Selecting a good trail registration site is judgmental, 

 but the following criteria are suggested for site selection: 



1. Is this a site where most users would be likely to 

 catch their breath or adjust saddles? 



2. Does the site offer a point of interest, scenic view, 

 or stream crossing where most visitors would naturally 

 stop? 



3. Can horse users stop safely in the trail? Is the trail 

 narrow enough that a pack string can be contained? 



4. Can the station be serviced with a reasonable ex- 

 penditure of time and money? 



5. Is the location far enough up the trail that pack 

 strings will be settled down and easy to control? 



6. Does the registration station stand away from other 

 signs, such as directional pointers, that may distract the 

 visitor from the registration message? 



7. Can the sign be seen easily by approaching visitors 

 who are unfamihar with the area? 



This study examined three trails in the Bob Marshall 

 Wilderness. The trails are typical of wilderness trails 

 with substantial horse and hunter use; therefore, the 

 results probably would be generally similar elsewhere, at 

 least in relative effectiveness of the alternative signs and 

 locations. Although the results must be extrapolated 

 with caution, one can safely conclude that compliance 

 may be improved by simply selecting better locations for 

 trail registers. In this study, relocating the registration 

 station resulted in a 56 percent registration of the horse 

 users, 88 percent of the overnight hikers, and 65 percent 

 of the day hikers. These rates allow useful and reasona- 

 bly reliable expansion of the data. Depending on the 

 type of information managers are seeking, trail registers 

 stUl constitute an effective means of gathering informa- 

 tion about users and their use patterns. 



REFERENCES 



Brown, Perry J.; Hunt, John D. The influence of infor- 

 mation signs on visitor distribution and use. Journal 

 of Leisure Research. 1(1): 79-83; 1969. 



Echelberger, H, E.; Leonard, R. E.; Plumley. H. J. Vah- 

 dation of trailside registration boxes. Journal of Soil 

 and Water Conservation. 36(1): 53-54; 1981. 



Gasvoda, David. Installation and operation of the Canon 

 814-XL camera traffic classification system. USDA 

 Forest Service Manual. Missoula, MT: U.S. Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture, Missoula Equipment Develop- 

 ment Center; 1978. 9 p. 



James, George A.; Schreuder, Hans. Estimating recrea- 

 tion use of the San Gorgonio Wilderness. Journal of 

 Forestry. 69: 490-493; 1971. 



Leatherberry, Earl C; Lime, David W. Unstaffed trail 

 registration compUance in a backcountry recreation 

 area. Research Paper NC-214. St. Paul, MN: U.S. 

 Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, North Cen- 

 tral Forest Experiment Station; 1981. 11 p. 



Lime, David W.; Lorence, Grace A. Improving estimates 

 of wilderness use from mandatory travel permits. Re- 

 search Paper NC-101. St. Paul, MN: U.S. Department 

 of Agriculture, Forest Service, North Central Forest 

 Experiment Station; 1974. 7 p. 



Lucas, Robert C. Trends in wilderness use patterns, visi- 

 tor characteristics, and attitudes in the Bob Marshall 

 Wilderness complex. Research Paper. Ogden, UT.: U.S. 

 Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermoun- 

 tain Forest and Range Experiment Station; [in press]. 



Lucas, Robert C. Low and variable comphance rates at 

 voluntary trail registers. Research Note INT-326. 

 Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest 

 Service, Intermountain Forest and Range Experiment 

 Station: 1983. 5 p. 



Lucas, Robert C; Kovahcky, Thomas J. Self-issued 

 wilderness permits as a use measurement system. Re- 

 search Paper INT-270. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of 

 Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Forest and 

 Range Experiment Station; 1981. 18 p. 



Lucas, Robert C; Oltman, Jerry L. Survey sampling 

 wilderness visitors. Journal of Leisure Research. 3(1): 

 28-43; 1971. 



Troxel, Chuck. Horse use patterns and user preference. 

 1981. UnpubUshed in-house report submitted to the 

 Bitterroot National Forest, Hamilton, MT. 13 p. 



Wenger, Wiley D., Jr. A test of unmanned registration 

 stations on wilderness trails: factors influencing effec- 

 tiveness. Research Paper PNW-16. Portland, OR: U.S. 

 Department of Agriciilture, Forest Service, Pacific 

 Northwest Forest and Range Experiment Station; 

 1964. 48 p. 



Wenger, Wiley D., Jr.; Gregersen, H. M. The effect of 

 non-response on representativeness of wilderness-trail 

 register information. Research Paper PNW-17. 

 Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest 

 Service, Pacific Northwest Forest and Range 

 Experiment Station; 1964. 20 p. 



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