Efficacy of Combining Education and Site Management in Reducing Off-Trail Travel in a Fragile Biotic Community, Acadia National Park.

The article investigates the effectiveness of combining educational communication and site management tactics to reduce off-trail hiking in the fragile subalpine environment of Acadia National Park’s Gorham Mountain Trail. Using an experimental design with video observation, six treatments varying in directness and number of interventions—such as educational signage, trail markers, rock borders, scree walls, and low fencing—were tested for their ability to deter visitors from leaving the formal trail. Results indicate that more direct, continuous site management measures like low fencing and scree walls significantly outperform indirect educational tactics or less continuous markers in reducing both near (<2 m) and far (>2 m) off-trail travel. The study concludes that while educational efforts contribute to behavior change, intensive resource protection in high-use backcountry settings often requires direct, visually continuous management interventions, with integrated approaches recommended where feasible to balance resource protection and visitor experience.