Planning and Developing Trails and Routes - Tourism and Trails: Cultural, Ecological and Management Issues - page 202

Table 6.7 Little Moose Island (LMI) and Jordan Pond (JP) respondent preferences
regarding management of use and trail hardening measures

Attributes Maximize solitude and naturalness

using access restrictions and
stepping stones

Maximize access for all
abilities using gravel

Access level 25-30% gain access Use is not limited

Encounter level No other groups encountered Encounter up to 20 other

groups

Ecological level Slight amount of trail

widening

No widening or secondary
trails

Development level Stepping stones on sections

of trails

Gravel on sections of
trails

Preferences
- LMI scenario
- JP scenario

79%
33%

21%
67%

Source: After Cahill et al. (2008: 242).

Signage
There is more to trail design than the on-the-ground corridor; there are
many associated infrastructure elements that must be considered in develop-
ing and designing any sort of route. One example is the production of high-
quality and environmentally sound signs and waymarks (Carabelli, 2002;
Finke, 1997). Well-marked trails are important in assuring resource protec-
tion and user safety. Signs and trail markers fulfill several important pur-
poses. The most important role of waymarks is to indicate the course of a
trail, byway or other linear corridor. These are especially important for first-
time users and for all users at confusing intersections or where the prescribed
way might be difficult to discern. Good signs help people avoid becoming
lost (Dowson & Doxford, 1997). This in turn helps them feel more confident
about where they are going. Because people can enter most long-distance
routes at a variety of locations, signs and colored maps to show people's loca-
tion on the trail can be useful in helping them decide if they want to con-
tinue or where they would like to go next (Finke, 1997: 77).
On long-distance, road-based routes, highway signs are commonly used
to illustrate and confirm the byway one is traveling (Payne, 1997). In most
cases these signs simply project the name of the route with little additional
information so as not to become a distraction for drivers (Figure 6.6). Heritage
walks or backwoods hiking tracks are sometimes marked with signs or blazes
that indicate the course of the corridor. Blazes take many forms, including
painted symbols on trees or rocks, stone cairns, flags on trees, or affixed metal