Red Rock Canyon was designated as Nevada’s first National Conservation Area (NCA) in 1990. This NCA is a popular tourist area, as well as a recreation destination for locals. Visitors use the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area for hiking, road biking, rock climbing, and horseback riding.
But as pointed out in a recent article in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, “More than 3 million people visited Red Rock Canyon last year alone, shattering the old attendance record by more than 600,000. Prior to 2013, the park had never seen even 2 million visitors in a single year.”
This increase in volume presents additional challenges to the Bureau of Land Management and the Southern Nevada Conservancy, who are working to address congestion in this area, while also keeping it as accessible as possible to the public.
GBI proudly contributed to these efforts, producing a capacity study for Red Rock Canyon NCA. Among the methods used to assess visitation and its impact were:
- Manning entrance stations and compiling vehicle and people per vehicle (ppv) counts.
- Working visitor centers and interfacing with guests.
- Monitoring parking lot occupancy and turnover.
- Recording travel times throughout the area.
- Monitoring electronic/magnetic and pneumatic counters placed on key roads.
- Creating an open-ended, online survey for those likely to use the area for recreation.
Read the full Las Vegas Review-Journal article HERE.
