National Scenic Byways Program 

LOGO: National Scenic Byways Program 

Lessons from the Road 


Case #4: Telling the Story of a Scenic Byway 

“Interpretation” is often associated with 
park rangers leading walks to “interpret,” 
or tell the story of, the natural world. At 
historic sites and museums, interpreters 
bring to life historic events and cultural themes. 
Typically, in both situations, people, signs, and 
displays explain a site owned by a single public 
agency, or private group. With the growth of 
heritage corridors and scenic byways, the settings 
for interpretation have expanded in number and 
scale, redefining the very nature of interpretation. 

Promotional, advertising, educational, and 
marketing materials, as well as visitor services, 
each interpret the corridor. Managers must use 
the inter-relationships of these many information 
sources to deliver a coherent, effective, and 
interpretive message. This case study looks 
at the development of interpretive programs 
along the Salt Missions Trail in New Mexico. It 
also describes the relatively new concept of 
“demarketing” places the community wishes to shield 
from increased visitation. 


BOX: 
Interpretation is “an 
educational activity which 
aims to reveal meanings and 
relationships through the use 
of original objects, by first-
hand experience, and by 
illustrative media, rather 
than simply to communicate 
factual information.” 
  —- Freeman Tilden, 
Interpreting Our Heritage 



About Lessons from the Road

This case study features lessons learned by scenic byway 
advocates across the country that are applicable to many 
scenic byway initiatives. 

Scenic byways are public roads with special scenic, historic, 
recreational, cultural, archaeological, and/or natural qualities 
that have been recognized as such through legislation or some 
other official declaration. 

Nomination guidelines for National Scenic Byway designation 
require a series of planning and management elements. 
Some byway efforts lead to nomination, and possibly national 
designation; the rest choose other paths for implementation. 
These case studies show how various byway managers 
address planning and management issues in distinctive ways. 

Each case study in this series concludes with a resource list 
of helpful publications and details on how to contact the 
National Scenic Byways Clearinghouse. 

Good luck with your byway. 


The Series 

 1. Mapping 
 2. Design and Maintenance 
 3. Assess Intrinsic Qualities 
*4. Telling the Story 
 5. Conserving Intrinsic Qualities 
 6. Visitor Experience & Services 
 7. Manage Development 
 8. Signage 
 9. Marketing 
10. Public Involvement 
11. Action Plans 
12. State Program Management 


 
Organizing a Byway Interpretive Program 

Fundamental to any interpretive program 
is the story. Partners in a corridor must find 
consensus sometime during the Corridor 
Management Planning process for a central story 
of the byway. What are the key themes that a visitor 
can follow along the way? 

In Torrance County, the Byway corridor planning 
process has stirred interest, and even some 
controversy, related to the future of 
byway roads and communities, and developments 
in the County as a whole. At lively community 
meetings, residents not only debated ideas, 
but also investigated new ways to control the 
future of their towns and the corridor. Key 
stakeholders—-private land owners, busi-
nesses, Federal and State land managers, 
and other interest groups-—share a common 
interest in facilities and activities that pres-
ent the byway’s special qualities, but have 
strong concerns about the potential impacts 
of increased tourism. 

Unique Qualities of Corridors 

While standard interpretive methods used in parks 
and museums can be applied to byways, the Salt 
Missions Trail and most other byway corridors
differ in three ways: 

-- No single entity has the authority or the 
   capacity to design and implement a corridor-wide 
   interpretive program. Coordinating an array 
   of interpretive “messengers” and sites may be 
   as important (and just as time-consuming) as 
   deciding what to say and how to present it. 

-- To protect residents’ wishes and fragile intrinsic 
   qualities, byway managers need to shield 
   certain areas of the corridor from increased 
   visitation. The interpretive program must 
   discourage inappropriate activities and even 
   steer visitors away from certain places. This is 
   known in tourism circles as “demarketing.” 

-- Because visitors receive information from 
   so many sources, a cohesive interpretive 
   program must be supported by promotions, 
   advertising, educational programs, signs, as 
   well as visitor centers and roadside displays. 


SIDEBAR: The Salt Missions Trail 
Scenic Byway

The Salt Missions Trail Scenic 
Byway makes a 113-mile loop in 
Torrance County, in central New 
Mexico. It traces a route along 
pre-historic trade routes, a 
Spanish wagon road, an abandoned 
railroad right-of-way, and Old 
Route 66. 

Communities and land managers 
along the route vary in their 
support of the Byway plans and 
management proposals. Some are 
concerned with possible impacts 
of increased tourism and explicit-
ly wish to be left out of Byway 
promotion. Other communities 
see the Byway as a boon for the 
four local communities operating 
Main Street programs (sponsored 
by the National Trust for Historic 
Preservation). 

Nevertheless, even these diver-
gent interests agree on the need 
to build understanding and 
respect-—among both visitors and 
residents-—of the relationships 
between communities and the 
intrinsic qualities of the Salt 
Missions Trail. 



Key Interpretive Planning Steps in a Corridor 

With a newly-minted byway, there is a 
natural tendency to jump right into thinking 
about signs, facilities, brochures, and other 
interpretive devices that can be put in place 
along the route. But, there are hazards with 
this approach—-signs in the wrong places, 
visitor centers with few visitors, and 
brochures that leave the visitor wondering 
“so what?” The Corridor Management Plan 
establishes a framework for interpretation by 
setting up a four-step process. 

Step One: Define the Overall Purpose 

The plan sets out four objectives as the 
purpose of interpretive activities: 

-- Provide for the conservation and enhance
   ment of the byway’s intrinsic qualities. 

-- Increase visitors’ and residents’ enjoyment. 

-- Promote appropriate tourism and 
   economic development. 
 
-- Assist communities in developing and 
   carrying out their own plans for 
   conservation and development of local 
   resources. 

Step Two: Develop Themes 

The inventory and evaluation of intrinsic 
qualities on the Salt Missions Trail revealed 
fascinating stories about individual features 
and relationships among sites along the 
corridor. 

-- For some seven centuries, people living 
   and working in the area of Salinas, New 
   Mexico, have adapted to both the limits 
   of local resources and diverse influences 
   from outside sources. 
 
-- Different cultural traditions and technological 
   tools have resulted in settlement 
   patterns leading to coexistance and 
   clashes over time. 

-- The region has supported a long history 
   of communities that rely heavily on local 
   land and water resources to support agriculture, 
   ranching, forestry, and other 
   uses. They have significantly modified 
   the landscape, shaping the surrounding 
   environment to meet their needs. 
 
-- People have brought to the region diverse 
   social and cultural traditions and beliefs, 
   which have persisted and evolved in a 
   relatively remote area. These themes 
   allow interpreters to work with an endless 
   variety of topics (needlepoint to 
   bean farming, Native American 
   architecture to rodeo) and use very 
   different approaches that suit their 
   settings. 


PHOTO: Use a Corridor Management 
Plan to ensure that visitor centers, 
signage and other amenities add to 
byway interpretation.


SIDEBAR: “Interpretation is the 
revelation of a larger 
truth that lies behind 
any statement of fact.” 
“Interpretation should 
capitalize on mere 
curiosity for the 
enrichment of the 
human mind 
and spirit.” 
     -— Freeman Tilden 



An Example: The Process at Work 

Step Three: Set Interpretive Goals 

The Corridor Management Plan proposes 
a more specific set of objectives for the 
Byway’s thematically-linked interpretive 
program. These objectives reinforce the fundamental 
purpose of informing and educating 
visitors and residents, but also direct 
interpretive activities to address certain 
management concerns of the Byway. 

-- Interpretive activities will strive to 
   develop an understanding and respect 
   for local communities and resources, and 
   direct visitors toward less sensitive areas 
   or events. 

-- To develop greater appreciation of relationships 
   within the region and to 
   encourage longer visits, interpretive 
   activities should create a cohesive identity 
   by focusing on the unifying themes, 
   explicitly linking related sites, and using 
   consistent graphic design elements. 
 
-- Interpretation will be delivered by a 
   number of only loosely associated 
   entities. 
 
-- To promote efficiency and coordination, 
   the Byway will strive to build on existing 
   resources in ways that are compatible 
   with current facilities and activities, and 
   accessible to broad audiences. 

Step Four: Identify Opportunities 

Based on the proposed themes, objectives, 
and existing programs, the Corridor 
Management Plan outlines a number of 
future interpretive opportunities that can be 
pursued. Many of the options—-visitor contact 
stations, publications, signs and exhibits, 
and audiovisual programs—-are viable for 
almost any byway. 

While the plan includes some discussion 
of how these strategies can build on existing 
facilities and activities, the listing of potential 
opportunities is not the end of interpretive 
planning. 

To carry forward real projects, partners 
will answer yet more specific 
questions: Which audiences to 
serve? What observable benefits 
to anticipate? Who, when, and 
how to implement activities? 

No single entity will carry out 
all, or even most, of the interpretive 
activities along the Salt Missions Trail. 
The plan offers a conceptual framework to 
assist communities as they identify local 
actions. Byway managers will need to support 
implementation activities in the hands 
of a diverse cast of characters. 


PHOTO: Interpretive activities 
should create a cohesive 
identity for the byway.



Lessons Learned 

Planning and Implementation 
Can Work Simultaneously 

Salt Missions Trail planners and managers 
decided that rather than attempt to define 
a long list of interpretive actions, the 
Corridor Management Plan will serve as 
a point of departure for implementation. 

This builds interest and agreement at a 
conceptual level (goals and themes), 
promotes flexibility and creativity at a 
local level, and allows for implementation 
even while planning continues. The potential 
disadvantage is that no one will follow 
up with subsequent planning. 

To combat this, partners will share the Salt 
Missions Trail Corridor Plan in a number of 
settings for discussion and definition of 
specific projects. This and other follow-up 
strategies to organize and motivate partners 
will be essential for on-the-ground results. 

-- Involve interpreters and educators early 
and often. In planning for the Salt 
Missions Trail, a series of community 
meetings provided valuable information 
about intrinsic qualities of the Byway, 
identified issues of concern, and generated 
leads for opportunities to pursue. 

In retrospect, additional input from interpreters 
and educators would have made the 
interpretive planning easier and better. They 
could have helped to identify feasible priorities 
and critical opportunities earlier in the 
process, especially because they will carry 
out a number of the proposed activities. 

-- Consider interpretation in unlikely 
   places. Can a diner placemat be a byway 
   brochure? Can cashiers become your first 
   line of accurate information? 

-- Consider far-reaching results of interpretation. 
   Can great interpretation promote 
   longer stays? Can interpretive messages 
   slow down visitors and mitigate traffic 
   hazards, or promote pedestrian or bicycle 
   alternatives? 


SIDEBAR: Principles from 
Interpreting Our Heritage 

Freeman Tilden offered six 
principles for interpretation: 

1. Interpretation must relate to 
   the personality or experience of 
   the visitor. 

2. Interpretation is revelation based 
   on information. 

3. It is an art, and is made up of 
   many arts. 

4. The chief aim is provocation, 
   not just instruction. 

5. It should present the whole, not 
   just a part. 

6. Interpretation for children is 
   fundamentally different than 
   that for adults; it is not just 
   diluted. 


DRAWING: Information stations should 
relate to the experience of the visitor, 
and they should tell the whole story. 



Something for Everyone 

Stakeholders along the 
Byway have identified a broad 
range of problems and opportunities 
that are most important 
to them. While there is a 
tendency to see interpretation 
as helping only visitors, some 
activities can benefit residents 
directly. The Salt Missions 
Trail is working to produce a 
video about the Byway in 
which elderly residents describe 
the region’s history and traditions. 
It has been proposed that 
the interviews be conducted by 
young residents. This may provide 
spin-off benefits by providing 
employment and skills 
development for local youth, as 
well as strengthening their 
appreciation of their own communities. 



SIDEBAR: Additional Resources 

Environmental Interpretation: A Practical Guide for People 
with Big Ideas and Small Budgets, Sam H. Ham, North America 
Press, 1992. 

Nature Watch: A Resource For Enhancing Wildlife Viewing 
Areas, Wendy E. Hudson, ed., Falcon Press, 1992. 

On Interpretation: Sociology for Interpreters of Natural and 
Cultural History, Gary E. Machlis and Donald R. Field, Oregon 
State University Press, 1992. 

Interpreting Our Heritage, Freeman Tilden, University of 
North Carolina Press, 1977. 

Signs, Trails, and Wayside Exhibits: Connecting People and 
Places, Suzanne Trapp, Michael Gross, and Ron Zimmerman, 
University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point Foundation Press, 1994. 

“Demarketing as a New Communication Tool,” published in 
Trends: Interpretation as Communication, Edited by James D. 
Absher, Ph.D., U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park 
Service, National Recreation and Park Association, 
Washington, D.C. Volume 34, Number 4, 1997. 

The Interpreters Guidebook: Techniques for Programs and 
Presentations, Kathleen Regnier, Michael Gross and Ron 
Zimmerman, University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point 
Foundation Press, 1994. 

Contact the National Scenic Byways Clearinghouse for these 
and other resources (see below). 



About this series 

The National Scenic Byways Program of 
the Federal Highway Administration and the 
Rivers, Trails & Conservation Assistance 
Program of the National Park Service collab-
orated to research, write, and produce 
Lessons from the Road. The series was written 
in 1998. 

For information on resources mentioned in 
this series, contact the National Scenic 
Byways Clearinghouse: 1-800-4-BYWAYS 
(1-800-429-9297), press 2, or visit our 
website at www.byways.org. 

The Rivers, Trails & Conservation 
Assistance Program works beyond national 
park boundaries to bring conservation assistance 
to communities, serving as a catalyst 
for tangible results. 

Opinions expressed in these 
case studies are not necessarily 
those of the USDOT/FHWA 
or the NPS. These documents 
do not constitute standards, 
specifications, or regulations 
and are distributed in the interest 
of information exchange. 
The United States Government assumes no 
liability for the contents or use thereof. 


LOGO:
U.S. Department of the Interior 
National Park Service 


LOGO:
U.S. Department of Transportation 
Federal Highway Administration 


SIDEBAR: PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER FHWA-EP-99-011