The Art (and Science) of Placing a New Trail

Preface: Recreation areas in Appalachia are plentiful, and this research presents a particular technology utilized in placing new trails. This Geographic Information Science method results in artistically beautiful representations of the landscape, where inappropriate areas for trails (in terms of water, soil, and terrain) are shaded by suitability level. The application of this tool, however, proved troublesome in the real-world physical, and cultural, landscape. The researcher will share light-hearted views of the use of cutting-edge technology in regional recreation area management. Abstract: Least-cost path analysis is a technique used in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to take into consideration areas to avoid when considering new trail development. Erodible soils, hydrology, land cover, and terrain present issues for trail developers, and all need to be considered in terms of environmental protection. This paper briefly explores the GIS technology itself, then reveals the artistically beautiful, computer-generated representations of the landscape’s environmentally sensitive areas. The paper then explores the application of the tool in eastern Tennessee’s Doe Mountain Recreation Area, where the representations were taken into the field to ground-truth suitable areas for new trail placement. It was found that the real-world physical, and cultural, environment made this prominent technology largely unsuitable. The people employed in trail development were critical of the technology, and this proved rightly so. This research generates serious and light-hearted discussion of the appropriateness of certain technologies for the region’s recreation areas