New trails and parks signs help with wayfinding

The Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) is moving ahead on a project to update signs in Whistler’s trails and parks – with many recreational trails in the resort community already sporting the new signage.

Starting this past August, signs were installed on most of the RMOW, Whistler Off Road Cycling Association (WORCA) and the Alpine Club of Canada (ACC) recreation trails inside Whistler’s boundaries. These trails include areas like the Interpretive Forest, Trash and Train Wreck, Flank, West Side and Skywalk trails.

The signs provide trail names, directional information, difficulty ratings, permitted uses and ownership information. They were created and installed in partnership with WORCA and ACC, based on the guidelines identified in the Master Wayfinding and Arrival Experience Strategy.

“As one of the top visitor destinations in Canada, the visitor experience is a high priority for the RMOW,” said Whistler Mayor Nancy Wilhelm-Morden. “Helping a visitor find their way is an important part of their experience and contributes positively to their time spent in Whistler. These new trail signs provide both first-time and frequent visitors with clear and consistent information to create a seamless journey as they navigate Whistler’s extensive recreation trail system.”

The new signs also work to mark trails that were previously hidden from view, help orient people within the trail system, and provide information at key decisions points. They include both trailhead signs and directional signs.

The signs were designed to include sustainable and natural materials like wood and naturally-finished metals to fit appropriately into the environment while still providing necessary information. They will require a low-level of maintenance to ensure they maintain their appearance over the long term.

More recreational signage is being planned for Whistler’s main municipal parks, including Alpha Lake Park, Lakeside Park, Rainbow Park, Lost Lake Park and more. New signs and maps will also be developed for Whistler’s 40-kilometre Valley Trail network. It is anticipated that all updated trails and parks signs will be in place by the end of 2017.

The trails and parks signs are the third phase of the Master Wayfinding and Arrival Experience Strategy. The strategy also saw over 200 new pedestrian signs, banners and portals installed this summer in Whistler Village as part of phase one and two of the strategy. The overall intent of the Master Wayfinding and Arrival Experience Strategy is to enhance and improve the guest experience and support ongoing business success throughout the community.

The parks and trails signs program has an additional linkage to the Recreation Leisure and Master Plan completed in 2015. During the plan’s community engagement process undertaken in 2013, the RMOW heard repeatedly that wayfinding in Whistler’s parks and trails could be improved to match other mountain bike destinations.  As a result, upgrading wayfinding at municipal parks and along the Valley Trail, off-road recreation trails and Lost Lake winter trails had been made a priority.

This project is made possible through funding provided by the Province of British Columbia’s Resort Municipality Initiative.

Report suspicious activity to the Whistler RCMP

The RMOW would also like to ask the public to report any suspicious activity involving the new recreational trail signage to the Whistler detachment of the RCMP. In recent months, there have been recurring acts of vandalism and theft of signage on the Trail Wreck, Westside and Skywalk trails. The Whistler RCMP detachment can be reached at 604-932-3044.