Trail settings in national parks are essential for both nature conservation and increasing the quality of experience for visitors. In this study, we propose a plan for the appropriate maintenance of trails based on a recreation opportunity spectrum approach. The study site was Kamikochi in Chubusangaku National Park, Japan. We distributed a questionnaire to determine the preferences of park visitors for setting a trail. Their preferences were evaluated using the following seven parameters: access, remoteness, naturalness, facilities and site management, social encounters, visitor impact, and visitor management. We distributed 450 questionnaires and the response rate was about 60 %. The visitors were classified into four groups based on their preferences of trail settings. Then, these preferences were compared with the actual trail setting; we examined whether the trail settings were appropriate or not. This comparison indicates that most of the visitors prefer trails with moderate management and one that is less affected by visitors; however, some parts of the trail were degraded because they were not maintained properly and because of the disappearance of vegetation by trampling. Based on these results, we proposed appropriate planning for trails in the study site.