Influence of weather conditions on hiking behavior.

ABSTRACT

This study determines the major weather factors affecting hiking activity and builds a prediction model to estimate participation. An empirical assessment of hiking participation using weather factors was demonstrated for trails on Kuanyin Mountain, Taiwan. By adapting the concepts of the range of tolerance and the eclectic model, a nonlinear function was used to explain hiking participation with weather factors. Stepwise multiple-regression analysis was carried out to determine the major weather factors affecting hiking participation. The results indicate that not only did participation vary with the season but hiking behavior was affected by different weather factors in each season. The explanation rates for the seasons exceeded 90% except that for spring.