We’ve all been there: riding on a great trail system for the first time – its got great flow, sweet technical sections, and you’re having a blast.

But where the heck are you? Do you go right, or left at that fork ahead?

Signage (or lack-thereof) can make or break a ride.

On our trip to Boulder, Co., last month, we were lucky enough to get a private tour of the Valmont Bike Park. Opened last summer, the bike park is 40 acres of XC trails, cyclocross courses, a slopestyle terrain park, dirt jumps, a dual slalom race course, 2 pump tracks, and kids bike play areas (read: heaven).

Although we didn’t get a chance to ride due to bad trail conditions, I feel pretty confident in saying that everything about Valmont is awesome. But one thing that really stood out for us IMBA-ciles was the fantastic mapping and signage, with a great pocket-size paper map.

If you are looking to revamp your trail signage, Valmont is a great example of intuitive and consistent signage and maps which are very user friendly.

The park includes two beautiful kiosks at each entrance / parking lot, sliding trail condition signs for visitors to use, trail entrance signs with difficulty rating and other information, directional signs, warning signs for features, etc., and signs for pedestrians and spectators.

For more info on the Valmont Bike Park click here. To learn more about maps and signage, check out our resources section.