National Scenic Byways Program 

BOX: National Scenic Byways Program 

Lessons from the Road 



Case #3: Intrinsic Qualities Make a Byway 

Intrinsic qualities are the character-defining 
resources studies that attract and engage 
visitors. This case study describes the 
process used to analyze the Colonial 
Parkway’s intrinsic qualities and identifies 
some useful lessons for anyone undertaking 
an intrinsic quality analysis for the 
first time. 

The National Scenic Byway Program groups 
intrinsic qualities in six categories: 
archaeological, cultural, historical, natural, 
recreational, and scenic. Effective corridor 
plans identify these resources and incorporate 
them into management strategies that 
can accommodate growth and can protect, 
even enhance, a byway’s intrinsic qualities. 

For local communities, the task of defining 
the intrinsic qualities of a proposed 
National Scenic Byway may appear over-
whelming. Fortunately, intrinsic quality 
studies by corridor planners, landscape 
architects, and volunteers can serve as mod-
els. A publication called Byway Beginnings 
by the Federal Highway Administration and 
National Park Service describes a model you 
can use. 

A page on the Creole Nature Trail—-one 
of the first National Scenic Byways—- 
describes how students, volunteers, and pro-
fessionals used effective approaches to 
intrinsic quality analysis. 


PHOTO: “Intrinsic qualities” 
make each byway a one-of-a-kind 
experience for visitors.  



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 



Assessing Intrinsic Qualities: An Example 

In three general steps, the Colonial 
Parkway analysis process: 

• Researched the historic intent and orig-
inal condition of the road; 

• Documented the existing condition of 
the road’s intrinsic qualities; and 

• Analyzed the differences between the 
original and current condition of the road’s 
intrinsic qualities to determine their histor-
ical integrity. 

Colonial Parkway, a key component of 
Colonial National Historical Park, is a 
23-mile scenic road that connects the his-
toric sites of Yorktown, Williamsburg, and 
Jamestown. Located in Virginia’s Tidewater 
Region, Colonial Parkway was built to with-
stand the demands of 20th Century auto 
traffic and, at the same time, offer the expe-
rience of driving down a country road. The 
road’s views—-sweeping vistas of the York 
and James Rivers, and the cathedral ceiling 
of boughs overhead-—combine to create a 
parkway that is a driving experience in itself. 
The Parkway, built between 1930 and the 
1950s, spans 30 feet with three 10-foot-
wide lanes, and travels through a 500-foot-
wide corridor of land owned and managed 
by the National Park Service. Let’s look at 
their inventory and analysis because it 
relates to byways that traverse other types of 
treasured landscapes. 


PHOTO: Colonial Parkway connects
Yorktown, Williamsburg, and 
Jamestown, Virginia. 



Step 1: Research Byway History 

The first step in any analysis is to gather 
information. This effort began by research-
ing and writing an extensive history of 
Parkway lands, beginning with the Paleo-
Indians who inhabited the land prior to 
6500 B.C., and ending with Parkway con-
struction in 1930. Researchers then divided 
the Parkway into 14 sections and wrote a 
detailed history for each section, which pro-
vided a clear picture of the effect historic 
events had on the Parkway landscape. 

Information-gathering continued with an 
exploration of the original intent of the 
Parkway’s planners. This step was important 
because it provided a reference for compari-
son of the Parkway’s original condition and 
its current state. 

In the final step, they documented the 
condition of the Parkway’s character-
defining features, such as topography, spa-
tial organization, vegetation, traffic circula-
tion, and structures. This research created a 
baseline of information for the resource 
evaluation. 



Steps 2 & 3: Document Intrinsic Qualities & Analyze Changes 

The purpose of the evaluation was to 
assess the historical integrity of the Parkway. 
The first step compared each feature’s 
condition with its condition when the 
Parkway was completed in 1958. Historians 
analyzed each feature separately, then deter-
mined its historic integrity. 

The second step in the evaluation process summarized 
Colonial Parkway’s overall historical significance. The 
previous step had analyzed the Parkway in small sections to 
break down the task into manageable pieces. This next 
step merged the pieces to offer a comprehensive picture of the 
Parkway, its value as a premier example of a 20th Century 
American parkway, and its contribution to American 
history. 


SIDEBAR: What Is a Scenic Byway? 

FHWA defines a scenic byway as “a public road 
having special scenic, historic, recreational, cultural, 
archaeological, and/or natural qualities that have been 
recognized as such through legislation or some other 
official declaration.” 


PHOTO: Colonial National Historic Park 



Byway Beginnings

In a Federal Highway Administration
handbook called Byway Beginnings, you can 
learn about a common sense method well-
suited for intrinsic quality assessment by vol-
unteer committees. 


Along with step-by-step directions for 
organizing volunteers to conduct field inven-
tories, the book offers “Tips to Make Your 
Job Easier.” 

-- Mapping should be at a level of detail reports). 
   that is easily attainable. Use points or 
   shaded areas depending on the geographic 
   extent of the feature. 
 
-- Avoid analysis paralysis. Don’t get 
   bogged down in minutiae; you can always 
   come back for details as you need them. 

-- Generally speaking, only inventory those 
   intrinsic qualities that are visible from 
   the roadway. These usually contribute 
   most to the corridor experience. 

Depending on the length and character of 
the byway, the volunteers can do their work 
in cars, by bicycle, or on foot. Equip each 
team with: 

-- Maps (preferably USGS topographic 
   quads, or the equivalent); 

-- Notebooks or worksheets (examples 
   shown in the book); and 

-- Cameras (shoot color slides and black-
   and-white prints for presentations and 
   reports). 



Creole Nature Trail: Another Approach to Intrinsic Quality Analysis

The Creole Nature Trail is a two-lane 
state highway in southwestern Louisiana. It 
forms a 180-mile loop between Lake 
Charles and the Gulf of Mexico, through 
Calcasieu and Cameron Parishes. Natural 
and recreational intrinsic qualities highlight 
the Byway, which became a National Scenic 
Byway in 1996. 

The Creole Nature Trail passes through 
an area with miles of Gulf Coast beaches, 
marshlands, alligators, and four National 
Wildlife Refuges. The intrinsic quality 
analysis conducted as part of the Corridor 
Management Plan contained three parts: an 
inventory, an assessment, and management 
strategies. 

Two University of Louisiana graduate students 
in Landscape Architecture assisted the 
Intrinsic Quality Subcommittee of the 
Creole Nature Trail Scenic Byway District 
to produce the analysis. 

The Creole study team began with an 
extensive inventory, cataloging the Byway’s 
intrinsic qualities into the six standard categories. 
They documented information in 
text form and mapped it on U.S. Geological 
Survey topographic maps. To manage the 
mountain of data, the study team divided 
the road into 18 study areas. 

Next, the team ranked the intrinsic qualities 
as significant nationally, regionally, 
state-wide, or locally. For example, the team 
ranked the Byway’s natural intrinsic qualities 
as nationally significant because of the 
four national wildlife refuges along the 
Byway and its proximity to the Central and 
Mississippi Flyways used by migrating 
birds. 

Finally, the study team developed management 
strategies. They identified goals 
and action items for each of the 18 study 
areas that included protecting viewsheds 
and wildlife habitat, improving visitor 
access, and developing visitor interpretation 
programs. 


BOX: What are Intrinsic Qualities? 

Intrinsic qualities are qualities 
that are representative, unique, 
irreplaceable, or distinctly char-
acteristic for an area.  


PHOTO: (Cameron Prairie National Wildlife 
Refuge Office and Visitor Center sign) The 
Creole Nature Trail passes through an area 
rich in natural resources, including four 
National Wildlife Refuges. 



Lessons Learned 

Whether dealing with a designated or 
undesignated roadway, byway planners can 
draw key lessons from Colonial Parkway 
and the Creole Nature Trail and Byway 
Beginnings. 

-- Tell a Story 

As Americans learn more about their natural 
and built landscapes, traditions, and history, 
there will be even more stories to tell. 
Historical research on the Colonial Parkway 
revealed the importance of events during the 
Colonial era, and also of earlier periods. 
Along the Creole Nature Trail, it became 
apparent that the story must also include 
Cajun culture and traditions as they relate to 
the bayous and wildlife. 

Sorting through history to determine 
what should be folded into a cohesive story 
is a challenge, but always a critical step. A 
community’s ability to describe and interpret 
its scenic byway and offer a satisfying visitor 
experience will depend, in large part, upon 
the clarity and power of the byway story. 
(See Case Study #4: Telling the Story of a 
Scenic Byway.) 


-- Focus Your Study Lens Carefully 

When considering which qualities to 
assess, don’t overlook important qualities 
that may not be obvious at first. On the 
Parkway, it was important to consider the historic 
qualities of the road itself even though 
surrounding historic sites ( Jamestown, 
Williamsburg, and Yorktown) so easily overshadow 
the road. The well-preserved beauty 
of the Parkway design, structures, and scenic 
vistas inspired the idea of assessing the road 
itself. 


-- Others Can Help 

Even when assessing complex corridors 
rich with intrinsic qualities, follow simple 
and consistent steps. While Colonial 
Parkway benefited from experts in everything 
from history to engineering, their 
method was both simple and instructive. 

On the Creole Nature Trail, volunteers 
and graduate students assessed the region’s 
intrinsic qualities (not just the road’s) in 
three steps: inventory, assessment, and management 
strategies. 


-- Split the Work into Sections 

Another way to manage the detail and 
complexity inherent in any corridor is to 
divide the route into segments. The study 
team analyzed the historical integrity of 
each segment by splitting the Parkway into 
14 sections according to intrinsic qualities. 
Segmenting the byway enables a team to 
divide the work and methodically meet the 
challenge of documenting and evaluating 
the intrinsic qualities of a corridor. 


-- Choose the Right Assessment Tool 

Before committing to consultants, volunteers, 
or an inventory method, consider the scale and 
complexity of your corridor. Ideally, you will 
have accurate and conclusive information and 
advocates who are raring to go. 


Additional Resources

PHOTO: (scene of a byway.) Several good reference 
books are available to advise on protecting a
potential byway's intrinsic qualities.


SIDEBAR: Additional Resources 

Protecting Cultural Landscapes: 
Planning, Treatment, and Management 
of Historic Landscapes, Charles 
Birnbaum, National Park Service 
Preservation Briefs, Sept. 1994. 
Byway Beginnings: Understanding, 
Inventorying, and Evaluating a 
Byway’s Intrinsic Qualities, Evelyn 
Swimmer, Rick Taintor, John 
Whiteman, National Park Service & 
USDOT-FHWA, 1998. 
Creole Nature Trail Intrinsic Quality 
Management Strategies (part of Creole 
Nature Trail Scenic Byway Corridor 
Management Plan), Creole Nature 
Trail Scenic Byway District, June 1995. 
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 assistance 
to communities, serving as a catalyst 
for tangible results. 

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


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


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


SIDEBAR: PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER FHWA-EP-99-011