Modeling the Physical Impacts of Outdoor Recreation-Caused Trail Degradation Utilizing a Drone-Collected, Remote Sensing Methodology in North-Central New Mexico
Open Access DepositedOn the Beaten Path
The growing popularity of outdoor recreation highlights an urgent need to balance human engagement with nature against its lasting impacts, especially trail degradation. This study presents a novel drone-based remote sensing methodology to model the physical impacts of recreation-induced trail degradation at Philmont Scout Ranch in north-central New Mexico. High-resolution digital surface models (DSMs) and orthomosaic maps were generated from drone imagery to measure key characteristics of trail degradation—trail width, incision, grade, and rugosity. These characteristics were synthesized into a raster-based trail degradation model using multiple criteria evaluation (MCE) techniques. Results demonstrate that drone-collected data can effectively map degradation at centimeter-scale resolution, offering a scalable, cost-effective, and reproducible approach for land managers. By providing both detailed visualizations and quantitative models of trail conditions, this research supports more targeted trail maintenance and conservation efforts, helping to sustain recreational access while mitigating environmental impacts.
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