Interpreting the Hudson River & Central Adirondack Trail Scenic

Mar 3, 2019

2 min read

Updated: Sep 16

Community-Informed Signage Connecting Travelers to the Hudson River and Adirondack Landscape

Overview

The Adirondack North Country Association needed to update aging interpretive signage along the Central Adirondack Trail Scenic Byway while giving communities a meaningful role in deciding what the signs should communicate. Green Goat Maps supported a process that combined stakeholder engagement, interpretive planning, location analysis, mapping, writing, and graphic design.

The image shows a set of new informational sign panels titled “Central Adirondack Trail Scenic Byway,” featuring educational content about the area’s history, natural features, and recreation opportunities. The panels include illustrations, maps, and historical insights, such as forest preservation, transportation routes, and fire towers. In the foreground, a person stands reading one of the signs next to a river, surrounded by trees and greenery. The display highlights efforts to engage visitors with the region’s cultural and ecological significance.

Scope of Work

Green Goat Maps was contracted to review existing byway materials and signage; interview community leaders, stakeholders, and visitors; facilitate public input; develop overarching themes and site-specific storylines; evaluate potential sign locations; create maps, illustrations, and interpretive layouts; and prepare final signage for production.

Key Deliverables

The project developed four reinterpreted or newly designed interpretive signs centered on the Hudson River watershed and the cultural, ecological, and recreational character of the Central Adirondacks. Community input informed both messaging and design, while location planning helped ensure the panels would be visible and useful to travelers.

This sign describes the Adirondack Park and Forest Preserve, the largest wilderness area in the eastern U.S., spanning six million acres of protected and private land. It highlights the park’s establishment in 1892, its unique conservation model, and its role in supporting local communities. A timeline, map, and historical images illustrate key milestones in the park’s history and its environmental significance.

Challenges & Solutions

Interpretive planning for a scenic byway requires representing multiple communities and stories without creating a disconnected collection of signs. Green Goat Maps used a common interpretive framework to organize local history, recreation, ecology, and conservation within a larger regional narrative.

Green Goat Maps is working with the Adirondack North Country Association on the Central Adirondack Scenic Byways interpretive signage project.

Results & Client Value

ANCA received a modernized interpretive program grounded in community input and designed to strengthen the travel experience along the byway. The project demonstrates Green Goat Maps' ability to manage not just graphic design, but the research and stakeholder process that comes before it.

Project Details

Client: Adirondack North Country Association

Medium: High-pressure laminate roadside panels

Size: 40 × 28 inches

Looking for a Similar Solution?

Updating a scenic byway, heritage corridor, or regional interpretation program? Green Goat Maps can help move the project from community conversations and theme development through final signage design.