Nature Trails and Mixed Routes - Tourism and Trails: Cultural, Ecological and Management Issues - page 67

Alaska. Although activities take place above the ground, overuse of snow
trails and packed snow can result in acute soil compaction, retarded vegeta-
tion growth and springtime erosion (Meyer, 1993). These issues are discussed
in more detail in Chapter 5.

Water trails
A type of nature-based route that is growing in popularity is water trails,
which are also sometimes referred to as blueways or paddling paths (Pollock
et al. , 2012). Interest in water trails is driven by a rising popularity in sea kaya-
king and canoeing since the 1980s (Lengfelder & Timothy, 2000). Research
from the late 1990s found that at that time, some 25 million people spent
time paddling by raft, kayak or canoe each year, and Settina and Kauffman
(2001) have predicted that between 2000 and 2050, recreational kayaking
and canoeing will experience a 73% growth in participation. Sea kayaking
became particularly popular in the 1990s. Recent trends show recreational
kayaking and canoeing increasing dramatically since 2010, making paddle-
ways a more salient part of the recreational landscape. In 2011, there were an
estimated 9.8 million canoe users in the US, 8.2 million recreational kayakers
and 2.02 million sea kayakers (Outdoor Foundation, 2012).
According to the US National Park Service (2013b), water trails are
'recreational routes on waterways with a network of public access points
supported by broad-based community partnerships'. Their dual purpose is
to provide recreational opportunities and further conservation efforts, and
many places are beginning to see their value as a tourism resource (Settina
& Kauffman, 2001). In some of the remotest regions, water trails are used to
access natural regions (e.g. forests and jungles) where roads and land-based
trails are unavailable (Boyd & Butler, 1999). Blueways range from multi-day
paddling journeys to moderate routes in community parks and greenways
(Settina & Kauffman, 2001).
There are generally two types of water-based trails. The first comprises
corridors that traverse water bodies and require users to boat or swim in
the water. The importance of these waterways as important recreational
routes has been recognized by many public and private agencies. In
Michigan (USA), the Michigan Heritage Water Trail Program (MHWT)
was developed as a partnership to facilitate research, plan, implement,
monitor and market the state's waterway trails. In particular, the program
aims to do the following:

• research and develop approaches to plan, design, implement and monitor

heritage water trails in Michigan;

• develop an educational and interactive website that allows users to find

water trails based on trail characteristics, distance, or accessibility;

• research the economic and ecological impacts of the recreational use of

water trails;