Maybe you aren’t able to get out as much as you used to but still would love to explore parks. Or perhaps you are planning a trip and want to check out places to go. Or maybe you just love to get a hit of parks or see them from a fresh perspective to brighten your winter days.
Whatever your reason, we have something new and exciting for you. It’s a new series of virtual park tours for you to enjoy from anywhere.
“We are always thinking about ways that all British Columbians and friends around the world can experience BC’s fabulous parks,” says Aaron Butcher, Discover Trails Coordinator at BC Parks Foundation. “We are thinking of people in hospitals, people without transportation, people with limited mobility, people who have moved away, people who for whatever reason can’t get out to parks the way they want to. That led us to think ‘if we can’t get them to parks, how can we get parks to them?”
Aaron is not your stereotypical outdoorsman. Despite living remotely for most of his life, he also loves technology and media. “Ever since I was a child, I have been passionate about capturing, crafting and sharing unforgettable moments through photography, video and graphic design,” he says. As an adult Aaron immersed himself in both in these fields and nature’s fields, eventually moving to Kimberly and founding Horizon360 Media to produce 360-degree virtual tour experiences.
Working with BC Parks Foundation is a match made in heaven. “I am excited about the vast visual potential I can contribute to all the people who love parks like I do.”
Aaron captures himself using a drone to take a 360-degree photo within a 360-degree photo. Flying drones in provincial parks requires special permission from BC Parks, even for us! The BC Parks team helps us navigate the best times and places to capture this footage to ensure we keep visitors and creatures safe.
Technology is opening new ways to bring parks to people. It can also boost local economies. “We were thinking about local businesses and communities that rely on parks as a draw for their tourism economies,” says Aaron. “The data was pretty clear,” he says, pointing to a study from Google that found that customers in the 18-34 year-old age bracket are 130% more likely to book or enter a business based on a virtual tour.
Similarly, there’s evidence that virtual tours can also be good for the health of seniors in care or people recovering in a hospital. “Several studies show that even looking at nature on a screen can improve recovery rates,” says Jennie McCaffrey, the Foundation’s lead for the Park Prescriptions program.
For BC Parks, the virtual tours are part of fulfilling their commitment to inclusion. Kate Zealand, Community Engagement Specialist for BC Parks says, “If visitors face barriers to being able to see parts of the park in person, we want to help bring them to life for them at home. This is one of the many ways we are working to create meaningfully accessible park experiences.”
We’d love your feedback on this initiative! Your insights will help us enhance the experience and continue creating opportunities for everyone to enjoy BC’s Parks.
Here are a few of the tours Aaron has been producing:
