c. Mapping favorite places in the Mountain Loop area
Favorite places may be places that are visited frequently, places that were visited once but were marked by a unique experience, or they may be strictly symbolic and not visited at all (such as a mountain peak viewed from the back porch). Though collecting information about the places that people find special in the Mountain Loop area does not provide a complete illustration of visitation patterns in the area, it does allow us to understand how people value places around the Mountain Loop area. Knowing which places or areas that many people find special can help inform future planning and infrastructure investment in the Mountain Loop area. Respondents were able to name up to four favorite places around the Mountain Loop area and give details about the activities and values that they associate with these places. In total 1,079 respondents (about 90% of respondents) submitted 1,708 favorite places. Favorite places were reported all around the Mountain Loop area, but the southern section of the Mountain Loop area saw the highest concentration of responses (Figure 14). Eight places were named by 100 or more respondents (Figure 15; Table 2), all located on the southern section of the Mountain Loop area. These popular places vary in their appeal, but shared similarities in how people enjoy spending their time when visiting and the values they associate with the places.
Outdoor activities. Knowing the activities that visitors engage in at well-loved places can help tailor future planning efforts or target future investments that support outdoor activities. Understanding how people interact with their favorite places can be helpful in efforts to mitigate potential issues at these sites (Figures 16a – 16h). Hiking or walking was overwhelmingly the top activity that people mentioned in the Mountain Loop area. When looking across the top 10 places, between 81% and 96% reported ‘Hiking/walking’ as the predominant activity (Table 3). Considerations Other common activities mentioned included photography, rock climbing, visiting historic sites, and viewing nature or wildlife. ‘Photography’ was the second most popular activity at Mt. Dickerman/Perry Creek, Lake 22, Mt. Pilchuck, and Elliot Creek/Goat Lake. ‘Rock climbing’ was the second most identified activity for Headlee Pass/Vesper Lake (where there are many popular climbing routes), while ‘Visiting historic sites’ was second in Monte Cristo (a former mining town). For Weden Creek/Gothic Basin, ‘Backpacking’ was the second most identified activity, and at Big Four Ice Caves, ‘Viewing nature or wildlife’ was the second most identified activity. Other activities mentioned in the popular areas include Camping, Snowshoeing, Trail-
running and Skiing.
As we look at the favorite places identified, we see trends in the constellation of activities associated with each site. This reminds us that people enjoy a place for a variety of reasons and are not typically focused on a single activity during any given visit. Potentially, sites that offer a greater variety of activities or diversity of values may be more attractive than sites suitable to a single activity. More analysis is needed to understand these trends. These data urge us to think about common features of favorite places selected and how visitors might substitute across their favorite places when making decisions about where to go.
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