PROTOTYPE SIMULATION MODEL OF A WILDERNESS AREA.

Recent survey research suggests that solitude is the primary attribute which recreationists seek in their excursions into a wilderness area. One convenient way to operationalize the measurement of solitude during a recreational trip is to keep track of the intrusions to solitude which may be indicated by encounters (meetings with other groups of recreationists. The model, programmed in GPSS V, defines schedules for each party using a given area, executes that schedule and records the interactions between parties as they progress along their schedules. Experimentation with the model indicates that it will provide a viable informational tool for the analysis of alternative management policies for low-density or wilderness recreational areas.