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

General Visitor 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 2: ITN4

3. On this trip…

❑	Joshua Joshua Tree NP was the primary destination
❑	Joshua Joshua Tree NP was one of several destinations
❑	Joshua Joshua Tree NP was not a planned destination

TOPIC AREA 3: CVIS8; DEST26

4. 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.

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

________________________________________________________________

TOPIC AREA 3: CVIS8, CVIS9

6. 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 3: CVIS7

7. On this trip, what was the primary reason that you and your personal group came to the Joshua Tree NP area (Yucca Valley, Joshua Tree, Twentynine Palms)? Please mark one.

❑	Resident of the area (Yucca Valley, Joshua Tree, Twentynine Palms, Indio)
❑	Visit Joshua Tree NP
❑	Visit other attractions in the area
❑	Visit friends / relatives at the Twentynine Palms U.S. Marine Corps base
❑	Visit friends / relatives in the area (other than the Marine Corps base)
❑	Traveling through – unplanned visit
❑	Business
❑	Other (Please specify) ________________________________________

TOPIC AREA 5: ACT18c

8. 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) ______________________

9. 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 #8]

TOPIC AREA 5: ACT11 (Variation: Focused wording on rock climbing in the park)

10. Did anyone in your personal group participate in rock climbing in Joshua Tree NP on this visit or past visit(s)? Please mark one.

❑	No, have not participated in climbing activities.  Go to Question 7C
❑	Climbed on both this visit and past visit(s)
❑	This is our first time climbing here
❑	Have climbed in the past, but not on this visit

TOPIC AREA 3: CVIS8 (Variation: Focused wording on rock climbing in the park)

11. Where is your personal group’s preferred area to climb in Joshua Tree NP?

❑	Don’t have a preferred area
OR	List one area ________________________________________

TOPIC AREA 5: ACT11 (Variation: Focused wording on bouldering in the park)

12. Did anyone in your personal group participate in bouldering in Joshua Tree NP on this visit or past visit(s)? Please mark one.

❑	No, have not participated in bouldering activities.  Go to Question 8
❑	Bouldered on both this visit and past visit(s)
❑	This is our first time bouldering here
❑	Have bouldered in the past, but not on this visit

TOPIC AREA 3: CVIS8 (Variation: Focused wording on bouldering in the park)

13. Where is your personal group’s preferred area to boulder in Joshua Tree NP?

❑	Don’t have a preferred area
OR	List one area ________________________________________

TOPIC AREA 2: ITIN8 and ACCOM4 (Variation: split into two questions in order to distinguish between camping inside the park and staying outside (which may or may not include camping)

1. Did you or members of your personal group attempt to make reservations for campsites at Joshua Tree NP for this trip?

❑ Yes ❑ No  Go to Question 15

2. Were you able to make campsite reservations for this trip?

   ❑ Yes ❑ No

   
   

3. On this visit, how many nights, if any, did you and your personal group camp overnight within Joshua Tree NP?

________

Number of nights inside Joshua Tree NP Did not stay in Joshua Tree NP

15. On this visit, how many nights, if any, did you and your personal group stay overnight away from home in the area surrounding Joshua Tree NP (Yucca Valley, Joshua Tree, Twentynine Palms)?

________

Number of nights in the surrounding area Did not stay in the local area

TOPIC AREA 2: ACCOM6

1. In what type of lodging did you and your personal group spend the night(s) inside the park? Please check all that apply in Column A.

2. In what type of lodging did you and your personal group spend the night(s) outside the park in the surrounding area (Yucca Valley, Joshua Tree, Twentynine Palms)? Please check all that apply in Column B.

Column A (inside the park)		Lodging type	Column B (outside the park)
	Lodge, motel, cabin, rented condo/home, or bed & breakfast			❑
❑	RV / trailer camping			❑
❑	Tent camping in developed campground			❑
❑	Backcountry campsite			❑
	Personal seasonal residence			❑
	Residence of friends or relatives			❑
❑	Other (Please specify) _________________________________________________________			❑

TOPIC AREA 2: INFOSOURCE10 (Variation: Added section to get information about future visit preferences.)

17. Prior to this visit, how did you and your personal group obtain information about the park? Please mark all that apply in Column A. If you were to visit Joshua Tree NP in the future, how would you and your personal group prefer to obtain information about the park? Please mark all that apply in Column B.

Column A (prior to this visit)		Source of information	Column B (preferred for future visits)
❑	Did not obtain information prior to visit			❑
❑	Joshua Tree NP website: www.nps.gov/jotr			❑
❑	Social media – Which one(s)?			❑
	❑ Facebook ❑ Twitter ❑ Instagram ❑ Reddit ❑ Flickr ❑ Other
❑	Other websites (Trip Advisor, Hotels.com, Expedia, etc.)			❑
❑	Friends / relatives / word of mouth			❑
❑	Highway signs			❑
❑	Inquiry to park via phone, mail, or email			❑
❑	Local businesses (hotels, motels, restaurants, etc.)			❑
❑	Maps / brochures			❑
❑	Newspaper / magazine articles			❑
❑	Other National Park Service sites / units			❑
❑	Previous visits			❑
❑	School class / program			❑
❑	State or local welcome center / visitors bureau / chamber of commerce			❑
❑	Television / radio programs / DVDs			❑
❑	Travel guides / tour books (AAA, Fodor’s, Lonely Planet, etc.)			❑
❑	Other (Please specify) ________________________________________			❑

1. From the sources marked in Column A, did you and your personal group receive the type of information about the park that you needed?

❑ No ❑ Yes  Go to Question 16

2. If NO, what type of park information did you and your personal group need that was not available? Please be specific.

________________________________________________________________________

TOPIC AREA 2: ITIN2

18. How far in advance, if at all, did you begin planning your most recent visit to Joshua Tree NP? Please select one and fill in the blank.

• Didn't plan in advance

• Days: How many days? ________________________________________________

• Weeks: How many weeks? ________________________________________________

• Months: How many months? _______________________________________________

TOPIC AREA 4: SERVICES11

1. Please mark all the information services and facilities that you or your personal group used during this visit to Joshua Tree NP

2. Next, for only those services and facilities that you or your personal group used, please rate their importance from 1-5.

3. Finally, for only those services and facilities that you or your personal group used, please rate their quality from 1-5.

a) Information services / facilities used		b) If used, how important? 1=Not important 2=Somewhat important 3=Moderately important 4=Very important 5=Extremely important	c) If used, what quality? 1=Very poor 2=Poor 3=Average 4=Good 5=Very good
❑	No information services / facilities used	n/a	n/a
❑	Assistance from visitor center staff	______	________
❑	Assistance from entrance station staff	________	________
❑	Assistance from roving rangers
❑	Bulletin boards	________	________
❑	Joshua Tree NP website: www.nps.gov/jotr (used before or during visit)	________	________
❑	Park brochure / map
❑	Park newspaper	________	________
❑	Ranger-led programs (walks, talks, etc.)	________	________
❑	Roadside exhibits
❑	Sales items in visitor center (selection, price, etc.)	________	________
❑	Trailside exhibits / signs
❑	Visitor center exhibits
❑	Other park publications (plant lists, dog information, camping brochure, etc.)	________	________

Topic Area 1: RES2

20. 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

21. What is your age

Topic Area 1: GEND1

22. What is your gender? (select one)

 Male

 Female

 Transgender, non-binary, or another gender

 Prefer not to answer

Topic Area 1: EDUC1

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

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

Topic Area 1: ECON9

24. 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

25. 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.