We hope everyone finds the new header menu on cloud.gaiagps.com a little easier to navigate, and a little more compact.
This isn’t a terribly big change, but it should make people’s tracks and other data easier to find, so we get less emails asking!
We have a lot of other big stuff cooking for the app and website, should be an exciting summer.
Gaia GPS got written up in Greenbot today… the title makes sense to us: “Turn your Android device into the ultimate GPS back-country navigator.”
The article makes the point that Google Maps still isn’t cutting it in the backcountry, and here I thought everyone already knew that.
“Google’s Maps Android app is better suited to urban and known-world navigation—like how to get to Starbucks—than re-enacting a Discovery Channel episode.”
For nearly every purpose, people will find an iPhone or Android performs better than a Garmin or other outdoor GPS unit. We believe Gaia GPS is the best app to use your smartphone as an outdoor GPS, but there are dozens of other apps you will likely find preferable to a Garmin, as well.
Both Garmins and iPhones are suitable for getting GPS information, offline, without cell service. Both devices allow you to save map data for use out in the field, and track your location using satellites. But an iPhone has access to better maps, better software, at a price that can’t be beat if you already have the phone.
Below, we’ll discuss why an iPhone or Android is better than a Garmin, and also talk about what Garmin and its proponents will tell you.
Why to Use an iPhone
Proponents of smartphones point out that they offer better maps, larger screens, better software, for a fraction of the cost of a standalone GPS unit. Hiker, hunters, offroaders, skiers, and even professional firefighters, rangers, and researchers have adopted smart phones for outdoor recreation and work.
Proponents of Garmin and other standalone devices may cite the battery life, accuracy, and ruggedness as reasons to prefer these units. However, these needs can all be addressed, while still offering the benefits and low price of a smartphone:
For my money, a smartphone with Gaia GPS is the best outdoor GPS for backpacking and backcountry skiing. Along with a paper backup map and awareness of my surrounding, I always get where I want in the woods, and I always come home again.
What do you use for wilderness exploration? Send us a note at support@gaiagps.com, and we’ll post your story.
Here’s a comparison of two popular Android hiking apps – Backcountry Navigator and Atlogis US Topo Maps Pro.
I previously wrote about Gaia GPS vs. BCN, and it’s clear that Atlogis is a distant third. In this case, it comes down to the maps. I could take some fun jabs at the usability and performance of these apps relative to one another, but maps make the rest moot.
I’ll also note that we’d like you to compare Gaia GPS to both apps – we’ll give you a refund if you prefer our competitors, and we’ll give you a free GaiaPro subscription if you write to tell us why you like Gaia GPS better. Email support@gaiagps.com.
If you are looking for USGS topo maps, then you are much better off using Backcountry Navigator than Atlogis. BCN uses the same USGS topo maps that we do in Gaia GPS – the amazingly clear and updated USGS topos provided by CalTopo. On the other hand, Atlogis seems to have stitched together their own quilt of USGS topo maps – you can tell because of the ugly watermarks they superimpose on what are actually government maps.
Atlogis maps are also just obviously less clear and inferior – CalTopo renders the images to a higher resolution with a better method.
I can’t help but point out that Gaia GPS is best of all in this respect – not only do we have the clear CalTopo maps, but we let you adjust the hill-shading in the app itself, if you have a GaiaPro add-on. Personally, I prefer to have hill-shading turned off in the field. See for yourself which USGS topo is the best:
Backcountry vs. Atlogis vs. Gaia GPS
It might be that if you are looking for a weather app, Atlogis is what you want. There are a lot of weather layers, and like Gaia GPS, you can animate weather radar in the app and get some forecast info.
But for offline satellite imagery, international maps, and special sources like hunting layers and NOAA nautical charts, Atlogis isn’t going to do it for you.
I think people who buy Atlogis Topo Maps Pro do so for very random reasons, related to marketing and effort to promote the app. BCN is just better, and Gaia GPS is best of all.
Email support@gaiagps.com and let us know what you think.
I think the first step to planning a trip is figuring out what trail to use, then download a data file for that trail, then do the rest. Using a data file, it becomes really easy to plan a trip.
Overall, my method is:
If you just want a nearby trail of a certain length or difficulty, then I suggest starting with the map on cloud.gaiagps.com/map, look at stuff within a 2-hour drive, and find one or more parks or trails you want to explore.
The Gaia map links to both trails mapped by Gaia users, and also links to other great trail websites that include data files and information. If you are going some place dangerous or unknown, it’s critical that you read many accounts and get a sense for the place.
If you already have a trail name in mind, one of the best resource to find the information you need is Google search. I find it better to search Google, than to try and muddle through individual trail websites, if I have an exact name in mind.
For example, Google for _Rockbound Pass GPX_
This turns up an EveryTrail page, which has a GPX data file you can download (and import into Gaia GPS for planning and navigation).
The data file is the most important part, but you may also want to read up about the trail and other nearby places. You may wish to Google for the name of the place without attaching “GPX” to learn more information.
If you want to visit some place like Yosemite, but don’t have a trail name in mind, I suggest two main methods.
Map Method – Look at the map on cloud.gaiagps.com/map. You can search for the name of the park, or just pan the map to where you want. From there, you can do a couple of things:
Search Method – Visit cloud.gaiagps.com and search for the name of a park (e.g. Yosemite). Then, you can browse a gallery of trails. If Gaia doesn’t yet have a data file for a certain trail, try everytrail.com or other trail websites.
Once you know where you are going, you can plan the drive. Driving and parking ends up being one of the more confounding aspects of backpacking, unless you figuure it out ahead of time.
So, I typically:
print out driving directions
plot the route in Gaia as well
scout parking on the map
What happens is we’ll usually just try and navigate with the standards Maps app on an iPhone or Android. Then, when we lose our internet connections, we fall back to Gaia GPS and maybe the print-out to navigate the last mile.
Gaia won’t give you voice directions, but you can make a route in the app that mirrors the driving directions, and along with Gaia’s offline maps, you can get to your trailhead.
I amazed my friend the other day when we were driving, he lost his internet connection, and I handed him my phone running Gaia GPS, showing the dirt road we were on, and us cruising along.
I like to use Google to generate driving directions. You can usually get Google Maps directions for the name of the Park/Forest, but you may have to inspect the map and make sure the directions take you to a park entrance that is near your trailhead.
Then, I print the direction list, map, and email the link to my friends.
I also then use the Gaia app or website, to plot out the route (or last-mile) of what Google suggests. Then, even if I lose my internet connection, I can still see we are following the route visually in Gaia, based on my route and offline maps. Here’s the route-maker on the website (with GaiaPro), but it also works in the iOS and Android apps without GaiaPro.
You may be able to identify where to park near the Trailhead, based on inspecting the map or satellite imagery. Otherwise, I suggest you Google the park name, and read the park’s website, which should include parking info. You can also call ahead and ask.
Regardless of whether you bring an iPhone or GPS device, you should also bring a paper map and compass. In case your electronics fail you, you should be prepared to navigate based on the map, compass, and what you can see. For printing:
With a GaiaPro subscription, you can print up USGS topo maps and other sources via cloud.gaiagps.com/map. Print several map sources, which increases your safety by providing multiple sources of reference.
You can typically pick up a map at the park or ranger station itself.
You can order various fold-out and waterproof maps online, at places like Amazon.com
To download maps in Gaia, the data file makes things really easy.
First, import the file into Gaia, which will add tracks/routes to your list. Then, you can simply select “Download Maps for Track” for any of these, and Gaia will download the currently selected map source, along the length of the track.
If you prefer (I often do this), you can instead use the Box tool to download maps. After you import the data file, choose “Show Track on Map” for the Track, and this will center the map where you are going. From there, you can use the Box tool, and download a broad area that includes your trail.
You should also probably download multiple sources for your journey (even though it costs us more money!). I like to download USGS topos, OpenHikingMap, and MapBox satellite (at a minimum) for all my trips. This gives me multiple references for both safety and exploration fun.
Once you have imported the data file into Gaia, you are also a click away from sharing the map and track with your companions.
On both the app and website, you can send your friends a link in email that shows the map, any notes you add, and lets them download the data file too, in case they want to use Gaia GPS (or any app really). You can also send a link to your track and photos, after your trip, to share your adventure.
Also, for safety’s sake, every inexperienced backpacker should go with friends. If you break a leg, they can carry you out, or go get help. They can also stop you from making foolish decisions that lead to danger – two heads are better than one.
I pulled this into it’s own section, because it’s important!
Go to wunderground.com or even download our weather app, and make sure you check the forecast and severe weather alerts, both when you plan the trip, and the day you leave.
If you don’t, you won’t know the proper gear to bring, you might get rained out, or in extreme circumstances, you might be walking into a blizzard or other severe condition.
Based on weather and geography, you can then get the things you need together. Ask yourself these questions:
How do I find or bring water?
How much power do I need?
How warm do my clothes need to be?
Do I need boots, or will shoes suffice?
How heavy should my tent be?
The water question is the only important one really – you need to make sure there will be water nearby you can collect and purify, or bring enough water to see you out and back.
The other questions related to weather and gear requirements you should ere in the side of caution, but in general you’ll just end up a little extra cold and wet if you choose wrong, which is half the fun.
Some places require you to have permits for entry and making a fire. Find the park’s or forest’s website via Google, and look up permit info.
If you backpack a lot in one area, you’ll start to learn general rules like “dogs are never allowed in California state parks.” Or that most wilderness areas require a fire permit, even to have a stove.
You can sometimes print a permit online, or you may need to drive to an office before or at the start of the trip to acquire one.
A true backpacking trip – spending multiple nights out in the woods – can be a very rewarding experience. Take the time to properly prepare and scout the area, and you’ll enjoy it all the more.
In making Gaia GPS, we have tried to simplify the planning and navigation involved in backpacking, and it can seem all too easy to just wander out into the woods. But even in our high-tech world, your best protection against mishaps is proper scouting, friends, and more than one way to navigate.
Anna and I co-founded Gaia GPS, eventually got married, and we’ve been married for 3 years today. You hear from me the most as spokesperson for the company, but Anna has always been the technical brains of the operation.
I might never have gone backpacking if not for Anna, and I certainly wouldn’t have founded Gaia GPS myself. Whether you know it or not, if you are a Gaia GPS user, it’s a matter of love, through and through. Here is Anna from one of our earliest trips to Henry Coe, June 2007.
I’m grateful to Anna for many things, but backpacking was one of her earliest gifts to me. Backpacking changed me as a person – being out there in the wild, with few companions, and a lot of time to let my mind rewire itself. I like to think, overall, backpacking has made me wiser, more patient, and more robust to the world. And in general, I get three distinct effects from each trip, which I love:
Just thought I’d throw out a couple of thoughts on why I love Anna, backpacking, and Gaia GPS, with Anna and I celebrating our anniversary today,
In addition to the English versions of the NRCan topos, you can now access French language versions of the maps, too. As with other external map sources, add the French topos to the app by going to the main Map Layers menu, and tap the plus (“+”) button. Scroll down a bit, and tap the “Add” button.
I had the opportunity to speak for a couple of minutes about Gaia GPS on an Earth News Journal Podcast recently. You an listen to the clip here.
If only I sounded like the interviewer, Jerry, when I spoke!
Today we rolled out a few new social features on cloud.gaiagps.com. You can go set some profile info, and your public profile page links to your recent trips (here’s my public profile).
This is the bare bones of the feature, and you’ll see it evolve over the next few weeks. Websites (unlike apps) lend themselves to quick, iterative improvement, and we like to take advantage of that. If you are watching closely, you might notice we are releasing the website most days.
Right now, you can set a pic, username, bio, location, and connect with Facebook. Coming up, we’re working on letting you follow your friends, better information-grabbing from Facebook, an improved UI, and more.
Let us know what we can do to make Gaia GPS and cloud.gaiagps.com awesome for you. Email us at support@gaiagps.com, to reach the whole team.
While we are pushing improvements to cloud.gaiagps.com daily now, I want to spotlight one update that went out today – better file imports.
Uploading GPX files on the import page is now much faster, and the site can handle larger files. Files can be up to 50mb, which should accommodate almost any GPX file.
