Planning and Developing Trails and Routes - Tourism and Trails: Cultural, Ecological and Management Issues - page 181

While he developed this model for the context of ecotrails, the general
pattern can be used in a variety of contexts and on a wide range of trail types.
Once a decision has been made to develop or upgrade a trail or route, the
assessment phase begins. This includes setting goals and objectives for the
trail in a clear and concise manner and an evaluation of trail requirements in
terms of environment, facilities and services. Decisions regarding not only
the type of corridor to be developed (e.g. hiking, horseback riding, cycling)
but also the format (e.g. self-guided, marked), purpose (e.g. education, relax-
ation, exercise) and market (e.g. families, nature enthusiasts) must be estab-
lished at the outset. These variables will determine much about how the trail
should be designed, managed, marketed and monitored (Hugo, 1999).
Planning is the second phase in the process and comprises at least four
sub-phases that fulfill the ecological, psychological and physical require-
ments of trails and their consumers. First among these is the collection of ad
hoc data. Maps, literature about the place and interviews with landowners
are all important in helping to develop the social and physical aspects of trail
corridors. Proximity to water, distances from population centers, microcli-
mates and access to roads and highways should be assessed through ad hoc
data. Second, terrain and resource (trail parameters) evaluation will help
determine the best and most sustainable location for a nature trail or which
sites to include within a cultural circuit or water trail. For ecotrails and other
nature-based routes, it is critical to understand the area's physical geography,
natural vegetation, slope stability, potential for erosion and native wildlife.
Maps are crucial in these inventory exercises. Heritage trails must take into
account the local cultures, past and present, and the material remains of past
and present cultures and how they might be prioritized and linked into a
single, linear corridor. Third, for a trail to be truly sustainable, sensitive areas
must be identified. Swamps, steep gradients, endangered species habitats,
sand dunes, remnants of material culture and other fragile ecosystems and
potential resources must be identified. Finally, the trail corridor should be set.
The knowledge gained from the previous three planning sub-phases will help
determine the physical course of the trail, the required amenities (e.g. rest
areas, overnight huts, drinking water sources, shaded areas, toilets, benches,
interpretive tools) and trail steepness and level of difficulty (Hugo, 1999).
The third stage is evaluation. In this phase, the developer undertakes a
cost-benefit analysis and feasibility analyses to resolve whether or not to
proceed with the plan, to re-plan or to abandon the idea outright. At this
time it is still not too late to make changes or even to forego the idea of a trail
altogether if the results of the planning exercises justify this sort of action
(Hugo, 1999).
Stage four is the plan implementation. Once the decision has been made
to proceed, the physical elements of development begin to occur, which
should ideally involve the local community at great length. At this point, the
trail needs to be marked on the ground, surfaced, bridges built and amenities