One of our organizational pillars is to leverage insights and data to guide decisions and direction. We strive to accomplish this by using meaningful information to guide decisions, shape behavior, and communicate outcomes with consistency and transparency.
At TART Trails, we’re strengthening our focus on data to better understand and serve our communities. We’re adopting innovative tools and systems to streamline how we gather, interpret, and apply information—collecting meaningful data, using analytics to uncover trends, and integrating insights into our planning and decision-making. Through this approach, we aim to illuminate how trails enhance health, the environment, local economies, and quality of life, while regularly listening to community voices to ensure our work reflects real needs and experiences.
Trail User Survey Results | 2024 – 2025
The complete data set and key findings can be found here.
TART Trails Benefits Study | 2019
In 2019, Traverse Area Recreation and Transportation (TART) Trails, Inc worked with researchers from the University of Florida’s School of Forest Resources and Conservation to identify and measure how key stakeholders believe non-motorized trails in the region benefit and impact local residents, tourists, area businesses, and the region as a whole. Altogether, over 800 surveys were collected directly from trail users along with extensive surveys from business owners and health care professionals which shaped the study’s results. See the full results here.
Economic Impact Study | 2013
In 2013, TART Trails contracted with the Traverse Area Economic Development Corporation to perform an events-based study on the Vasa Pathway, including Mud, Sweat & Beers Fat Tire Fest, the Remembrance Run, Bell’s Iceman Cometh, and the North American Vasa Festival of Races. The event data was supplemented with onsite surveys of day-use visitors to the Vasa Pathway and on-site infrared counters. You view the results here.