Workshop: The Numbers Game: Understanding Crowding and Trail Impact
Please join Vera Cvetkovic and the WTN Tech Team for an interactive hybrid session on how technology can help manage crowded trails. The session combines a real-time presentation with an in-person, hands-on workshop for registered attendees. Learn what trail and hiking groups around the world are implementing and testing—and share what you’re seeing in your own community.
You’ll also hear how the Blue Mountain Bruce Trail Tech Team monitors daily visits using detected mobile devices, which metrics they track, and what the data is revealing:
- Visitors’ origin, entry points, and exit points
- Demographics
- Visit frequency, duration, and unique visitors
Workshop questions:
- What technology (if any) is working well on your trails today?
- What challenges or limitations are you facing, and what ideas do you have to address them?
- Which one or two metrics would you act on first, and what threshold would trigger an intervention?
- What is one crowding or impact “hot spot” you could target this season, and what is the specific intervention you would test there?
- How will you measure whether the intervention worked (before/after measures, timeframe, success criteria)?
- What data-sharing or privacy considerations do you need to address before collecting or reporting visitor information?
Vera Cvetkovic, Blue Mountain Bruce Trail Club President, Bruce Trail Conservancy
