Forest Trails App will Open a New World at Hopkins
A grant from Clackamas County Tourism and the Mt. Hood Territory – plus additional funding from the Walker Family Foundation – will power the development of a new trails app to be available for the Hopkins Demonstration Forest.
Hopkins is home to more than 5-miles of trails and roads. Although these features are well-signed, hikers and walkers can sometimes either get lost or maybe unsure just where they are at in the forest.
The free Forest Trails App will provide real-time tracking on a mobile device so users can see exactly where they are located at any given time. The app will be useful for students, teachers and other visitors coming to the forest.
In addition to trail location, the App will feature interpretive information by GPS location for points of interest like the Molalla Log House, maple sugaring site, Lookout Tower, and wetland ponds. An educational component of the App will provide information about the trees, shrubs, birds and wildlife found on the Hopkins property, too. Visitors from the Hispanic community will be able to obtain the app in Spanish making their trip to Hopkins more meaningful and enjoyable.
Interestingly, only 1 in 7 Millennials (approximate ages 30-45) say they’ve ever used a paper trail map. The Hopkins Forest Trails App will provide a more suitable method of finding your way when in the woods for this younger demographic.
The Forest Trails App will be developed beginning in 2025.