August 25, 2023
2023 Human Impact Group Blog 1
Human Blog 1: Social Trails
Hello, this is the first blog from human group. In our group, we have students from four university, Nanjing University, Nanjing Normal University, Chiba University, and Queen’s University.
Our group is trying to analyze the interaction between human and nature in the Pacific Northwest. In our first vlog we want to talk about social trails.
Firstly, we want to give a brief introduction about the national park and trails we hiked on the second day.
Mount Rainier stands as an icon in the Washington landscape, which is one of the world’s oldest national parks. Every year, it attracts a large number of visitors from different countries. The data from the national geographic shows the annual visitor is up to 1.4 million (National Geographic, 2023). The environment is protected well, so we can find the trace of wild animal and even see a number of wildlife in the park.
Figure 1. Images of Mount Rainier.
Paradise is famous for its glorious views and wildflower meadows. It locates on the south side of the mountain which is the most visited area.
Figure 2. Map of Paradise Trails.
The term of social trails could be confused for people who are not familiar with hiking.
A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or a small paved road usually passing through a natural area. While the social trail is an unauthorized trail that is not shown on the maps for hiking.
(a) Trails. (b) Social Trails.
Figure 3. Example for trails and social trails.
Along the trips, we found four kinds of signs, and in different forms to warn people. It could be persuasive, or it can be very directive. Most of them have image and bright colors on these, which helps non-English speaker and people who are illiterate to understand.
(a). (b). (c). (d).
Figure 4. Images for different kinds of signs along the trail. The two images on the left (a & b) are persuasive, and the images on the right side (c & d) are straightforward.
We also count the number of signs that we saw along the trail. We found 14 signs along the Nisqually Vista Trail and 10 signs on Skyline Trail.
Figure 5. Routes for the Nisqually Vista Trail (shown in blue line) and the Skyline Trail (shown in yellow line).
Then we start to think about why there are so many signs along the trail.
By analyzing the cause of social trails in different scenarios, we found there are two main factors which drive the formation of social trails, one is for short-cuts, and the other is for better visual experience.
Scenario 1:
The first video demonstrates a path formed due to people taking shortcuts. At this location, a sign has been placed at the trail’s entrance to prevent further damage to the meadow by discouraging individuals from using the same shortcut again.
Scenario 2:
The second video showcases a trail created by individuals who want to film at a better viewing angle.
These signs send us the direct information to us to protect the meadows in the forest. Since the short growing season makes meadows very fragile.
There’re also some reasons why we need to stay on the trails. Social trails can have negative impacts to both the habitats of plants and animals in the area. These trails can also confuse the hiker and lead people lost.
In detail, social trails can have significant impacts to natural resources. Trails are built to minimize erosion, provide scenery for sensitive plants and animals. Trails not only provide a safer path for hiker to enjoy the beauty of nature, but also help preserve important natural landscapes. When Hikers leaving trails and walk through animal habitat, it will harm the herbaceous plants growing on the surface, which harms the biodiversity (National Park Service, 2023). The decreased grass area makes soil erosion more severe, and the exposed tree roots could be damaged (National Park Service, 2023).
In addition to negative impacts to the existing natural environment, social trails increase risks for people visiting the area. Since these trails aren’t designed, maintained or monitored, there could be the potential dangers caused by the falling brunches, uneven surfaces, wild animals. Additionally, these unmarked trails can make it easier to get lost, because they typically branch off of existing trails and have no official markers (National Park Service, 2023).
Here, we give a possible solution to prevent the social trails.
(a) Clear Signage. (b) Physical Barriers
Figure 6. Example to prevent people from straying off trails in national parks.
Figure 6 (a) is clear signage, which is the installing sign that indicates the designated trail path. Figure 6 (b) is the image for physical barriers, which uses natural or man-made barriers to discourage people from leaving the planned trail. Apparently, we have found several good examples from Mount Rainier National Park.
When talk about trail design, we can consider these points to make sure it is a well-designed trail.
The first one is scenic opportunities.
Some visitors who do not comply with the rules for using the trails are actually doing so for a better viewing experience, so if the initial planning and design of the trails took into account maximizing the visual and aesthetic experience for visitors, it may have reduced subsequent breaches of the rules to a certain extent. Planning the trail route provides access to scenic vistas, water bodies, or interesting landmarks, enhancing the visitor experience.
Figure 7. Example for wooden trails. https://www.pinterest.com/
Secondly, the designer needs to think about materials considerations:
Figure 8. Image from Oze National Park, Japan (Fukushima)
This is a photo from Oze National Park in Japan, and in fact if you build trails with more nature-friendly materials such as wood, it will provide an atmosphere that is more in tune with nature, in which visitors may be more reluctant to engage in environmentally destructive behaviors.
References
National Geographic. (2023). Everything to know about Mount Rainier National Park. National Geographic. Retrieved from https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/national-parks/article/mount-rainier-national-park
National Park Service. (2023). Social Trails… Not for Socializing. National Park Service. Retrieved from https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/social-trails.htm#:~:text=In%20addition%20to%20negative%20impacts,surfaces%2C%20ticks%2C%20and%20snakes.
