visitor-days (i = 6), and (c) number of groups (i = 7). Other variables- -number of 

 riding groups, saddle animals, pack animals, and so forth--were of secondary importance 

 because almost all use of the wilderness was by hikers. 



The relative strengths and weaknesses of each of the use-estimation procedures are 

 discussed along with the estimates derived on pages 24-34. 



Registration Station Data 



A box containing registration forms together with a sign requesting each entering 

 group to register is the least expensive technique for obtaining information about 

 wilderness users. Used alone, however, it cannot provide reliable estimates of recrea- 

 tion use, mainly because of nonregistration by some groups. At best, the method can 

 provide lower bounds to estimated use. It can tell an administrator that an area is 

 receiving at least as much use as the registration totals indicate, assuming (a) that 

 entering groups furnish reasonably accurate answers to all questions, and (b) that there 

 is little stuffing of registration boxes with falsely completed forms. These seemed 

 to be safe assumptions. Information derived from uptrail interviews confirmed the 

 accuracy of answers on registration cards and also revealed that only two groups out 

 of 470 "stuffed" the boxes. 



Information from all completed registration forms was added to produce raw, un- 

 corrected estimates of use by strata, for all variables (see table 4 for key variables 

 and table 10, Appendix III, for all variables). 



Table A .--Estimates of recreation use on the Mission Mountains 

 Primitive Area^ Montana, based on raw (unaorreated) 

 registration information, simmer- fall, 1968 



Strata 



Visits 



Total use ; 



Groups 





Number 



Visitor- hours ^ 



Number 



Summer 



2,705 



30,265 



680 



Fall 



354 



4,527 



130 



Slammer + Fall 



3,059 



34,792 



810 



1 



658 



6,511 



166 



2 



597 



4,533 



169 



3 



570 



3,932 



137 



4 



880 



15,289 



208 



5 



140 



1,397 



51 



6 



1.36 



2,375 



53 



7 



78 



755 



26 



^Divide visitor-hours by 12 to get visitor-days, as defined 

 for federal recreation area statistics. 



24 



