With the gorgeous weather we are blessed with this time of year, you can bet nearly every trail in the Valley is packed with dusty boots from dawn to dusk. At Desert Mountain Club, home to a 15-mile private trail system, members have a leg up when planning their hikes, thanks to new technology and a very dedicated group of outdoor enthusiast members.
Members and their guests are taking more than 12,000 hikes each year on Desert Mountain’s trails, consisting of seven trail segments. The Desperados, members of the Desert Mountain community who raised the money to build the trails, just announced the installation of an innovative Interactive Trail Guide that is taking the hiking experience at Desert Mountain to the next level.
The Interactive Trail Guide is a ruggedized and weatherproof 55” touch screen monitor that is mounted at the trailhead. Hikers are able to select a hike by distance, degree of difficulty, or even based on which hike provides for the best views of the sunset. Once the hike is selected, a customized map is created and can be scanned from a code right off the screen and onto the hiker’s mobile device. Twenty of the most common routes and accompanying GPS data are pre-loaded into the system to assist in selecting each person’s ideal hike.
“When designing the guide, I felt like a kid in a candy shop because the technology, the richness of our trail data, and the demands of our users, allowed us to be the first of its kind to broadly offer such a tool,” said Desperados member, Craig Mitchell.
The Interactive Trail Guide also has the capability to check current weather, view an informative species guide, scan interesting facts, and recommend specific hikes. Photos submitted by members from recent trailhead events will also be on display as well as information about the Desperados.
“This new Interactive Trail Guide is remarkable in that it democratizes the trail system with the touch of a finger on the digital flat screen,” said Desperados member Troy Gillenwater. “Today’s hiker, without ever having stepped a foot on our trails, is able to sort and choose the ideal hike based on either distance, time, or elevation gain by using our digital guide.”
“As a premiere golf and outdoor recreation community, this type of technology and amenity is one the golf industry is just now starting to explore, and we have fully embraced,” said Damon DiOrio, Chief Executive Officer of Desert Mountain Club. “Early next year, Desert Mountain will serve as host to 50 golf club managers from around the country to showcase this and other outdoor amenities that are geared toward providing a variety of health and wellness opportunities for the golf enthusiast and their families.”
Golf remains at the heart of Desert Mountain Club, which serves more than 1,900 golf members, and programming and amenities are evolving to serve their growing interests. Members are seeking a multitude of experiences and have access to nine restaurants and grills, a nine-court tennis complex with three different playing surfaces, horseback riding, luxury camping, pickleball, pilates, moonlit hikes, mountain bikes and much more.
