“ Keeping the canyon wild and leveraging the economic development of the area , that ’ s our aim ,” Ashby said .
“ The park is literally out the back door of Lander , and we want to let visitors get a flair for the Lander community and all of the charms it has to offer ,” he added . “ So we were actively engaged in making sure some of our planning included encouraging park visitors to patronize local businesses .”
Ashby calls Sinks Canyon “ a geologic phenomenon , but one that gets overshadowed by Yellowstone .”
So part of the master planning process focused on ways to convince tourists to consider Sinks Canyon and nearby Lander as a cheaper , less-crowded alternative to Yellowstone – or as an additional stop on their trip .
A cost comparison was developed to show “ how much more family friendly and affordable ” a trip to Lander and Sinks Canyon can be , Ashby said . And ideas were developed to formulate tourism packages focusing on Sinks Canyon ’ s natural wonders and the vibrant Lander community .
IMPLEMENTING THE PLAN
As impressive a document as the “ Sinks Canyon State Park 2020 Master Plan ” may be , it is just that – a document .
“ There is a tendency for master plans to sit on a shelf ,” Floyd conceded . “ But we ’ re going to show some progress on this one .”
During the summer of 2020 , as Wyoming and the world coped with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic , park attendance surged because people felt safer outdoors , Floyd said .
“ That really emphasized the value of the park ,” Carruthers said , predicting that experience will spur action on the plan ’ s recommendations . “ We ’ re going to have a lot of these amenities implemented much sooner than typically would happen ,” she said .
HELPING USERS NAVIGATE THEIR WAY
Landscape architect David Land joined the Ayres team after the process of developing the Sinks Canyon State Park 2020 Master Plan had begun . But his contribution may be particularly noticeable to future park visitors – especially those prone to getting lost .
Land helped craft the “ wayfinding ” recommendations that , as the term implies , will help visitors find their way within the park ’ s wild surroundings .
“ Wayfinding and branding are critical to the success of a park and its master plan ,” Land said . “ Developing a system that quickly communicates a park ’ s amenities and features , and their locations within the park , is key to ensuring the safety of visitors and their enjoyment of the park ,” Land said .
Without effective wayfinding , it might be easy to get lost in Sinks Canyon State Park .
There are miles of hiking and biking trails within its boundaries . Some trails loop back to where they began , while many others reach a dead end . And some might even lead unsuspecting visitors out of the park and into the adjacent Shoshone National Forest .
Land ’ s portion of the Sinks Canyon Master Plan is filled with signage recommendations that , when implemented , will provide visitors with a plethora of information about the natural wonders at their disposal and , hopefully , prevent any disorientation disasters .
– Bob Brown
Ashby and his team offered suggestions for new ways to solicit funding to implement the Master Plan , including crowdsourcing , grant funding , and the recently passed federal Cares Act .
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