Data on wilderness experience stewardship from a 2001-2002 visitor survey at Gates of the Arctic National Park & Preserve

Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve (GAAR) is a remote area in the Brooks Range of northern Alaska. GAAR contains more than 7 million acres of federally designated wilderness, but hosts only about 600 recreation visitors per year. A two-year, two-phase project was implemented at GAAR to provide scientific input to visitor management and backcountry planning. In phase I (2001) qualitative methods (in-depth interviews) were used to develop an understanding of the nature of visitor experiences and to identify significant influences on those experiences. Results identified five broad experience dimensions and several potential factors of influence upon those experiences. In phase II of the research project (2002), a quantitative survey of 201 recreation visitors and 18 commercial operators in GAAR was conducted to investigate and validate the distribution of phase I results. Phase I produced data in the form of interviews, transcribed verbatim, and sound recordings, containing interview excerpts. Phase II data was generated from survey responses, in the form of text files.The Phase I final report provides an understanding of the range of experiences that visitors are having at GAAR and significant influences on those experiences, including the presence and behaviors of other visitors and existing and potential visitor regulations. Phase II focused on collecting information from a representative sample of visitors to measure the saliency and distribution of major experience dimensions, provide input to establishing baseline conditions on selected indicators, obtain greater understanding of the potential effects of alternative management practices to protect the wilderness character of GAAR, and provide descriptions of use and user characteristics. During Phase II of the study, a need was also realized for a small study of commercial service providers to understand their orientation toward the Park better and identify issues of concern to be addressed during backcountry planning.Original metadata date was 09/29/2015. Minor metadata updates on 07/05/2016. Minor metadata updates on 12/15/2016.