Critical Factors and Their Threshold for Camper Satisfaction at Two Campgrounds

A mail survey of 800 campers at two campgrounds within the Adirondack Park was conducted to determine factors critical to camper satisfaction. These critical factors were identified using a measure of importance for each factor and the factor's ability to predict overall satisfaction. Three factors were identified as critical for a satisfying experience—Solitude/rejuvenation, Nature, and Facility characteristics. All critical factors give evidence of having a “threshold effect”. Evidence was also presented to support the conclusion that Solitude/rejuvenation was the most important factor at both campgrounds, while the importance of the remaining two factors varied by site characteristics.