Trail Counting Tools
Implement trail counting as a means of data collection.
Volunteer trail counts are a simple and effective way to learn how people are using outdoor recreation areas. Over time, these counts can show how often trails are used each day, week, month, or year. This kind of information is very helpful for people involved in your community’s local outdoor recreation planning. Trail counting data can support efforts to get funding, guide trail maintenance, and show patterns of use across different times of day, week, or year.
In addition to showing how busy the trails are, volunteer trail counts can also give insights into who is using the trails and what activities they are doing. This helps communities better understand the needs of local users and make decisions that improve the trail experience for everyone. It also creates a useful starting point for comparing changes in trail use over time.
Collecting Trail Count Data
A volunteer should fill out the table on the counting form. The volunteer needs to collect data for two hours in a row, ideally during a busy time. The best times are weekends from 12 to 2 p.m. or weekdays from 5 to 7 p.m. For the most accurate results, it is better to do weekday counts on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday. Try not to count on Mondays, Fridays, or holidays. All counts should be done between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.
Data can be collected throughout a trail system -- a busy or quiet trail, at a meeting spot, or at a trailhead. To make sure the data is accurate, counts should be done more than once in the same place and at the same time of day. For example, you could count people at a trail entrance from 12 to 2 p.m. on two Saturdays in a row.
Volunteers should bring the Trail Counting Worksheet and the instructions, something to write with. They might also want a trail map, clipboard, hat, sunscreen, jacket, snacks, and water. The volunteer should count from a safe location and stay aware of their surroundings.
The Trail Counting Worksheet and Extrapolating the Data Worksheet are built upon the free and open-source National Bicycle and Pedestrian Documentation Project hosted by the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) Pedestrian and Bicycle Council. This nationwide effort provides a consistent model of data collection and ongoing data for use by planners, governments, and bicycle and pedestrian professionals.
DownloadCollecting Trail Data Worksheet
Great for distributing to volunteers, use this worksheet to tally up the number of hours in a 2-hour period at any type of trail.
Download WorksheetExtrapolating the Data
To figure out how many people use the trails each week, month, or year, the steering committee should collect the Extrapolating the Data worksheets from volunteers.
For each two-hour counting period, add up all the users across genders and all types of trail users. If you did more than one count at the same place, average those totals. Then, enter the date of the first count into the Extrapolating the Data Worksheet.
Most natural surface trails will be listed as “path,” and since New Hampshire has cold weather most of the year, the climate should be marked as “long winter, short summer.”
DownloadExtrapolating the Data Worksheet
After counting trail data, use this spreadsheet to calculate Daily, Weekly, Monthly, or Annual activity at your location.
Download Worksheet