Vilas County says a new silent sports trail map is getting a warm reception.
The map released last month combines details of more than 60 paddling, hiking, biking and ski trails in the county.
Cindy Burzinski, Director of Vilas County Tourism and Publicity, says in the first two weeks that the map was available, they distributed 5000 copies.
“So they are being highly given out to the public, and I think once we get more visitors to this area, they’re going to find so many uses for this map, and they’re going to like having everything at their fingertips.”
The project was funded by an almost 40-thousand dollar grant from the Wisconsin Department of Tourism. A silent sports app is also in development…so trail users can bring details and pdfs of trail maps on their smartphones.
Burzinski says the idea was to help connect silent sports enthusiasts with Vilas County resources.
“We thought we were doing a good job promoting our trail system. But when we took a look at surveys, it said that we weren’t really well known for the trail systems that we have here. And if you’ve ever been out visiting the area, you know we have an extensive number of trails.”
The map includes color-coded bicycling routes that show what kind of trail a cyclist can expect, and lists different amenities that are available in each area.
The silent sports app is expected to be ready for public use by late summer.
