<p>The impact of visual pollution (VP) on the reduction of landscape aesthetic values (LAV) in recreational sites, including national parks (Class II IUCN-1992), has received limited attention spatially. To address this gap, a framework was developed utilizing various criteria that indicate VP and LAV within GIS, specifically applied to Golestan National Park (GNP) in Iran. According to the purpose of the study, these criteria pertain to the types of diversity and visibility related to aesthetic or visual pollution phenomena. This study is the first to examine these criteria together. In this study, twelve aesthetic criteria that positively influence landscape aesthetic values (LAV) were identified and mapped, along with three criteria associated with negative impacts on LAV, referred to as visual pollution (VP). All map layers were fuzzified in a standard form within the range of 0 to 255 and subsequently weighted using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). The weighted linear combination (WLC) method was used to integrate the layers, resulting in a layer that contains continuous LAV and VP. Subsequently, the varying effects of VP on LAV were analyzed across three scenarios: optimistic, interstitial, and pessimistic, as perceived by tourists through a questionnaire. The classified scenario maps show that the layers with very high and high LAV comprised 8.55% and 13.74% of the total area in the optimistic scenario, 7.77% and 13.58% in the interstitial scenario, and 7.35% and 13.21% in the pessimistic scenario. The applied methods can be considered for future research from two perspectives: (1) considering elevation in visibility layers instead of distance layers from phenomena, and (2) using the locations of phenomena instead of viewpoints. This approach offers a novel method for identifying recreational zones and walking paths in tourist areas in other regions.</p>