Greater Victoria parks use virtual trail tours to help visitors plan accessible hikes

Thetis Lake Regional Park is considered one of the crown jewels in the Capital Regional District’s network of 34 parks and four regional trails, but not all of its five-kilometre main loop is accessible for every visitor.

“There are roots and even a few stairs along the trail,” said Nicole Cann, the CRD’s manager of visitor experience and stewardship.

“This is likely not something that you could access if you were a wheelchair user.”

While other sections of the trail system are accessible, Cann said visitors often do not know what to expect until they are already on the trail.

“One of the biggest things that we have learned by working with people in the accessibility community is that information about what people with accessible needs can expect when they get to our parks is a vital part of their decision-making process,” she said.

To help address that challenge, the CRD has begun virtually mapping some of its most popular parks using 360-degree camera technology and Google Street View.

Staff and volunteers spend the summer capturing trail imagery that allows users to virtually explore parks before visiting in person.

“We are out in our parks and trails all summer long with our 360 camera trying to capture imagery to load up to Google Street View so that you can virtually tour some of the most used areas of our most popular parks before you decide to come,” Cann said.

The online tours allow visitors to preview parking areas, trail surfaces, elevation changes and gathering spaces ahead of time.

The CRD launched the initiative last summer. So far, about 20 kilometres of the region’s 350-kilometre trail network have been mapped.

The first parks selected were more accessible and high-traffic locations, including Island View Regional Park, Francis/King Regional Park and Thetis Lake Regional Park. More rugged backcountry trails are expected to be mapped next.

According to Statistics Canada, 24 per cent of British Columbians between the ages of 15 and 64 are living with at least one disability.

“There are some places in our system that aren’t accessible, and at least we can give people the opportunity to see what is there virtually,” Cann said.

The CRD hopes to map between three and five parks each summer moving forward, giving visitors more information to decide which trails best suit their needs before heading outdoors.