How many people visit
Visits by site, season, and month, including at sites without counters or entry fees.
Visitor use studies
We estimate how many people visit parks, trails, rivers, and public lands, when they come, and where they travel from. Agencies use our visitor use studies to plan staffing, programming, access improvements, and outreach.
What a visitor use study tells you
We work with park agencies, state recreation and natural resource agencies, water agencies, nonprofits, and planning teams, from individual parks to statewide studies.
Where visitors come from
Visitor origins, travel distances, and the split between local residents and visitors from outside the region.
How use varies
Visit timing, repeat use, and differences across parks, river segments, or access sites.
Who you could reach
Regional markets and recreation interests that point to opportunities for outreach and new services.
How we do it
We share findings through reports, maps, charts, and supporting datasets, or through ongoing dashboard access with Parkbeat.
Mobile location data
Analyze anonymized mobile location data to estimate visitation and visitor origins, from a single site to more than a thousand sites at once.
Your records
Combine mobile data with visitor counts, trail counters, permits, and reservation records to check and scale the estimates.
Surveys and public input
Online and map-based surveys let people identify the places they use and describe access, safety, and facility concerns.
Search and review data
Online search patterns and public reviews add information about recreation interests and the visitor experience.
Visitor use projects
All projects- Iowa DNR Little Sioux River Visitor TrendsIowa Department of Natural Resources · Little Sioux River corridor, Iowa Use across a 200-mile river corridor in six counties
- Tappan Lake Park Visitor and Market ProfileMuskingum Watershed Conservancy District · Deersville, Ohio Visitor and market profile to guide park development
- Outdoor Recreation in the Upper American River WatershedEl Dorado Water Agency · Upper American River Watershed, California An estimated 7 million recreation visitor-days in 2022
- ICON Water TrailsICON Water Trails · Des Moines, Iowa An estimated 252,000 visits from April through October 2022
- Parkbeat StudiesMultiple clients · United States Visitation, visit timing, repeat use, and visitor origins
Common questions
How accurate is mobile location data for estimating visits?
Mobile location data captures a sample of visitors, not every visitor. We check and scale estimates against counts or records from your sites wherever they exist, and we report assumptions and limitations alongside the results.
Is mobile location data private?
We work with anonymized data and report results for sites and areas, not for individuals.
Can a visitor use study support a grant application?
Yes. According to Iowa DNR, the City of Spencer used our Little Sioux River analysis to help secure a $250,000 grant for access improvements.
Can you track visitation over time?
Yes. Parkbeat offers dashboard access with updates as new data become available, so you can follow trends across seasons and years.
Discuss your project
Tell us about the places you manage and the questions you need to answer.
Contact Radbridge