Visitor Use Research to Inform Visitor Use Management at Joshua Tree National Park

OMB Number: XXXX-XXXX

Expiration Date: XX/XX/20XX

Joshua Tree National Park

Management Survey

2025

To be completed by field staff:

ID ______ Time ________ Location__________ Date _____

Field staff____________

PRIVACY ACT and PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT statement:

The Paperwork Reduction Act requires us to tell you why we are collecting this information, how we will use it, and whether or not you have to respond. We are authorized by the National Park Service Protection Interpretation and research in System (54 USC §100702) to collect this information. The routine uses of this information will be for the benefit of NPS Managers and Planning staff in North Cascades National Park in future initiatives related to the visitor use and resource management within the site. The data collected will be summarized to evaluate visitor uses and expectations during their visit at North Cascades National Park. Your responses to this collection are completely voluntary and will remain anonymous. You can end the process at any time and will not be penalized in any way for choosing to do so. All contact information collected for the purpose of the follow-up survey will be destroyed at the end of the collection period and no personal identifiable records will be maintained or stored for any purposes. Data collected will only be reported in aggregates and no individually identifiable responses will be reported. A Federal agency may not conduct or sponsor, and you are not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB Control Number (1024-0224).

BURDEN ESTIMATE STATEMENT: We estimate that it will take about 10 minutes to complete this questionnaire. You may send comments concerning the burden estimates or any aspect of this information collection to: Megan McBride, National Park Service, megan_mcbride@nps.gov (email).

NOTE: In this questionnaire, “personal group” is defined as anyone that you are visiting the park with, such as spouse, family, friends, etc. This does not include the larger group that you might be traveling with, such as school, church, scouts, or tour group.

TOPIC AREA 3: CVIS3; CVIS2; CVIS1

(Variation: Expanded questions to obtain information about seasonal visitation and site-specific visitation)

1. Please tell us about your past visitation to Joshua Tree National Park (referred to as “the park” in the survey).

1. Including today, how many days in the last month (30 days) have you visited the park?

________________________________________________

2. Including today, how many days in the last year (12 months) have you visited the park?

________________________________________________

3. Including today, how many years (total) have you visited the park?

________________________________________________

4. In what year did you first visit the park? (YYYY)

________________________________________________

TOPIC AREA 3: DEST17

2. On this trip, how long did you and your personal group spend visiting Joshua Tree NP? Please list partial hours / days as ¼, ½, ¾.

________	Number of hours, if fewer than 24 hours
	OR
________	Number of days, if 24 hours or more

TOPIC AREA 3: CVIS8; DEST26

3. On this visit to Joshua Tree NP, please select all the park locations that you and your personal group visited in Joshua Tree NP? Select all white boxes with location names that apply.

4. Please list any other locations visited in the park on this trip.

________________________________________________________________

TOPIC AREA 3: CVIS8, CVIS9

5. For this trip, where did you and your personal group spend the longest amount of time? Please select only one location.

North Entrance Station	Sheep Pass Group Camp
West Entrance Station	Bajada Nature Trail
Indian Cove Ranger Station	Barker Dam
Cottonwood Visitor Center	Cholla Cactus Garden
Joshua Tree Visitor Center	Cottonwood Spring
Oasis Visitor Center	Covington Flats
Black Rock Nature Center	Fortynine Palms Oasis
Belle Campground	Geology Tour Road
Black Rock Campground	Keys Ranch
Cottonwood Campground	Keys View
Hidden Valley Campground	Lost Horse Mine
Indian Cove Campground	Lost Palms Oasis
Jumbo Rocks Campground	Pinto Basin Road
White Tank Campground	Quail Springs
Ryan Mountain	Other _____________

TOPIC AREA 5: ACT18c

6. On this visit, in which activities did you and your personal group participate within Joshua Tree NP? Mark all that apply.

Attended field classes or other guided activities	Picnicking
Attended ranger-led programs	Rock scrambling (without specialized gear or skills)
Backpacking overnight	Seeking spiritual connection
Bicycling	Sightseeing
Bouldering (using pads and bouldering guides)	Slacklining
Camping	Stargazing / viewing night sky
Created content for social media / blogs	Technical climbing (with specialized gear or skills)
Day hiking	Trail running
Enjoyed nature	Viewed plants and/or wildlife
Exercised to promote physical fitness	Visited historical or archaeological sites
Family / friend gathering or celebration	Visited visitor center(s)
Horseback riding	Walking self-guided nature trails (with brochures/signs)
Photography / videos	Other (Please specify) ______________________

TOPIC AREA 5: ACT18 (Variation: Focused on primary activity.)

7. Which one of the above activities was the primary activity in which you and your personal group participated at Joshua Tree NP on this visit? Please select one.

[item list will populate based on answers to Question #6]

TOPIC AREA 6: CROWD3

8. Please indicate if you changed any of the following during this visit or a previous visit to Joshua Tree NP because of too many people or crowding? Select all that apply.

	Changed during a previous visit to the park	Changed during this current visit to the park
Chose not to visit the park		-----------
Changed the times of the day that you visited the park
Changed the dates or seasons that you visited the park
Chose not to visit your desired places at the park
Changed the times of day that you visited places at the park
Changed the order of places visited at the park
Chose not to participate in your desired activities at the park

TOPIC AREA 5a&b: ITIN15 (Variation: focused wording on campsite availability)

9. Have you ever changed your trip plans because a campsite in a particular campground at Joshua Tree NP was not available on the date you initially desired?

Yes

No

• Not applicable - I did not plan to camp

10. Please tell us how you changed your trip plans. Select all that apply.

• I changed the dates of my trip

• I camped at another location within Joshua Tree NP

• I camped at a location other than Joshua Tree NP

• I came to Joshua Tree NP but chose not to camp

TOPIC AREA 4: TRANSMGMT1; TOPIC AREA 8: MGMTOPT3, MGMTOPT13

11. Please indicate your level of opposition or support for the following potential future management actions concerning park access, transportation, and car camping at Joshua Tree NP. The list of items below are not necessarily actions that are going to occur at the park. However, we are interested in your opinions about these potential actions.

	Strongly oppose	Oppose	Somewhat oppose	Neither oppose nor support	Somewhat support	Support	Strongly support	Unable to answer or need more information
Implement reservation system to enter the park
Add parking spaces at major attractions
Add additional traffic lanes at park entrances
Increase entry fees
Temporarily close specific roads and parking areas based on congestion (e.g., Keys View, road to Barker Dam)
Require riding shuttle buses within the park on the park’s busiest days (e.g., weekends, holidays, spring break)
Develop paved access to more popular locations and attractions
Implement a parking reservation or parking permit system
Decrease the number of nights that visitors can stay at developed campgrounds
Develop more campsites in existing campgrounds like Hidden Valley
Use online park communications to inform visitors about the availability and characteristics of sites in developed campgrounds

TOPIC AREA 4: TRANSMGMT1; TOPIC AREA 8: MGMTOPT3, MGMTOPT13

12. Please indicate your level of opposition or support for the following potential future management actions concerning trails and wilderness backpacking at Joshua Tree NP. The list of items below are not necessarily actions that are going to occur at the park. However, we are interested in your opinions about these potential actions.

	Strongly oppose	Oppose	Somewhat oppose	Neither oppose nor support	Somewhat support	Support	Strongly support	Unable to answer or need more information
Reduce the number of trails in the park to provide better conditions on fewer trails
Develop new trails in the southern half of the park
Provide more information about trails to help visitors find trails that match their preferences for length and things they can see and enjoy
Expand and develop new trailhead parking lots for existing trails
Implement a wilderness backpacking reservation system
Establish designated and assigned wilderness camping sites
Introduce fees for overnight backpacking to support wilderness services
Require mandatory wilderness backpacking orientation to receive a wilderness backpacking permit
Require visitors to pack out human waste when using the backcountry

TOPIC AREA 4: TRANSMGMT1; TOPIC AREA 8: MGMTOPT3, MGMTOPT13

13. Please indicate your level of opposition or support for the following potential future management actions concerning rock climbing and bouldering at Joshua Tree NP. The list of items below are not necessarily actions that are going to occur at the park. However, we are interested in your opinions about these potential actions.

	Strongly oppose	Oppose	Somewhat oppose	Neither oppose nor support	Somewhat support	Support	Strongly support	Unable to answer or need more information
Limit the addition of new fixed anchors / bolts in wilderness areas
Remove illegally installed (unpermitted) bolts from wilderness areas
Require visitors to pack out human waste when using popular climbing areas
Close climbing routes / staging areas with sensitive cultural or natural resources
Provide signs and directions to all climbing rock formations
Require time-specific permits for climbing on popular routes and walls
Require location-specific permits for climbing on popular routes and walls
Require location-specific permits for popular bouldering areas
Require visitors to pack out human waste when using popular bouldering areas
Close bouldering routes / staging areas with sensitive cultural or natural resources
Improve signs and directions to all bouldering formations
Require time-specific permits for popular bouldering areas
Identify designated crash pad areas free from vegetation and sensitive soil

TOPIC AREA 4: TRANSMGMT3

14. To what extent did the following factors impact your visit to Joshua Tree National Park? (Check one box for each statement)

	Level of Impact
	Not at all	Very little	Somewhat	To a great extent	Not applicable
Too few parking spaces at pullouts and overlooks along scenic drives
Too few parking spaces at trailheads
Too few restrooms
Congestion on park roads
Too little directional signage on park trails
Confusion about wilderness backpacking rules and regulations
Confusion about camping rules and regulations
Not enough ranger-led activities
Congestion in the visitor centers
Too little directional signage on the main park roads
Vandalism (e.g., graffiti, tire tracks, illegal campfire scars)
Limited information to plan your trip before you enter the park
Too little signage on wilderness / backcountry trails in the park
Too few informational signs
Too few directional signs on trails
Conflicts with other visitors on park roads or trails

Topic Area 1: RES2

15. Are you a permanent resident or citizen of the United States?

☐ NO - What is your country of origin? _______________________

☐ YES - What is your zip code and state of your primary residence?

State_____________ Zip code ______________

Topic Area 1: AGE1

16. What is your age? _______
    
    
    

Topic Area 1: GEND1

17. What is your gender? (select one)

 Male

 Female

 Transgender, non-binary, or another gender

 Prefer not to answer

Topic Area 1: EDUC1

18. What is the highest level of school you have completed? (select one)

❑ Less than high school	❑ Two-year college graduate
❑ Some high school	❑ Four-year college graduate
❑ High school graduate	❑ Graduate or professional degree
❑ Some college	❑ Do not wish to answer

Topic Area 1: ECON9

19. Which category best describes your total household income in U.S. dollars during 2024 before taxes? (select one)

❑ Less than $24,999	❑ $50,000 to $74,999	❑ $150,000 to $199,999
❑ $25,000 to $34,999	❑ $75,000 to $99,999	❑ $200,000 or more
❑ $35,000 to $49,999	❑ $100,000 t $149,999	❑ Do not wish to answer

Topic Area 1: RACE/ETH2

20. What is your race and/or ethnicity? Select all that apply and enter additional details in the spaces below.
    
    
    

• American Indian or Alaska Native—Enter, for example, Navajo Nation, Blackfeet Tribe of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation of Montana, Native Village of Barrow Inupiat Traditional Government, Nome Eskimo Community, Aztec, Maya, etc.

• Asian—Provide details below.

Chinese	Asian Indian	Filipino
Vietnamese	Korean	Japanese

Enter, for example, Pakistani, Hmong, Afghan, etc.

• Black or African American—Provide details below.

African American	Jamaican	Haitian
Nigerian	Ethiopian	Somali

Enter, for example, Trinidadian and Tobagonian, Ghanaian, Congolese, etc.

• Hispanic or Latino—Provide details below.

Mexican	Puerto Rican	Salvadoran
Cuban	Dominican	Guatemalan

Enter, for example, Colombian, Honduran, Spaniard, etc.

• Middle Eastern or North African—Provide details below.

Lebanese	Iranian	Egyptian
Syrian	Iraqi	Israeli

Enter, for example, Moroccan, Yemeni, Kurdish, etc.

• Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander—Provide details below.

Native Hawaiian	Samoan	Chamorro
Tongan	Fijian	Marshallese

Enter, for example, Chuukese, Palauan, Tahitian, etc.

• White—Provide details below.

English	German	Irish
Italian	Polish	Scottish

Enter, for example, French, Swedish, Norwegian, etc.

Thank you for your help with this survey!

Please click "next" to finalize your response.