National Scenic Byways Program 
Lessons from the Road

LOGO: National Scenic Byways Program 


Case #6: Visitor Experience & Services 

The visitor experience of a place 
involves both the tangible and the 
intangible, which together meet the 
needs and expectations of travelers. 
A good scenic byway accommodates 
these needs and interests to 
create a rewarding experience. 

The Intangible 

Byway planners want to share 
their love and respect for their 
region. They want visitors to dis-
cover what’s special and to take 
memory home. What are the special 
or unique places to be shared? 

Is the goal an appreciation of scenic 
and natural qualities, or culture and history? 
Or some other combination? 

Imagine a tour over several days that 
would provide a wide-ranging, sensory 
experience. Think about the places visitors 
should go, the people they could meet. How 
will you provide that experience? How will 
you enhance the experience? 

The Tangible

Is the byway open and ready for business? 
What do visitors need and desire? What 
intrudes on the visitor experience, and how 
can those intrusions be handled? 

This case study draws on the experiences 
of five byway projects to share ideas about 
tangible and intangible aspects of visitor 
experience planning.  


PHOTO: “Out of car” experiences 
are one key to providing a 
positive visitor experience. 


About Lessons from the Road 

This case study features lessons learned by scenic byway 
advocates across the country that are applicable to many 
scenic byway initiatives. 

Scenic byways are public roads with special scenic, historic, 
recreational, cultural, archaeological, and/or natural qualities 
that have been recognized as such through legislation or some 
other official declaration. 

Nomination guidelines for National Scenic Byway designation 
require a series of planning and management elements. 
Some byway efforts lead to nomination, and possibly national 
designation; the rest choose other paths for implementation. 
These case studies show how various byway managers 
address planning and management issues in distinctive ways. 

Each case study in this series concludes with a resource list 
of helpful publications and details on how to contact the 
National Scenic Byways Clearinghouse. 

Good luck with your byway. 


The Series 

 1. Mapping 
 2. Design and Maintenance 
 3. Assess Intrinsic Qualities 
 4. Telling the Story 
 5. Conserving Intrinsic Qualities 
*6. Visitor Experience & Services 
 7. Manage Development 
 8. Signage 
 9. Marketing 
10. Public Involvement 
11. Action Plans 
12. State Program Management




Four Steps Toward a Positive Visitor Experience 

Throughout the following steps it is 
essential to remember that good visitor 
experience is linked not only to the quality 
of byway services, facilities, and accommodations, 
but also to the quality of what visitors come to see: scenery, history, nature, and 
culture. 

1. Build a Local Framework 

Assemble an interdisciplinary team made 
up of those who can develop the plan and 
those who can implement the plan. A variety of 
specialists may be needed to assist the 
team. 

Whenever possible, use statements of 
byway purpose, intrinsic qualities, 
and primary interpretive themes that 
already have been prepared for the 
Corridor Management Plan. 
These form the foundation upon which 
the visitor experience plan and implementation 
strategies are built. 

Hold community workshops to consider changes in the 
community that might accompany growing numbers of 
visitors. Through facilitated discussions, 
identify specific concerns and generate a wide range of potential solutions. 

Right from the start, it is important to 
recognize the value of these specific concerns 
and ideas. By listening carefully and 
using what you hear, two things will happen. 
First, you will create a better byway community 
and, second, you will manage byway 
services and facilities with the priorities of 
both visitors and residents in mind. 


PHOTO: The Coal Heritage Trail 
takes in numerous sites that 
were part of the region’s 
working heritage, such 
as the Itmann 


2. Analyze Resources & Uses 

Analyze corridor resources and how visitors and 
residents use them. Create and use 
maps to involve people who live in the 
corridor, and help them understand the 
elationship between resources, uses, and the quality of the visitor’s experience. 

Based on interpretive themes, brainstorm 
about the potential experiences to be 
shared, and the memories that visitors 
might take with them. Identify intrusions. 
Identify new facilities needed to accommodate 
more visitors. 


3. Make Recommendations 

One way to develop a quality visitor experience is 
through “Experience Zones.” Like 
the fabric squares that combine to form a 
beautiful quilt, these areas overlay the byway 
corridor map to show a pattern of varied 
activities and management, both current and 
desired. A zone might describe big changes, 
or continuation of the status quo. 


4. Monitor & Act 

Develop a monitoring plan to track 
changing conditions. Identify and select 
critical areas to monitor for visitor experience 
quality. Be prepared to take management actions 
when monitoring indicates visitor experience or 
resource conditions fall below standards. 




Visitor Plans at Work 

“Experience Zones” 
On the Coal Heritage Trail 


Along the Coal Heritage Trail, a 128-mile 
industrial heritage route in southern West 
Virginia, the visitor will first tour a coal 
mine, then learn about the impact of rail
roading, visit a company store, get insights 
into local political history, visit historic coal 
mining communities, and finally tour a coal 
baron’s community. Each of these 
Experience Zones has proposed activities 
and management actions. 

The Coal Heritage Trail 
showcases exhibition coal 
mines at each end and 
company towns with historic structures 
and working coal mines between.


PHOTO: The Coal Heritage Trail 
showcases exhibition coal 
mines at each end. 


Monitoring on the 
Norbeck Byway 

The Peter Norbeck 
Scenic Byway—a 70-mile scenic and recreational 
loop that crosses the heart of the Black Hills 
in southwestern South Dakota— formed a 
Monitoring Committee (including public 
members) to review the plan and evaluate 
site conditions twice a year. At 
least every five years, the 
committee will survey user 
satisfaction and report on 
the condition of specific 
resources. The goal is to 
protect and enhance 
resources that are essential 
to the visitor experience. 


Other Examples 

Check “Lessons Learned” on page 5 to see 
how these byways served their visitors: 

• San Juan Skyway (southwestern 
  The Coal Heritage Trail showcases 
  exhibition coal mines at each end. 
  Colorado), a 236-mile mountainous loop 
  through the San Juan National Forest, 
  features historic towns, diverse alpine life 
  zones, and intense natural beauty. 

• Pyramid Lake Scenic Byway (western 
  Nevada), a 50-mile lakefront route 
  completely within the Paiute Indian 
  Reservation, focuses on cross-cultural 
  understanding of values and sustainable 
  interaction with the Lake.
 
• The Seaway Trail (northern New York), a 
  454-mile cultural route crossing 10 counties 
  along the Great Lakes coastline, offers 
  nsight into the lifestyles of those who are 
  intimately connected to the land and the 
  water. 


SIDEBAR: Involving the 
Visitor Experience Team 

A dedicated visitor experience 
team should play a major role in 
planning and implementation. 
Here are some ways the team 
can help develop the visitor 
experience plan: 

• Reach out to residents, 
  business owners, and local 
  government; 

• Encourage small successes 
  through early implementa-
  tion projects; 

• Organize “adopt-a-byway” 
  programs; 

• Identify existing and new 
  opportunities to enhance visi-
  tor experiences (See page 6); 

• Identify intrusions to the 
  visitor experience and their 
  solutions. 



Getting to Visitor Satisfaction 

Visitor satisfaction depends upon four ele-
ments: 1) adequate and realistic trip plan-
ning; 2) accurate expectations; 3) the experi-
ence itself; and 4) memories of the trip. 
Meeting the needs and expectations of trav-
elers is key to their satisfaction. 

Establish Expectations 

If visitors to the Coal Heritage Trail 
expect a refined scenic route with fancy visi-
tor facilities, they may be disappointed and 
not return. But if they expect an industrial 
coal-producing region with a warm welcome 
and proud traditions, visitors will likely 
enjoy themselves and recommend the trip to 
friends. 

Byway planners and managers can directly 
and positively affect the visitor experience. 
Here are a few ideas: 

• Make it easy for prospective visitors to 
  learn about your destination and regional 
  opportunities. Offer up-to-date and 
  truthful descriptions of what visitors can 
  expect to see and do. Don’t market prom-
  ises you can’t keep. 

• Provide hospitality training in communi-
  ties along the byway so cashiers and front 
  desk staff are well-informed and helpful. 

• Put yourself in a first-time visitor’s shoes. 
  Listen to current visitors and their sugges-
  tions. What is making the trip a success? 
  What’s missing, and what’s wrong? 



Basic Needs of Visitors 

Are you having trouble figuring out basic 
visitor needs? Try solving the question with a 
game; there’s no law against having fun with 
a Corridor Management Plan. 

At a public workshop, set up a role play 
using the list of visitor groups you expect (or 
hope) to attract, such as families with young 
children, singles, retirees, tour groups, bicy-
clists, and non-English-speaking visitors. 
Also designate a police chief, a hotel opera-
tor, a restaurateur, a service station owner, 
and any other byway service managers you 
have or may need. After giving the players 
five minutes to get into character, have a 
moderator walk them through a special 
weekend (or even a whole season). Along the 
way, “visitors” and “managers” should inter-
rupt with questions, complaints, surprises, 
observations, and compliments. Have a per-
son on the sidelines to write down how the 
script unfolds. 


PHOTO: Don’t keep your visitors confined to their cars. 


Lessons Learned 

. Make partnerships a major aspect of your 
  Corridor Management Plan and its 
  implementation. The San Juan Skyway 
  has benefited from a variety of strong 
  private interests that have assisted in 
  constructing scenic turnouts, visitor centers, 
  entry stations, wayside exhibits, a 
  rails-to-trails project, and identification 
  and stabilization of historic structures. 

. Encourage multi-day trips. Visitors need 
  basic accommodations and services such 
  as food, gas, lodging, comfort stations, 
  and welcome centers along the corridor. 
  To achieve the broader goals of tourism 
  and economic development, however, 
  you must give visitors reasons to stay a 
  second or third day, and to return. 

. Provide off-the-byway outdoor recreational 
  opportunities, which give people 
  a chance to explore the region and communities, 
  as well as reasons to stay longer. 
  The San Juan Skyway provides outdoor 
  adventure at every turn, from biking to 
  hunting, paddling, rock climbing and 
  llama trekking. Four-wheel-drive vehicles 
  are allowed to use old mining roads. 
  Outfitters, guide services and rental 
  equipment in every town help visitors 
  take advantage of these opportunities. 

. Train and employ residents as tour 
  guides and interpreters. Residents have 
  lived the stories and can tell them in an 
  engaging, memorable way. Along the 
  Coal Heritage Trail, a former miner leads 
  visitors through the Exhibition Coal 
  Mine. He explains not only mining technology, 
  but also the experiences of 
  friends and family. Visitors take home 
  strong impressions of life in the corridor, 
  as memorable and colorful as their 
  photographs. 

. Write a Corridor Management Plan for 
  action. It documents resource conditions 
  and should guide development, but it 
  must also specify needs, responsibilities, 
  and initial priorities. The Peter Norbeck 
  Scenic Byway plan lists intrusions and 
  recommended enhancements for every 
  mile of the Byway. 

. Invite visitor comments and listen to 
  them. The Seaway Trail, Inc., ran a pilot 
  “one-on-one communication” project for 
  three years called the “Road Scholar 
  Program.” They mailed a report card kit 
  with incentives so visitors could grade 
  sites, events, and facilities. Responses 
  indicated that families with a thirst for 
  heritage information were touring. The 
  annual “Journey” magazine, guidebooks, 
  and construction of a new Discovery 
  Center will respond to these visitors’ 
  needs. 

. Invite visitors to join residents in 
  celebrating the local culture. Along the Coal 
  Heritage Trail, annual homecoming picnics 
  allow residents to share their heritage, 
  memories, music, and dance, and 
  to renew old friendships. The Pyramid 
  Lake Byway promotes cross-cultural 
  understanding to meet the Paiute tribe’s 
  goals of strengthening their culture, 
  which is dependent upon a restoration of 
  the Lake’s fishery and respect for its life 
  force. 


Enhancements for Visitors 

Following is a menu of possible enhancements for visitors, 
to help ensure the quality of their experience, 
and to bring them back again: 

*accessible visitor centers and information kiosks along the route 
*affordable lodging, eateries, and service stations 
*automobile tour cassette tapes 
*building facade improvements 
*bicycle and pedestrian paths 
*bicycle racks 
*convenient public transit with links to other modes of travel 
*entry portals or orientation kiosks at end points 
*effective law enforcement 
*fairs, festivals, and heritage tours 
*friendly tour guides and shopkeepers 
*guidebooks for walkers, cyclists, boaters, as well as drivers 
*improved roadways and bridges 
*knowledgeable staff at front desks and check-outs 
*picnic and rest area shelters 
*recreational opportunities and rental outlets for gear 
*scenic turnouts, overlooks, and wayside exhibits 
*screening of intrusions 
*traffic calming street and intersection designs 
*well-designed and situated parking areas 
*well-managed system of signs for directions, safety, 
 education, and commerce 



Additional Resources 

Visitor Experience and 
Resource Protection and 
National Park Service 
Planning (brochure), 
National Park Service, 
Denver, 1997. 

Tourism Planning: Basics, 
Concepts, Cases, 3rd edition, 
Clare A. Gunn. 1994, Taylor 
& Francis, Washington, DC. 

Rural Tourism Handbook: 
Selected Case Studies and 
Development Guide, US 
Travel and Tourism 
Administration, US Dept. of 
Commerce, Washington, 
DC. 

Contact the National 
Scenic Byways 
Clearinghouse for these and 
other resources (see below). 


About this Series 

The National Scenic Byways Program of 
the Federal Highway Administration and the 
Rivers, Trails & Conservation Assistance 
Program of the National Park Service collab-
orated to research, write, and produce 
Lessons from the Road. The series was written 
in 1998. 

For information on resources mentioned in 
this series, contact the National Scenic 
Byways Clearinghouse: 1-800-4-BYWAYS 
(1-800-429-9297), press 2, or visit our 
website at www.byways.org. 

The Rivers, Trails & Conservation 
Assistance Program works beyond national 
park boundaries to bring conservation assis-
tance to communities, serving as a catalyst 
for tangible results. 

Opinions expressed in these 
case studies are not necessar-
ily those of the USDOT/FHWA 
or the NPS. These documents 
do not constitute standards, 
specifications, or regulations 
and are distributed in the inter-
est of information exchange. 
The United States Government assumes no 
liability for the contents or use thereof.

LOGO: U.S. Department of 
Transportation Federal Highway 
Administration 

LOGO: U.S. Department of 
the Interior National Park Service 
 
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