ABSTRACT 



Methods for estimating wilderness recreational use were pilot tested 

 duinr^ the summer and fall of 1968 in the Mission Mountains Primitive Area. 

 The main basis for the estimating methods was trail register information. 

 Intensive field sampling provided data on actual use to relate to registration 

 data. Both ratio and regression methods produced estimates with acceptably 

 small error terms (6 percent for estimated visits, in the case of the ratio 

 estimates, for example), but the ratio methods seemed to have a small ad- 

 vantage over regression methods. Overall, 65 percent of the visitor groups 

 were estimated to have registered, but there were substantial variations in 

 registration rates associated with a number of factors — tj'pe of activity, 

 mode of travel, length of stay, and weather. The registration rate patterns 

 were generally similar to those reported from an earlier study in Oregon. 

 Use of the Mission Mountains Primitive Area is described. Suggestions are 

 made for wilderness use estimation and for increasing the effectiveness of 

 trail register systems. 



