UPPER CHATTOOGA RIVER RECREATION MONITORING STUDY REPORT Chattooga National Wild and Scenic River Upper River Recreation Use Monitoring Study Report Prepared for Sumter, Chattahoochee, and Nantahala National Forests by Louis Berger February 2019 UPPER CHATTOOGA RIVER RECREATION MONITORING STUDY REPORT [This page intentio nally left blank.] UPPER CHATTOOGA RIVER RECREATION MONITORING STUDY REPORT TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................. iii LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................v 1.0 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................. 1-1 1.1 Study Descript io n ......................................................................... 1-1 1.2 Purpose ....................................................................................... 1-2 1.3 Study Area ................................................................................... 1-2 1.4 Area Descript io ns ......................................................................... 1-4 1.4.1 Frontcountry Areas ........................................................... 1-4 1.4.2 Backcountry Reaches ........................................................ 1-5 1.4.3 Access Points ................................................................... 1-5 1.5 Metho ds ..................................................................................... 1-15 2.0 MONITORING QUESTIONS.................................................................. 2-1 2.1 Monitoring Question 1................................................................... 2-1 2.1.1 Key Findings .................................................................... 2-1 2.1.2 Introduction ..................................................................... 2-1 2.1.3 Metho ds ........................................................................... 2-2 2.1.4 Results............................................................................. 2-8 2.1.5 Discussion ...................................................................... 2-24 2.2 Monitoring Questio n 2................................................................. 2-25 2.2.1 Key Findings .................................................................. 2-25 2.2.2 Introduction ................................................................... 2-25 2.2.3 Metho ds ......................................................................... 2-25 2.2.4 Results........................................................................... 2-29 2.2.5 Discussion ...................................................................... 2-41 2.3 Monitoring Question 3................................................................. 2-42 2.3.1 Key Findings .................................................................. 2-42 2.3.2 Introduction ................................................................... 2-43 2.3.3 Metho ds ......................................................................... 2-44 2.3.4 Results........................................................................... 2-49 3.3.5 Discussion ...................................................................... 2-64 2.4 Monitoring Question 4................................................................. 2-65 2.4.1 Key Findings .................................................................. 2-65 i UPPER CHATTOOGA RIVER RECREATION MONITORING STUDY REPORT 2.4.2 Introduction ................................................................... 2-65 2.4.3 Metho ds ......................................................................... 2-65 2.4.4 Results........................................................................... 2-69 2.4.5 Discussion ...................................................................... 2-80 3.0 SUMMARY OF MONITORING QUESTION OBJECTIVES ....................... 3-1 4.0 EVALUATION OF CAPACITY AND BOATING RESOURCE..................... 4-1 4.1 Frontcountry Capacity Threshold Evaluations ................................. 4-1 4.2 Backcountry Capacity Threshold Evaluations .................................. 4-2 4.3 Relat io nship between Capacities and Co nflicts................................ 4-2 4.4 Whitewater Boating ...................................................................... 4-3 4.4.1 Summary of the Resource ................................................. 4-3 4.4.2 Focus Group Findings........................................................ 4-5 5.0 CONCLUSIONS..................................................................................... 5-1 6.0 GLOSSARY ........................................................................................... 6-1 7.0 REFERENCES........................................................................................ 7-1 Appendix A: Site Photographs Appendix B: Methods Appendix C: Front and Backcountry VAOT and GAOT Change Over Time Appendix D: Intercept Survey Summary Statistics Appendix E: Capacity Threshold Summary Tables Appendix F: Traffic Count Data and Figures Appendix G: Peak Season Front- and Backcountry Threshold Evaluation Appendix H: Quick Start Monitoring Guide ii UPPER CHATTOOGA RIVER RECREATION MONITORING STUDY REPORT LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1.3-1. Upper Chattooga WSR Recreation Study Area. .......................... 1-3 Figure 1.4-1. Bullpen Bridge Road parking. ................................................... 1-7 Figure 1.4-2. Slo an Bridge picnic area and Fo rk Mo untain Trail trailhead parking. .............................................................................................. 1-8 Figure 1.4-3. Burrells Ford walk-in campground parking area......................... 1-9 Figure 1.4-4. Burrells Ford parking area on Georgia side. ............................. 1-10 Figure 1.4-5. Vehicles parked along road near Burrells Ford trailhead. .......... 1-11 Figure 1.4-6. Big Bend Trail (on left) and pull-off parking (right). ................. 1-12 Figure 1.4-7. Lick Log Creek Access. ........................................................... 1-13 Figure 1.4-8. Ridley Fie lds Lo t near the Hwy 28 Bridge. ............................... 1-14 Figure 2.1-1. Average frontcountry VAOT for the 2008 and 2016/2017 peak (summer) seasons by access point. .......................................... 2-9 Figure 2.1-2. Average weekday frontcountry VAOT for the 2008 and 2016/2017 peak (summer) seasons by access point. ................................ 2-11 Figure 2.1-3. Average weekend frontcountry VAOT for the 2008 and 2016/2017 the peak (summer) seasons by access point. .......................... 2-13 Figure 2.1-4. Entire season, weekday and weekend GAOT for 2008 and 2016/2017 frontcountry areas as compared to 2012 DN capacity limits .................................................................................... 2-15 Figure 2.1-8. Average backcountry GAOT for 2008 and 2016/2017 during the peak (summer) season for the entire season, weekdays, and weekends, compared to 2012 DN Capacity Limits.................... 2-23 Figure 2.3-1. Linear correlation between APE and average PAOT by reach .... 2-52 Figure 2.3-2. APE daily representation of average GAOT by reach ................ 2-53 Figure 2.3-3. Solitude experiences between backcountry reaches for users who had encounters during the peak (summer) season .................. 2-55 Figure 2.3-4. SSS compared to Average PAOT by reach ............................... 2-56 Figure 2.3-5. Solitude Perception by different use types who experienced encounters during the peak (summer) season......................... 2-57 Figure 2.3-6. ATR compared to APE by reach............................................... 2-60 Figure 2.4-1. CSS vs. Average GAOT linear regression ................................. 2-71 Figure 2.4-2. PSS vs. Average GAOT linear regression ................................. 2-77 iii UPPER CHATTOOGA RIVER RECREATION MONITORING STUDY REPORT Figure 2.4-3. Mo nthly parking facility cro wding sco res fo r entire study period. .................................................................................. 2-79 iv UPPER CHATTOOGA RIVER RECREATION MONITORING STUDY REPORT LIST OF TABLES Table 1.4-1: Publicly accessible study area access points. ............................. 1-6 Table 2.1-1: Access points for each frontcountry area................................... 2-3 Table 2.1-2: Access points for each backcountry reach. ................................ 2-7 Table 2.2-1: Access points/areas for each backcountry reach. ..................... 2-26 Table 2.2-2: Number of interview responses by user type within each backcountry reach. ................................................................ 2-29 Table 2.2-3: Chatto o ga Cliffs reach interview results by activity and access point/area for the peak (summer) season. ................... 2-30 Table 2.2-4: User categorization by access point at the Chattooga Cliffs reach for the peak (summer) season. ..................................... 2-31 Table 2.2-5: Chatto o ga Cliffs recreatio n user type in relatio n to VAOT fo r the peak (summer) season. ................................................... 2-31 Table 2.2-6: Ellicott Rock reach interview results by activity and access point/area for the peak (summer) season. .............................. 2-33 Table 2.2-7: User categorization by access point for the Ellicott Rock reach for the peak (summer) season. ..................................... 2-34 Table