Weather and Air Quality Drive the Winter Use of Utah’s Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons

Abstract

Winter outdoor recreation opportunities in Utah are directly impacted by the effects of climate change and deteriorating air quality. We examine the influences of daily weather conditions and air quality on winter use of two prominent Utah canyons located just outside Salt Lake City-Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons. Daily weather data were collected both within the canyons and in Salt Lake City; daily air quality data were collected for just Salt Lake City. We hypothesized that desirable weather within the canyons (i.e., cooler temperatures, more snowfall, and deeper snow depths) serves as a “pull” factor, positively influencing the volume of traffic. We also hypothesized that poor air quality within the city acts as a “push” factor on individuals’ travel behavior, this too would positively influence the volume of traffic up the canyons. We used a panel time-series regression model to determine the influence of both these “push” and “pull” factors on use of the canyons during the winter months. Our results revealed that, as expected, cooler temperatures and greater amounts of snow in the canyons, as well as poorer air quality in the city, have a positive and significant influence on winter canyon use. These findings suggest that warmer winter temperatures, as well as deteriorating air quality in the city, may have substantial impacts on Utah’s outdoor recreation economy.

Air Pollution and Outdoor Recreation on Urban Trails: A Case Study of the Elizabeth River Trail, Norfolk

“…These results suggest that while trail users value clean air, they may not consciously consider this factor when deciding whether to recreate on the ERT. In light of similar previous research [37], it is possible that expectancy-valence theory (operationalized as PHORS in this study) is a superior predictor of recreation choices compared to experiential models. Another possibility is that experiential benefits are subsumed within valence, with varying degrees of salience to the recreationist [14,32].…”

“…Dann defined push factors as personal preferences, whereas pull factors are attributes of the recreation site [33]. These factors, such as weather and PM [37], are suggested to determine travel and recreation site choices. A different approach, proposed by Driver, focuses on experiential factors linked to desired outcomes [34].…”

Effects and perceptions of weather, climate, and climate change on outdoor recreation and nature-based tourism in the United States: A systematic review

“…These activities are all sensitive to temperature, snowfall, and snow depth. Contrary to general park visitation and fishing, for snow-based activities, higher temperatures were correlated with lower visitation numbers [78][79][80][81]. This is likely because higher temperatures correlate to lower snowfall and snow depth.…”

“…with cash flow at a resort [82], and that snow depth is positively related to daily ticket sales at resorts [80]. For general snow-based recreation (including but not limited to downhill skiing), one study found daily snow depth was positively related to visitation, but daily snowfall was not significant [78]. Generally, snowfall seemed to be significant at larger scales (e.g., months or seasons), but less influential than snow depth on a daily scale.…”