Gulf State Park
Trail Map
GULF SHORES, AL
Alabama’s Gulf State Park is the state’s most visited park. In 2016, a new master plan was developed to enhance the environmental and economic sustainability of the park. A comprehensive trail map was developed to help communicate the many new amenities and services available to visitors.
Collaborators
University of Alabama Center for Economic Development
– Matt Leavall
ArchitectureWorks
– Carlos Hernandez
– Will McGarity
– Mary McGarity
- Jay Pigford
Additional
– Sasaki
– Lake Flato Architects
– Hersick + Webster
The first phase of the master plan included the construction of several new facilities and the expansion of a 28-miles-long trail network that traverses nine different ecosystems. Existing trail maps, aerial images, and the park’s master plan were consulted to develop a single master trail map.
Critically important to the map was an icon system that would quickly communicate to viewers the diverse range of activities and amenities available throughout the park.
The icon system was designed to compliment the brand typeface, Klinic Slab, adopted by the park’s master planning consultant, Sasaki. The ball terminals, curved legs, and unbracketed slab serifs of the letterforms were used as details within certain elements of the icons.
Newly designed and constructed facilities by Lake Flato Architects and by ArchitectureWorks were added to the park’s signature destinations. Line illustrations of all the architectural destinations were developed to unify the legacy structures with the newer ones.
The mapping process was iterative and responsive to on-the-ground changes as the trail system and facilities were being constructed in parallel with the map design. Regular design reviews were scheduled and revisions were implemented periodically.
The final trail map was reproduced throughout the park in several sign and print formats. An oversized reproduction of the map was incorporated into the interpretive graphics designed by Hersick + Webster as a centerpiece outside of the Gulf State Park Interpretive Center.
