KAILUA-KONA — Visitors to the Big Island and locals alike have a new tool for getting out into the forest, just in time for summer.
KAILUA-KONA — Visitors to the Big Island and locals alike have a new tool for getting out into the forest, just in time for summer.
The state Na Ala Hele Trail and Access Program has rolled out a new website designed to put comprehensive information on its trails at the fingertips of anyone with a smartphone. Designed to funnel nature explorers onto sanctioned state trails, the new features will help hikers put away their guidebooks and maps.
The site should also take some of the guesswork out of choosing a hiking spot on an island where extreme weather can leave trails closed and where access can be fuzzy because of unclear jurisdiction and sometimes misleading and improvised signage.
The website highlights 18 key Big Island trails and offers details on scores of other hiking opportunities around the state.
The searchable interactive site provides trailhead directions for GPS, updates on weather and safety hazards and special conditions hikers should know about to be prepared — along with approved activities and photo galleries that give the hikers a preview of what they can expect to experience along the way. Hikers can tell from the site if they’re headed into areas that might have hunters, and links are provided to a brochure on ways to stay safe in the woods.
“We wanted an entirely new look and to establish it as the official site for all authorized public forestry program trails and roads,” said Aaron Lowe, Na Ala Hele’s acting program manager and project lead, in a statement. “We have created the one-and-only stop for people who are looking for sanctioned improved trails. All other trails, with the exception of a few other state and city trails, are not improved, and therefore are most likely closed and/or dangerous. People need to know this.”
Of notable exception are trails on federal lands such as Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park and Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, whose systems are not listed on the site.
The features on the site are similar to upgrades that Peoples Advocacy For Trails Hawaii has been been eyeing for its own website, said Tina Clothier, executive director for PATH.
The site consolidates a lot of information in one place that is easy to access, Clothier said.
Big Island hiker Megan Lamson said the summary of elevation gain, terrain and cultural and natural features like native forest birds and anchialine pools should be a boon to local hikers and those visiting.
“I hope these mentions would inspire respect and pono interactions between nature, culture and trail users,” she said. “I think it’s also useful to be able to search by island, amenities or activities as they have it organized. The only thing that I would add is a little note about transporting invasive species, especially plant seeds, on any vehicles or hiking boots. We are able to travel so swiftly now throughout our multiple island ecosystems and it would be easy to transport seeds of noxious weeds like fountain grass from one place to the next.”
Information: hawaiitrails.org