Hikers at Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area want better trailhead amenities/NPS

A recent survey of trail users at Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area in California turned up results that probably won't surprise you: They want improvements to the restrooms, drinking fountains, trash cans, and maps found at trailheads.

The survey (click on the following links for the final report and briefing paper), which was conducted in 2018 by staff and volunteers from the NRA in collaboration with the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation, analyzed equity and access along five key dimensions: visitor demographics and geographic characteristics of visitors; travel distance, time, and cost; modes of park access; activity engagement; and amenities used or desired. 

“This survey is helpful because it provides us with vital information that will inform us in how we strategically allocate resources at park trailheads,” said Superintendent David Szymanski. “It also provides us with a benchmark for additional trailheads we may want to construct in the future.”

The survey found that the top amenities were parking, overlooks and viewpoints, bathrooms, and trash cans. Parking was the most commonly used amenity (and also the most commonly cited reason for why respondents would avoid visiting or returning to a trail).

Szymanski added that he was pleased to discover that the park, a heavily trafficked recreational resource that continues to grow in popularity, has become more diverse over the past 20 years.

“The gap is closing and that is clearly evident in comparing the results between 2002 and 2018,” he noted. “But we recognize that there is still a ways to go.”

Programs for lower income, people of color, youth and other underrepresented populations continue to be a priority for the park, he added.

Other major findings show: 

* The proportion of Latino survey takers increased from 12 percent in 2002 to more than 21percent in 2018.

* The percentage of survey participants in 2018 increased for all non-white races/ethnicities from 2002, with a near doubling of the percentage of Latino visitors who responded to the survey.

* Nearly 74 percent of all ZIP codes across Los Angeles County and Ventura County had at least one survey respondent, indicating that residents from nearly all parts of this region utilize the largest urban park in the nation.

* 63 percent of survey respondents were non-Hispanic white, compared to 26.1 percent of Los Angeles County as a whole.

* The median household income of respondents was between $75,000-$100,000, compared to roughly $61,000 in Los Angeles County.

* The low percentage of public transit visitors indicates that this mode is either limited, inconvenient, or not preferred. 

Volunteers and staffers collected 4,425 surveys, of which 4,381 provided usable data for analysis. This most recent survey was significantly more comprehensive than the last visitor survey. An additional 12 trailheads were included and there were 3,400 more surveys than in 2002.

The UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation designed the 2018 visitor use survey, and along with 200+ volunteers and NPS staff members, distributed it at 45 trailheads. The trailheads chosen included well-known, primary entrances into parks.