signs are used to explain
trail conditions and levels of fitness needed to deflect a certain amount of
use. Hardening and softening were addressed in the previous chapter as
part of overall trail design; they are examined here but from the perspective
of management.
Hardening takes many forms. The more conventional approaches are to
make the trail surface durable by putting down planking or erecting board-
walks (Figure 7.1), or in some cases even using electric trams to traverse part
or all of the route (Boyd, 2013). For instance, access to the Giant's Causeway
WHS is possible in three ways, all of which involve some degree of hardening
both to the coastal way and the cliff-top paths. First, a permanently surfaced
access route was provided to the central causeway (location of the basalt
columns), that allows a shuttle to operate from the visitor center. The
remaining section of the path is a mix of gravel, or a hardened surface with
walking access only. Second, a permanent footpath/sidewalk was installed
alongside the access road from the visitor center to the main attraction with
designated information signs/audio-interpretation stops along the way.