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Author

Eric Evans

Eric Evans

Product Lead @ Gaia GPS Overlanding | Camping | Adv Moto 1984 Toyota Pickup 4x4 2022 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon 2024 Yamaha Tenere 2024 KTM 500 EXC-F

Gaia GPSNew Features

The Hike Map That Broke Me: How Gaia GPS Turned an Overlander Into a Reluctant Hiker

by Eric Evans April 24, 2025
written by Eric Evans

Hi. I’m an Overlander.

I believe in four-wheel-drive, traction boards I’ve never used, a rooftop tent that folds into a box of mystery, and a 65-liter fridge dedicated entirely to La Croix and “emergency cheese.” I’ve driven 200 miles to camp 20 feet from my truck and called it “getting outside.”

So when the team launched the new Gaia GPS Hike Map, I had exactly one reaction:

Cute.

A map for people who walk on purpose? Who carry their sadness uphill in tiny backpacks full of granola dust and emotional processing? Hard pass.

Then I opened it.

And… damn it, it’s good.

The trail lines are crisp. The junctions actually make sense. And the shaded relief? So emotionally intense, I needed to hydrate and reevaluate my personality.

But what really got me was the detail.

This map doesn’t just show trails — it knows hikers.

It’s built for the folks who lose toenails on purpose and log their mileage like it’s a journal entry. The Hike Map includes major thru-hikes across North America and Switzerland — like the Pacific Crest Trail, the Appalachian Trail, the Colorado Trail, and more. If it’s long, scenic, and a little bit emotionally scarring, it’s probably on here.

And the steepness overlay? Yeah. That’s not just color — that’s warning.

You can see where the trail goes vertical before you’re halfway up it questioning every decision you’ve ever made. No more “how bad can it be?” lies. This map tells the truth.

It also highlights key points of interest just for hikers:

  • Trail campsites
  • Water refill spots
  • Rivers and streams marked clearly with hydrography data that actually means something

    Basically, if it’s something you’ll need when you’re six miles from nowhere and starting to consider drinking out of a mud puddle, it’s probably on this map.

Back to my story: ten minutes after opening the map, I found myself standing at a trailhead — 12-mile loop planned, peanut butter bar in hand — six feet from the edge of the parking lot… and thinkin’:

“This is how it happens, isn’t it?”

Then some 70-something named Linda blew past me in zip-off pants and a sun hat made of pure contempt. She didn’t say a word. She just looked at me like my Jeep had disappointed her personally.

By mile six, I’d activated Trail Regret Mode™: lips cracked, thighs fried, chafing in places I won’t legally discuss. I would’ve traded my fridge, my solar array, and at least one swing-out bumper for a banana and a flat place to cry.

But here’s the thing… this map is built for people like Linda. The hikers. The planners. The “I found myself somewhere near mile 70” types who actually read elevation profiles for fun.

And now they’ve got the most powerful hiking map we’ve ever made — with global trail coverage, terrain data, steepness visualization, and trail-specific POIs, all designed to get you where you’re going and keep you on your feet along the way.

So yeah. Big shoutout to the team.

You didn’t just build a map —

You ruined my Overland personality and turned me into someone who knows how many liters their pack holds.

I own a spork now. I said “stoked” the other day. I’m probably not okay.

But the map?

The map slaps.


Try the Hike Map Yourself

Ready to see what it’s like to become a hiking person against your will?

Just open the Hike Map in Gaia GPS and start exploring.

Or, if you’re already halfway to emotional collapse on the PCT, we’ve probably already mapped your next breakdown.

April 24, 2025
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Gaia GPS

A Fond Farewell to National Geographic Maps — And a Look at What’s Ahead

by Eric Evans March 26, 2025
written by Eric Evans

Support for National Geographic Trails Illustrated maps in Gaia GPS will officially end on April 14th, 2025.

We know change isn’t always easy, especially when it involves something familiar. National Geographic maps have been a core part of the Gaia GPS experience for many years—admired for their detail, clarity, and iconic style. Like many of you, our team has planned countless adventures with these maps, and we deeply respect the legacy they’ve carried into the digital age.

This wasn’t a decision we made lightly. But it’s one that reflects a broader transformation in how people explore the outdoors—and how Gaia GPS is evolving to support that future.

Looking Ahead: Why Gaia GPS Is Moving Forward

Outdoor adventurers today need more than just maps—they need smart, flexible, and informative tools that adapt to the way they travel through the world. Our mission at Gaia GPS is to build the most capable and trusted navigation platform for outdoor exploration—and that means constantly improving the quality, interactivity, and relevance of the map layers we provide.

Over the last few years, we’ve invested heavily in building new, modern maps designed for how people explore today. While National Geographic maps offered beautifully detailed cartography, their coverage was limited to select regions—leaving many outdoor destinations without the support our users needed. In contrast, our new map layers offer global reach and go far beyond simply showing trails—they bring them to life with dynamic terrain data, activity-specific highlights, and powerful tools to help you plan, discover, and navigate with more confidence than ever.

Better Maps for Every Kind of Adventurer

As we continue to evolve Gaia GPS, we’re excited to share a new generation of map layers that offer even greater utility, clarity, and coverage—built to support the way you explore today:

🥾 Gaia Hike

Our newest global hiking map is built specifically for hikers, backpackers, and thru-hikers. It emphasizes trail detail, labels key waypoints, and includes an innovative steepness shading overlay that instantly reveals the grade and difficulty of your route—something you won’t find on any traditional map.

🏞️ NPS Visitor Map

For those heading into U.S. National Parks, this layer delivers the official maps from the National Park Service. You’ll get visitor center locations, trail info, campgrounds, and more—exactly how the rangers want you to see the park.

🌲 USFS Roads & Trails

Explore the backcountry with confidence using this detailed layer showing official Forest Service roads and trails—ideal for hikers, hunters, overlanders, and multi-use adventurers alike.

These map layers reflect the future we’re building toward: more personalized, responsive, and powerful maps that work for you—whether you’re walking a familiar trail or blazing a new one.

What to Expect on April 14th

  • The National Geographic Trails Illustrated layer will be removed from Gaia GPS on April 14th, 2025.
  • We recommend switching over to one of the enhanced map layers above, which are fully supported online and offline.

Thank You

To everyone who has used and loved National Geographic maps in Gaia GPS—we’re grateful. These maps helped define our app during its early years and inspired a generation of outdoor explorers to venture farther.

But we’re even more excited about what’s ahead. With every map layer, product update, and partnership, we’re working to make Gaia GPS the most trusted companion for every outdoor journey.

If you have questions or want help transitioning to new layers, our support team is here and happy to help. 

Here’s to the next great adventure,

—The Gaia GPS Team

March 26, 2025
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Gaia GPSNew Features

Introducing the Gaia Hike Map

by Eric Evans March 18, 2025
written by Eric Evans

At Gaia GPS, we eat, sleep, and breathe trails—well, maybe not literally, but pretty close. That’s why we’re rolling out the new Gaia Hike Map, designed to take the guesswork out of your next adventure. No more fumbling with multiple layers—just turn it on and go.

Get Early Access

The Gaia Hike Map is live now with a Premium membership. Just head to Map Layers and turn it on! This is version 1, and we’re just getting started. Expect more features rolling out soon—your feedback will help shape what’s next!

A Global Map Built for Hikers

Whether you’re thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail, exploring the Alps, or just escaping town for the weekend, this global map has your back. No need to stack layers like an overstuffed backpack—everything you need is already here.

Steepness Overlay: No More Underestimating That Climb

The biggest game-changer? Our new steepness overlay. For the first time in Gaia GPS, we’re color-coding trails to show you just how quad-melting that next section might be. We took special care to analyze hiking and biking activity data in choosing which trails to highlight to provide a best-in-class trail network for hiking.  Green means easy, yellow means mellow, orange gets spicy, red is tough, and purple? That’s straight-up brutal.

Love a challenge? Chase those reds and purples. Prefer to keep it casual? Stick to the greens and yellows.

We’re still fine-tuning this feature, and your feedback will help us find the right balance. Let us know how it works on your favorite trails!

More Than Just Trails

The Gaia Hike Map doesn’t stop at paths—it’s packed with key waypoints to keep you moving and well-fed:

  • Water Fill-Ups – Hydrate or die-drate, as they say.
  • Campsites, Lodging & Food Stops – Whether you’re pitching a tent or hunting for a post-hike pizza.
  • Land & Trail Access Info – Know where you can hike and camp without worry.
  • Hydrographic Data – Lakes, rivers, and streams so you can plan your next foot soak.

Try It Now & Tell Us What You Think!

The Gaia Hike Map is available today. Just:

  1. Open Gaia GPS.
  2. Go to Map Layers.
  3. Search for Gaia Hike Map and turn it on.

We’ve got more trails ahead, and your feedback helps us keep improving. Tag #GaiaGPS in your adventures and let us know what you think!

See you on the trail (or at the burger joint after).

March 18, 2025
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App UpdatesCompany NewsGaia GPS

Gaia GPS is Improving Satellite Imagery: Saying Goodbye to Esri World Imagery

by Eric Evans February 24, 2025
written by Eric Evans

At Gaia GPS, our mission is to provide the best mapping tools for outdoor adventurers. To achieve this, we continuously evaluate and improve the map layers available in the app. As part of this effort, we will be deprecating the Esri World Imagery layer on March 4, 2025, to prioritize better, more up-to-date satellite imagery for all users.

Why is Esri World Imagery Being Removed?

While Esri World Imagery has been available in Gaia GPS for years, usage of this layer has remained low compared to other satellite options. Additionally, Esri has significantly increased their licensing costs, making the map layer an unsustainable option for us to continue offering. Rather than passing these costs onto our users, we are redirecting this budget toward securing best-in-class satellite imagery that provides better coverage, higher resolution, and more frequent updates for adventurers around the globe.

What’s Next for Satellite Imagery in Gaia GPS?

We know that high-quality satellite imagery is essential for trip planning, route finding, and backcountry navigation. We are currently in the discovery phase, evaluating multiple providers to ensure we deliver the best satellite imagery available.

Our focus is on improvements that could bring:

  • More Frequent Updates – Ensuring you have the latest imagery when planning your next adventure.
  • Higher Resolution Data – Offering clearer and more detailed views of the terrain.
  • Better Global Coverage – Expanding high-quality imagery to more regions worldwide.

How Will This Change Affect Users?

Starting on March 4, 2025, the Esri World Imagery layer will no longer be available in Gaia GPS. However, our other satellite layers remain available, including:

  • Satellite (Mapbox) – An alternative for high resolution aerial imagery. In many areas, Mapbox’s satellite imagery is on par with, or higher resolution, than the Esri layer.
  • Satellite with Labels – A versatile satellite imagery layer; providing roads, trails and POI’s labeled over Mapbox satellite imagery.
  • Satellite Topo – Another option, also based on Mapbox imagery, with labels for roads, trails, and POIs in addition to contour lines.
  • FreshSat – Recent – A great way to see very recent satellite imagery for any location; provides lower resolution than other satellite providers but is updated more frequently.
  • FreshSat – Cloud Free – Similar to FreshSat Recent but will prioritize visibility over recency.

If you’ve relied on Esri World Imagery in the past, we recommend exploring these existing satellite layers. We’ll keep the community updated as we finalize our plans for enhanced satellite imagery in Gaia GPS.

We are Committed to the Best Outdoor Mapping Experience

Removing a map layer is not a decision we take lightly, but this change allows us to invest in better mapping resources for the entire Gaia GPS community. Our team is committed to providing the best possible outdoor mapping experience, and we appreciate your support as we make these improvements.

Thank you for being a part of the Gaia GPS adventure. If you have any questions or feedback, we’d love to hear from you!

February 24, 2025
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Gaia GPS

Gaia GPS x Toyota: A New Way to Give Back to the Trails We Love

by Eric Evans February 4, 2025
written by Eric Evans

Alright folks, this is a big one.

We all have that one trail—the one with the unbeatable views, the one that pushed us to our limits, the one that led to the best campsite we’ve ever found. And if you’ve been around the block, you also know that trails don’t maintain themselves. Closures happen. Erosion takes over. Signs disappear.

So, we’re doing something about it.

How It Works

For the first time ever, you can now donate directly to trail organizations with the Trail Karma program in Gaia GPS, and Toyota has already put $100,000 into the pot to make an impact.

Toyota kicked things off with a $100,000 upfront donation. Each of the 20 sponsored trails already received $1,000, meaning $80,000 is left to match donations from you, our Gaia GPS members.

That means if you donate $10, your trail gets $20. Donate $50? Boom—$100 toward keeping your favorite routes open. And the best part? Gaia GPS, Trail Karma, and Outside take exactly $0. Every cent goes straight to the folks out there doing the hard work.

How to Donate in Gaia GPS

We made this as simple as possible:

  1. Open Gaia GPS on Android, iOS, or the web.
  2. Select the “Gaia Overland” map to browse overland routes.
  3. Tap on a trail to check out photos, difficulty ratings, and detailed descriptions.
  4. Tap “Donate” to contribute funds directly to the trail association.

And Toyota will match every dollar up to $80,000.

The Gaia Overland Map Layer is Free for Everyone

Because we want more people to experience these trails (and understand why they matter), we’re unlocking the Gaia Overland Map Layer for FREE from February 3 to May 3, 2025.

For three months, everyone—free and paid members—can access:

  • Curated overland routes across the U.S.
  • Photos so you know what you’re getting into
  • Difficulty ratings so you can plan accordingly
  • Detailed descriptions to help you prep like a pro

Why This Matters

We all talk about protecting access to the outdoors, but let’s be honest—it’s hard to know where to start. We’ve all seen trails get shut down or driven miles only to hit a locked gate. And we’ve all wished there was a way to actually help keep these places open.

Well, now there is. And Toyota is backing the effort in a huge way.

This is just the beginning. If you’re part of a trail association, club, or group and want to enable donations for your lands, reach out. We’d love to grow this initiative and support more trails.

If a trail has ever given you an incredible adventure, now’s your chance to give back. Let’s keep these places open—for us, and for the next folks rolling up to explore.

See you out there.

February 4, 2025
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App UpdatesGaia GPS

Important Update: Changes to Esri World Imagery Offline Maps in Gaia GPS

by Eric Evans December 10, 2024
written by Eric Evans

At Gaia GPS, our priority is to provide reliable mapping tools that empower you to explore the backcountry safely, whether you’re hiking, overlanding, camping, or engaging in any adventure off the grid. That’s why we’re writing to let you know about a recent change to the Esri World Imagery layer and share some great alternatives for those who use this layer offline.

What’s changed?

Recently, Esri, the provider of the World Imagery layer, has made a significant policy change regarding the use of offline map tiles. They now require all apps to automatically delete downloaded map tiles after just 3 days of being stored on a device. While this policy may work for apps in urban or connected environments, it presents serious challenges for backcountry explorers like you, who can have limited or nonexistent access to data or cell service for extended periods.

What are we doing about it?

The reality is that Gaia GPS users often rely on maps stored offline for much longer than 3 days. We believe that staying safe outdoors shouldn’t depend on when or where you can access the internet. We recognize that World Imagery is one of our best satellite sources, but due to circumstances beyond our control, we’ve made the difficult decision to disable the option to download Esri World Imagery maps for offline use in Gaia GPS.

This change ensures that you won’t be left without critical map data when you need it most. However, Esri World Imagery will still be available for online use in the app and on the website. You can view and plan routes with this rich satellite imagery when connected to the internet, but the download limit for offline use will now be set to 0 tiles.

What are your options?

We understand that the Esri World Imagery layer has been an important resource for many of you. While we’re unable to offer it for offline use, Gaia GPS offers a wide range of alternative satellite imagery and topographic map layers that you can continue to download for offline use on your adventures. Another option to consider is Mapbox Satellite which is an excellent satellite imagery layer that can be used both online and offline.

We encourage you to explore this option and download the maps you need well in advance of your next adventure to ensure uninterrupted access in the backcountry.

What happens to my saved ESRI World Imagery maps? 

Q: Are they deleted from my phone? 

A: No. We are only removing the ability to download new Esri World Imagery Tiles. Your existing downloads won’t be affected. 

When is this happening? 

Q: How long do I have to redownload my maps using a different source if I want to?

A: The ability to download Esri offline map tiles will be disabled on January 1, 2025.

Moving Forward Together

We understand that changes like this can be frustrating, but rest assured, our commitment to supporting your outdoor journeys remains stronger than ever. We will continue to improve Gaia GPS and offer the tools you need to safely and confidently explore off the beaten path.

Thank you for your understanding and for being part of the Gaia GPS community. If you have any questions or need assistance finding the right map layers for your trips, don’t hesitate to reach out to our support team.

Stay safe, and happy adventuring!

The Gaia GPS Team

December 10, 2024
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