Target Audience: Local hikers of all ages and levels, as well as visitors to
Usefulness of Content: This site was created and is maintained by an independent local resident, on her own initiative, and it is a fabulous community resource. I used it often when I lived in Santa Barbara. It provides detailed and informative descriptions about nearly all county trails, including directions to trailheads and maps. The content is divided by locale (beach walks, front country, back country, and wilderness areas), making it easy for locals to find the type of trail they’re looking for. For visitors, there is a great “Hike Recommendations” page that provides trail suggestions based on user preferences. Another good resource on the site is the database of
Consistency of Design: The header bar, photo, and drop-down navigation menus at the top of the page are visually appealing and remain consistent throughout the entire site. While this top section seems fairly modern, the navigation bars and remaining visual design are a little outdated, with many lists of links underlined and displayed in green. The trail descriptions and wildflower pages follow a consistent layout, making information easy to locate.
Ease of Navigation: Though the site looks a little dated, it makes up for it by being easy to navigate and chock-full of great information. The organization of trail listings does cater more to local residents than visitors – an interactive map of the whole trail system would be extremely useful for those new to the area. Also, it would be helpful if the author included the “Hike Recommendations” page under the “Hikes” section, rather than the catch-all GORP category. But all in all, a great site, and I wish something like this existed for the Austin area.
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