A fresh look for friendsofutevalleypark.com

If you’ve visited our site recently, you probably noticed things look a little different around here. We gave friendsofutevalleypark.com a pretty thorough refresh, and we wanted to walk you through what changed and why.

What’s new

Pages load faster now, especially on spotty cell service. If you’re standing at a trailhead with one bar of signal trying to pull up a map, that matters.

We also reorganized things to match how people actually use the site. For example, Trail conditions are front and center on the homepage, updated regularly so you know what to expect before heading out.

The look and feel

We wanted the site to feel like it belongs to a park, not a tech company. The design takes cues from field journals, ranger station bulletins, and trail signage. Earthy stone tones instead of sterile white backgrounds. Strong, no-nonsense typography. Clean grid layouts that let the content and photography do the talking.

It’s meant to feel sturdy and practical. The kind of thing you’d expect pinned to a corkboard at a trailhead kiosk, not floating in some startup’s portfolio.

Accessibility

We put real effort into making the site usable for everyone. The layout works with screen readers, keyboard navigation, and other assistive tools. Text contrast meets WCAG guidelines so nothing is hard to read in bright sunlight or for visitors with low vision. If you run into anything that doesn’t work well for you, please tell us.

Why it matters

We’re a volunteer organization. We don’t have a marketing department or a paid web team. But the website is how a lot of people first learn about FUVP, find out about volunteer days, or figure out which trailhead to use. It should be as well-maintained as the trails themselves.

The updated site also makes it easier for us to post news, update trail conditions, and add events without a big production. That means more timely information for you.

What’s next

We’ll keep improving things as we go. If something looks off or you can’t find what you’re looking for, let us know through the contact page. This site is for the community, and we want it to work for you.

See you on the trails.