Campsite Impact in the Wilderness of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks

In the late 1970s, in response to rapidly increasing visitor use and proliferating impacts, the condition of all campsites in the backcountry of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks was assessed by park research staff. All campsites were located and assigned to one of 273 different subzones; their condition was assessed on the basis of eight impact parameters: vegetation density, vegetation composition, total area of the campsite, barren core area, campsite development, litter and duff, social trails, and tree mutilations. In 2006 and 2007, to ascertain trends in impact, the campsite survey was repeated in 120 of the 273 subzones (44% of the wilderness).