Spatially-explicit participatory planning is a relatively new approach for managing visitors to protected
areas. In this study we used public participation geographic information systems (PPGIS) mapping and
global positioning system (GPS) tracking to monitor mountain bikers frequenting national parks for
tourism and recreation in Northern Sydney, Australia. PPGIS was implemented using both an internet
application and with hardcopy maps in the field. Our research addressed two fundamental questions for
park planning: (1) What is the spatial distribution of visitor activities and location-specific reasons for
riding; and (2) What location-specific actions are needed to improve riding experiences? The spatial
distributions of riding activities generated in PPGIS showed strong correlation with the GPS tracking
results, with riding locations being related to the reasons for track selection. Riders proposed a broad
range of management actions to improve riding experiences. PPGIS mapping provides a cost-effective
approach to facilitate spatial decision making, allowing park agencies to prioritise future visitor management
actions. We discuss the strengths and limitations of these research methods.