Qualitative assessment of hiking trails in mountain territory: the trails4health project

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine and assess qualitatively the Vale Glaciar do Zêzere hiking trail.
Twenty nine participants, twenty men and nine women (age: 28.04 ± 10.79 years-old, height: 1.73 ±
0.09 m, body mass: 69.59 ± 11.00 kg), crossed a linear hiking trail with a distance of 9053 m. The
walking speed was monitored using a GPS device (Fenix 5, Garmin, USA) and maintained constant at
5 km/h. The hiking trail assess used one evaluation sheet to analyse the qualitative domains, as the
following: drainage, profile, bridges, stairs, vegetation, lateral/vertical protection, ground and
signalling. Classification was obtained between 1 and 5, being that 1 means “without maintenance” (0% of the trail) and 5 “very good maintenance” (100% of the trail). Results obtained were between
“without maintenance (0% of the trail)”, “little maintenance (25% of the trial)” and “adequate
maintenance” (50% of the trail). The main conclusion is that the Vale Glaciar do Zêzere hiking trail
needs a restructuring and a good maintenance.