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A Comparison of Alternative Route Alignments for the North Country Trail Through Calhoun County, MI

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A Comparison of Alternative Route Alignments for the North Country Trail Through Calhoun County, MI Western Michigan University ScholarWorks at WMU Master's Theses Graduate College 4-2018 A Comparison of Alternative Route Alignments for the North Country Trail Through Calhoun County, MI Whitney K. Lambert Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses Part of the Human Geography Commons, Nature and Society Relations Commons, and the Recreation, Parks and Tourism Administration Commons Recommended Citation Lambert, Whitney K., "A Comparison of Alternative Route Alignments for the North Country Trail Through Calhoun County, MI" (2018). Master's Theses. 3414. https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses/3414 This Masters Thesis-Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate College at ScholarWorks at WMU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at WMU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. A COMPARISON OF ALTERNATIVE ROUTE ALIGNMENTS FOR THE NORTH COUNTRY TRAIL THROUGH CALHOUN COUNTY, MI by Whitney K. Lambert A thesis submitted to the Graduate College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science Geography Western Michigan University April 2018 Thesis Committee: David Lemberg, Ph.D., Chair Charles Emerson, Ph.D. James Lewis, Ph.D. © 2018 Whitney K. Lambert A COMPARISON OF ALTERNATIVE ROUTE ALIGNMENTS FOR THE NORTH COUNTRY TRAIL THROUGH CALHOUN COUNTY, MI Whitney K. Lambert, M.S. Western Michigan University, 2018 Recreational hiking trails are a popular destination for local residents and tourists, offering health, educational, and social benefits. The North Country Trail (NCT) provides a unique hiking experience because of the many landscapes through which it travels. Because it spans across seven states in the Midwest, a hiker can travel through the mountains of New York, the hardwood forests of upper Michigan, and the plains of South Dakota along one route. When completed, the NCT will be about 4,600 miles; however, there are currently 1,900 miles of undeveloped connector routes during which the route is often located along the road. In Calhoun County, Michigan, the NCT is highly fragmented with sections of trail on the road. Thus, this research analyzed whether there are better alternative routes through the county that would decrease the amount of trail along the road. Focus groups and interviews were conducted to identify different interest group perspectives. These groups were experts, trail users, and businesses/organizations. An overlay analysis was performed on GIS to identify areas of suitability. Then, weighted scoring was used to analyze three different routes based on interview and focus group data. The Loop Route received the highest weighted score. However, it is recommended that the current NCT route be kept as the main route through the Calhoun County. Some minor adjustments would have a great impact on its overall weighted score, which would make it the best route for all interest groups. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The completion of this thesis was a rewarding experience made possible by the great support and guidance I have received through the process, for which I am very grateful. First, I thank God, in whom I place all my hope. I am also grateful for my dad, mom, and brother who have been supportive of me my entire life. Your wisdom, guidance, and encouragement have shaped me into who I am today. You have taught me the importance of working hard and resting well. You have also instilled in me the love of the outdoors and adventure, which became the basis for this thesis. I am also extremely thankful for my fiancé, Ian, who has walked with me through my entire graduate school experience. You have been a constant source of great support and encouragement. Thank you for helping me collect data and for taking me on many study dates to help me accomplish everything that was necessary for this thesis. Your selfless love toward me has been a great blessing. I would also like to thank my thesis advisor, Dr. Lemberg. Your guidance has been valuable and I have learned much from you during this process. It has been a privilege to work with you and learn from you. I would also like to thank Dr. Emerson and Dr. Lewis for their assistance as committee members. Additionally, I am thankful for the assistance of those at the North Country Trail Association. They have been incredibly helpful in providing guidance, support, and feedback throughout my research process. It has been a pleasure working with all of you. Whitney K. Lambert ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ......................................................................................................... ii LIST OF TABLES ...................................................................................................................... vi LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................................... vii CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................... 1 The influence of recreational trails ....................................................................... 1 The North Country Trail ....................................................................................... 2 The current NCT planning process ....................................................................... 4 Background of problem ........................................................................................ 5 Purpose of study and research objectives ............................................................. 7 Scope of work and expected outcome .................................................................. 8 II. LITERATURE REVIEW .............................................................................................. 9 GIS in trail planning .............................................................................................. 9 McHargian (overlay) analysis ............................................................................. 10 Wicked planning problem ................................................................................... 12 Public participation in planning .......................................................................... 14 Weighted scoring method ................................................................................... 16 Scenic beauty assessments .................................................................................. 19 Important trail attributes ..................................................................................... 21 Eco-tourism ......................................................................................................... 25 iii Table of Contents – Continued CHAPTER Hiking trail impacts on the landscape ........................................................ 26 Ecotourism potential of hiking ................................................................... 28 Deficiencies in current research .......................................................................... 30 III. STUDY AREA ............................................................................................................ 33 Community description ....................................................................................... 33 Geographic planning area .......................................................................... 33 Economic influences .................................................................................. 34 Social characteristics .................................................................................. 35 County parks .............................................................................................. 36 County trailways ........................................................................................ 38 Identification of lodging ..................................................................................... 42 Positive control points ......................................................................................... 47 Current NCT route .............................................................................................. 53 IV. METHODOLOGY ...................................................................................................... 55 Data collection .................................................................................................... 55 Focus groups and interviews ...................................................................... 55 Trail attribute evaluations .......................................................................... 56 Weighted scoring ................................................................................................ 57 Overlay analysis .................................................................................................. 59 V. DATA ANALYSIS AND RESULTS .......................................................................... 62 iv Table of Contents – Continued CHAPTER Identification of suitable route areas ................................................................... 62 Identification of alternative trail routes ............................................................... 64 Determinations of weights .................................................................................. 67 Justification of weights ....................................................................................... 68 Objectives of
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