Under a section heading labeled Trip Planning, respondents were next
asked to tell how they chose the route they were on. For all travelers on
the eight byways, the category checked most often was recommendation (n=465),
followed by highway signs (n=186), chance (n=159), brochure (n=146) and
the Internet (n=120). A large number of respondents reported choosing the
route by some “other” method, though this option was not listed
on some surveys. The most often cited “other” methods of choosing
were maps, tour books, AAA and past experience.
For survey respondents on the Dinosaur Diamond, most chose the route
because of highway signs (n=37), with 33 respondents following a recommendation
and 19 using a brochure to choose the route.
Over a hundred Frontier Pathways respondents chose this route because
of a recommendation (n=109), with different options falling far behind,
such as the 18 who relied on chance.
The Gold Belt Byway was also traveled because it was recommended, according
to 66 survey respondents who said this was how they chose the route. Other
important ways the route was chosen were chance (n=44) and brochure (n=38).
Recommendations (n=102) also figured prominently as reasons travelers
were on the Grand Mesa during the survey period, with over half of this
byway’s survey respondents saying that they chose the route because
of a recommendation. Less than a quarter of respondents chose the route
because of highway signs (n=42), and an eighth used a brochure (n=24) to
help them make their route choice.
Mostly past experience and maps, in the “other” category, influenced 101 respondents to choose to travel the Santa Fe Trail during the survey period. Other influences were recommendations (n=76), with about 10% citing the Internet, highway signs and chance as influencers.
Fifty people chose to travel the San Juan Skyway during the survey period
because of recommendations. Maps and/or past experience were some of the
“other” ways 25 people chose the byway, and 24 respondents said
they were influenced by a brochure.
Maps and past experiences (n=47) were again among the “other”
influencers of Top of the Rockies respondents regarding their choice of
routes, with over 55% listing other things as important. Recommendations
were next in line, with 18 citing this as a reason for their route choice.
Trail Ridge Road/Beaver Meadows Road also had a large number of respondents (n=38) who relied on past experience or maps, among some other things, to help them choose a route. The Internet was also an important influence (n=18), as were brochures (n=16).