Maricopa County Parks and Recreation Department: 2024 Visitor Study

Pictured, from left to right: Dr. Nick Wise, undergrad student Katelyn Skabelund, PhD student Ziming Jin and Dr. Megha Budruk.

From hiking and trail running to mountain biking and horseback riding, Maricopa County’s regional parks have trails for every use. Drs. Megha Budruk and Nick Wise are leading a study at Maricopa County’s regional parks to help the county determine how visitors experience this amazing, local amenity. 

In mid-November, they, along with students Ziming Jin and Katelyn Skabelund from the School of Community Resources and Development, shared results of their visitor use study with the Maricopa County Parks and Recreation Department Commission and park leadership. Study findings from seven Maricopa County regional mountain parks (Estrella, White Tank, Cave Creek, Spur Cross, McDowell, Usery and San Tan) were presented at Hassayampa River Preserve near Wickenburg, one of several parks MCPRD manages. 

This study began in March 2024 with the assistance of a team of 12 students from ASU's Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions. Researchers collected 2,520 surveys at the seven mentioned parks. Questions focused on: How visitors discover the park; time that visitors spend in the parks; program interests and park activity usage; perceptions of service and facility quality; setting and facility preferences; and attitudes toward park fees and information sources. In addition to the regional mountain parks, the study includes Lake Pleasant Regional Park - one of the most scenic water recreation areas in the Valley of the Sun. Data at Lake Pleasant was collected until the end of November. The final study report will be sent to MCPRD leadership in the coming weeks.

The MCPRD Commission and park leadership were engaged and enthusiastic about the findings, and look forward to the final results in the fully detailed report. They asked for some further breakdown of study findings such as additional insight on visitor satisfaction compared to previous years and spending patterns.

This is the 7th Edition of the MCPRD Visitor Study conducted by SCRD faculty and students. The partnership between MCPRD and SCRD began in 1999, with the previous study conducted in 2019. Findings from the current visitor study will be used to inform park planning, management decision and park promotion. This is an exceptional example of SCRD working with our community partners to collect data and inform future planning at our county parks. Dr. Budruk serves as a commissioner for the MCPRD.