Nature Trails and Mixed Routes - Tourism and Trails: Cultural, Ecological and Management Issues - page 66

attitudes and spiritual traditions, as well as the locale's siting and solitude
(Heintzman, 2009). Many people view wilderness trail use as a spiritual
experience (Hughes & Morrison-Saunders, 2003), as an opportunity to con-
nect with nature or to appreciate the creative hand of their deity (Biers-Ariel
et al. , 2000).
One specialized type of wilderness track is the ecotourism trail. Most
traditional ecotourism activities take place in relatively undisturbed natural
areas, with remoteness and isolation being part of their appeal (Hall & Boyd,
2005; Timothy & Martens, 2012; Timothy & White, 1999). While there
seems to be a tendency for people to associate ecotourism with tropical
areas owing to their more 'exotic' public appeal, many ecotrails and ecotour-
ism venues have developed in other remote environments such as taiga for-
ests, arctic and subarctic regions (Boyd & Butler, 1999), coastal zones and
deserts. Boyd and Butler (1999) referred to these ecotourism settings as 'ter-
tiary ecotourism spaces' that often had within them a heavy resource-based
extractive industry in which existing routeways, often forest and logging
routes as well as animal migratory tracks, could be used by the 'serious eco-
tourist' where ecotourism was their primary motive.
Snowmobile and ski trails
Another unique type of linear resource is snowmobile and ski trails
(Bowick, 2003). The Canadian province of Ontario is believed to have the larg-
est connected snowmobile trail system in the world with some 34,262 km of
designated trails that link communities, recreational sites, tourist attractions,
events and other services (Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs, 2013).
Dupuis and Müller (2005: 100) identified four route types for cross-
country skiing. First, tour and retour routes are used for short strolls and are
the most common type of trail used by skiers who are less interested in appre-
ciating the natural landscape. Instead, they enjoy skiing, and their main pur-
pose is simply to get out of the house. Second, circular routes are used by
strollers, who start and finish at the same point, typically at a car park or near
a trailhead. These skiers are more interested in nature and landscape, and
access to a particular site is very important. Designated circular routes often
link sites together along the trail. The third type is traverse routes, wherein
hikers leave from one point and arrive somewhere else. Typically they use
public transportation to get back to their starting point or arrange to have
someone pick them up. Finally, randomized routes comprise several day-trips
in different directions. Some users spend one or more nights in nature, while
others 'promenade' on day trips.
Snowmobile and ski trails in most locations are seasonal and strongly
dependent upon snowfall levels during the coldest months. Official winter
trails may be marked with flags and signs, while unofficial trails may simply
be created in an ad hoc manner wherever users decide to create them. Races
are common on these trails in the Nordic countries of Europe, Canada and