New Trails WA Website Launch
After two years of planning and development, the new Trails WA website was launched in May by the Minister for Culture and the Arts, Sport and Recreation, the Hon David Templeman.
Over the past three years there has been a massive increase in investment by the State Government to develop and improve trails in Western Australia. Trails are a sustainable and appropriate way to encourage active nature-based recreation and tourism in the State’s parks and forests.
The Parks and Wildlife Service of the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) has led the way in building high quality, safe, sustainable and enjoyable trails. Just over half the trails on the Trails WA website are managed by the DBCA, with the rest managed by Local Government or private trail providers.
WA is the only state that has a one-stop shop for trails like this online. The website hosts information on nearly 800 WA trails and has all the information and maps you need to find a trail that suits you. This makes it much easier for trail-users to find a trail that suits them and because the data is provided by the trail manager, the information is accurate and useful.
Choose your trail
You can explore the available trails by ‘trail type’ to find bush walks or urban walks, mountain bike or cycle trails, 2WD scenic trails, 4WD adventure trails, paddle, snorkel, equestrian and trail running trails.
The search options also allow you to search by ‘experience’, to find Aboriginal and heritage trails, art trails, wildflower trails and even food and wine trails.
To find the best of the best, just search for ‘Top Trails’ to explore the best trails of their type in the State, as selected by WA trail experts.
When researching community desires to improve the previous website, the trail public told us they wanted to be able to narrow their searches even more. Trails WA listened, and the new site has an array of filters to narrow your searches, including the ability to search by duration, by difficulty and by region.
The most popular additional filters included dog-friendly trails and wheelchair-accessible trails. Remember, dogs are not allowed in national parks and some conservation reserves and may need to be on a lead when they are allowed – check before you go.
New and helpful features
The Trails WA website makes it easy to plan your getaway with the new ‘destinations’ feature. You will be able to find a trail-friendly holiday rental property, plan your trails experiences and also discover where to find some great local food, wine and beer.
Many trails’ destinations are now grouped as networks, so you can search for trails in places like Dryandra Woodland, Margaret River, Dwellingup’s Murray Valley trails or the Wambenger Trails in Collie.
One of the most important new features of the new website is the ability to download maps that can be used when you are off-line, an extremely useful feature when you are out of mobile signal range.
Utilising the experience of Apps like Fitbit and Apple Watch, the designers have added a ‘gamification’ mode. Simply create your own profile when logged in and start adding trails that you have completed to update your profile.
Badges such as ‘Tall Peak’ or ‘Bluff Knoll’ are then added to your profile and points are earned by completing trails so you can get to the ‘Weekend Warrior’ or ‘Trail Blazer’ status. You can also save your favorites to create a trails to do list. The new website also works perfectly on mobile devices, so there is no longer any need for a separate phone app.
Whether you’re looking for an Art Trail in the city, a fast downhill mountain bike trail in the Perth Hills, a multi-day section of the Bibbulmun or just somewhere to walk the dog, the new Trails WA website is the most useful trails information tool for Western Australia.
Do yourself a favour and get on it today!
We acknowledge the Aboriginal people of Western Australia as the Traditional Owners of the land through which these trails pass.
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© Trails WA Projects 2022
