PUBLIC ACCESS IN THE CANADIAN COUNTRYSIDE: A COMPARATIVE SURVEY

This article employs the concept of physical rigour to map and measure recreational routes and zones available to the public. The thirteen study areas represent settled rural districts in three major ecumene regions, plus national parks at the fringes of the ecumene. Following a qualitative appraisal of mapped patterns of access, statistical measures of access availability are computed for five levels of rigour, grading from passive through to arduous. There are clear regional variations in the amount of access available at each level, and in the weighted index of overall access availability. Data analysis suggests that intensity of land use is the major determinant of such variations. Other factors include amplitude of relief, the type of natural vegetation, and the form of land survey.