A Qualitative Case Study of Trail Visitors’ Experiences and COVID-19 Mitigation Decisions During the Pandemic

Although there have been numerous studies concerning COVID-19 and its impact on people’s recreational experience, most projects only documented observable behaviors or used cross-sectional surveys to ask respondents about their behavior. Few projects explored the participants thought processes and attitudes about how the pandemic affected their recreation during this period. This project consisted of 31 interviews that were designed to understand recreational users’ trail use dur-ing the pandemic and the motivations and decision making when they adopted (or not) guidelines given to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. The interviews, structured around six main questions, revealed four key themes: changes in trail use, perceptions of risk and safety, adoption of COVID-19 mitigation behaviors, and influences on these decisions. This research provides valuable insights into the behaviors and attitudes of trail users during the pandemic.