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Computers come to the state's great outdoors ONLINE
New information systems will help park visitors find their way to hikes and more in state parks
Date published: 6/14/2007 By Rob Hedelt VIRGINIA BEACH--It's a beautiful day, You've got your hiking shoes on. All you need here at First Landing State Park is an idea of which trail to take. Surrounded by piney woods, with a cypress swamp nearby and more than 2,000 acres of woods, dunes and sandy beaches, you do what any visitor here does these days. You walk up to the brand-new computer, housed in a little red-roofed, beige-sided kiosk, and use its touch screen to access everything from GPS trail coordinates to details on where you can find the camp store to buy worms for fishing. That's right. Computerized information systems are now officially everywhere, from airports to malls to the great outdoors of Virginia's parks. Just recently Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine heralded the fact that Virginia is the first state in the nation to put these information stations in its wide array of state parks. Visiting First Landing, one of the first parks to get an information station, Kaine noted that visitors to all state parks will soon be able to use them to get GPS-based trail details, spotting guides for wildlife, extensive data on park amenities, printable guides and maps, schedules and more. "The amount of information contained in this system really is amazing," Kaine said in a press release. "The system will enhance a state park visitor's stay by providing information on the park, attractions around the park, and even local emergency information. They even assist in making plans for future state parks visits." I made the trip to First Landing last week to see one of these new-age kiosks and it was pretty nifty. For 15 minutes or so, I ran through dozens of screens. Not only do the little info centers have the ability to print out hard copies of trails, schedules and more, they also provide stereo sound and show videos. "The information is still being developed, but the hope is that you will eventually be able to do an interactive hike on a specific trail on the Internet before you come, then print out a map of that trail to take with you once you get here," said Assistant Park Manager Mark Sandor.
Date published: 6/14/2007
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