When Do Park Experiences Influence Visitor Thresholds?

Parks and protected areas are commonly managed to prevent and mitigate visitor-related impacts. Related, indicators of quality and associated thresholds help park managers make decisions in the interest of providing optimal outdoor recreation experiences and resource protection. Given the prominent role of visitor thresholds in management decisions, a better understanding of how park experiences influence visitor thresholds is long overdue and essential for successful park management. This study provides results and explanation of when and how a visitor’s park experience may influence their acceptability of social, managerial, and resource conditions. Researchers selected visitor use management data from four distinctly different parks to model how and when indicator type, park setting, and past use history moderates the relationship between visitor experiences and visitor thresholds. Results reveal that indicator type and park setting are significant moderators, suggesting that the strength of the relationship between visitor experiences and visitor thresholds may often vary depending on situational park factors.