Gaia GPS
  • 7-Day Free Trial Gaia GPS Premium
  • Out and Back Podcast
    • Adventures

      How to Avoid Another Deadly Avalanche Season

      January 21, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      The Best Advice We Received in 2021

      December 26, 2021

      Gaia GPS

      Avalanche Safety with Snow Science Expert Bruce Tremper

      November 30, 2021

      Gaia GPS

      Everything You Need to Know About Satellite Communicators

      November 10, 2021

      Gaia GPS

      Planning a Thru-Hike Next Year? Here’s What You…

      October 21, 2021

      Gaia GPS

      A Definitive Guide to the Best Camp Coffee

      September 30, 2021

      Gaia GPS

      Owls and UFOs with Ultralight Expert Mike Clelland

      September 9, 2021

  • Offroad Podcast
    • Gaia GPS

      Monique Song: How a City Girl Became the…

      April 7, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      TrailRecon Explains How to Become an Overlander Overnight

      March 9, 2022

      Adventures

      How to Stay Married on a Long-Distance Adventure

      February 9, 2022

      Adventures

      How to Go From ‘Desk to Glory’ in…

      January 12, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      The Best Advice We Received in 2021

      December 26, 2021

      Gaia GPS

      Gaia GPS’s Best New Overlanding Maps and Features…

      December 23, 2021

      Gaia GPS

      Inside the Never-Ending Road Trip with Dan Grec

      November 20, 2021

  • Adventures
    • User Stories
  • Activities
    • Backcountry Skiing
    • Boating
    • Emergency Response
    • Fishing
    • Offroading
  • New Features
    • Gaia GPS

      Meet Map Packs: A Totally New Way to…

      May 9, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      Top 10 Ways to Use Waypoints

      April 14, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      Discover & Reserve Campsites Right From Gaia GPS

      February 22, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      Navigate from the Dashboard with Improved Android Auto

      February 4, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      Trailforks Mountain Bike Trails now in Gaia GPS

      January 13, 2022

      Android

      Gaia GPS Year in Review: Best New Maps…

      December 28, 2021

      Gaia GPS

      Gaia GPS’s Best New Overlanding Maps and Features…

      December 23, 2021

  • New Maps
    • Featured

      Find Phone Signal With Cell Phone Coverage Maps

      May 2, 2022

      Adventures

      Using Gaia GPS to Find Free Camping in…

      March 9, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      Discover Snowmobile Trails Across the Globe

      February 9, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      Get Worldwide Ski Resort Reports in Gaia GPS

      January 25, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      Trailforks Mountain Bike Trails now in Gaia GPS

      January 13, 2022

      Android

      Gaia GPS Year in Review: Best New Maps…

      December 28, 2021

      Gaia GPS

      Gaia GPS’s Best New Overlanding Maps and Features…

      December 23, 2021

  • Home
Gaia GPS
  • 7-Day Free Trial Gaia GPS Premium
  • Out and Back Podcast
    • Adventures

      How to Avoid Another Deadly Avalanche Season

      January 21, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      The Best Advice We Received in 2021

      December 26, 2021

      Gaia GPS

      Avalanche Safety with Snow Science Expert Bruce Tremper

      November 30, 2021

      Gaia GPS

      Everything You Need to Know About Satellite Communicators

      November 10, 2021

      Gaia GPS

      Planning a Thru-Hike Next Year? Here’s What You…

      October 21, 2021

      Gaia GPS

      A Definitive Guide to the Best Camp Coffee

      September 30, 2021

      Gaia GPS

      Owls and UFOs with Ultralight Expert Mike Clelland

      September 9, 2021

  • Offroad Podcast
    • Gaia GPS

      Monique Song: How a City Girl Became the…

      April 7, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      TrailRecon Explains How to Become an Overlander Overnight

      March 9, 2022

      Adventures

      How to Stay Married on a Long-Distance Adventure

      February 9, 2022

      Adventures

      How to Go From ‘Desk to Glory’ in…

      January 12, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      The Best Advice We Received in 2021

      December 26, 2021

      Gaia GPS

      Gaia GPS’s Best New Overlanding Maps and Features…

      December 23, 2021

      Gaia GPS

      Inside the Never-Ending Road Trip with Dan Grec

      November 20, 2021

  • Adventures
    • User Stories
  • Activities
    • Backcountry Skiing
    • Boating
    • Emergency Response
    • Fishing
    • Offroading
  • New Features
    • Gaia GPS

      Meet Map Packs: A Totally New Way to…

      May 9, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      Top 10 Ways to Use Waypoints

      April 14, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      Discover & Reserve Campsites Right From Gaia GPS

      February 22, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      Navigate from the Dashboard with Improved Android Auto

      February 4, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      Trailforks Mountain Bike Trails now in Gaia GPS

      January 13, 2022

      Android

      Gaia GPS Year in Review: Best New Maps…

      December 28, 2021

      Gaia GPS

      Gaia GPS’s Best New Overlanding Maps and Features…

      December 23, 2021

  • New Maps
    • Featured

      Find Phone Signal With Cell Phone Coverage Maps

      May 2, 2022

      Adventures

      Using Gaia GPS to Find Free Camping in…

      March 9, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      Discover Snowmobile Trails Across the Globe

      February 9, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      Get Worldwide Ski Resort Reports in Gaia GPS

      January 25, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      Trailforks Mountain Bike Trails now in Gaia GPS

      January 13, 2022

      Android

      Gaia GPS Year in Review: Best New Maps…

      December 28, 2021

      Gaia GPS

      Gaia GPS’s Best New Overlanding Maps and Features…

      December 23, 2021

  • Home

Build Ultimate USFS Maps with Gaia GPS Map Overlays

by Nathan Copeland March 2, 2018
by Nathan Copeland March 2, 2018

U.S. national forests (USFS) host a wide variety of outdoor activities from backpacking to hunting to overland excursions. The Gaia GPS suite of USFS maps and premium overlays provide the best offline maps for any of the USFS managed lands.

Learn how to add overlays to base maps for finding outdoor adventure in U.S. national forest land.

Choosing USFS base maps

USFS 2016 & USFS Classic

These two base maps provide complete coverage for all 174 national forests and grasslands. The USFS Classic and USFS 2016 layers display the topographical relief of USFS managed lands and include trails, points of interests, and USFS forest roads labels. Click here to learn more about these base maps.

GAIA GPS USFS maps

Adding national forest map overlays

A map layer is a base map used for navigation. Map overlays allow users to combine aligning coordinate systems on top of a map layer for additional information. Gaia GPS provides a way to add overlays to a map, along with an opaque scale to see multiple overlays in one instance. Check out the below overlays for a detailed mapping experience within the U.S. national forests.

USFS Timber Harvest

The Timber Harvest overlay is the most recent addition to the interactive premium overlays available in Gaia GPS. The overlay conveniently displays forest lands harvested any time since the mid-1800s. Tap on any of the green areas on the Timber Harvest layer to reveal more information like the name of the project, area logged, when the project finished, and the harvest method.

Skiers may find the overlay helpful when planning backcountry ski trips that involve navigating tree-covered slopes.

GAIA GPS USFS Timber Harvest overlay

US Wildfires

Viewing current and historical wildfires adds additional depth to the USFS Classic and USFS 2016 layers. Try combining the Timber Harvest and the US Wildfire overlays to quickly display the status of our national forests. Click here to learn more about the current and historical US Wildfires overlay.

GAIA GPS US Wildfires overlay

USFS MVUM

After finding the perfect spot for your next adventure, turn on the USFS MVUM (motor vehicle use maps) layer for extra insight on USFS road designations. This overlay color codes USFS road by approved vehicle type and tapping the roads displays more information.

GAIA GPS USFS MVUM (motor vehicle use maps) overlay

Building the ultimate forest map

Combining all or just a couple of these USFS specific overlays with the USFS base maps or Gaia Topo produces great offline maps (iOS/Android) for any activity in the national forests.

Know what to expect in terms of habitat before you start your hunt with USFS Timber Harvest and US Wildfire overlays. Check out the San Isabel National Forest in southern Colorado or the Osceloa National Forest on the Florida-Georgia line.

GAIA GPS - San Isabel National Forest in southern Colorado or the Osceloa National Forest on the Florida-Georgia line.

Already using these overlays? Let us know your favorite combination or favorite national forest on Twitter: @GaiaGPSHunting

huntingoverlays
0
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Nathan Copeland

Nathan is part of the Gaia GPS Communications Team and can be found on the water or in the woods, sharing his passion for the outdoors.

previous post
93 Miles Around Mount Rainier: How to Thru-Hike the Wonderland Trail
next post
Gaia GPS Adds Bob Marshall Wilderness to National Geographic Map Layer

You may also like

Meet Map Packs: A Totally New Way to...

May 9, 2022

Fastpacking 101: What You Need for This Running-Backpacking...

May 5, 2022

Natural Navigation Clues: How to Find Your Way...

May 4, 2022

Find Phone Signal With Cell Phone Coverage Maps

May 2, 2022

Top 10 Ways to Use Waypoints

April 14, 2022

Monique Song: How a City Girl Became the...

April 7, 2022

How to Air Down Off-Road Tires for Overlanding

March 23, 2022

How to Check for Snow on the Trail

March 10, 2022

TrailRecon Explains How to Become an Overlander Overnight

March 9, 2022

Using Gaia GPS to Find Free Camping in...

March 9, 2022

Keep in touch

Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube

Popular Posts

  • 1

    How to Read Topographic Maps

    July 1, 2021
  • 2

    How to Save Phone Battery Life in the Backcountry

    March 25, 2021
  • 3

    How to Download an Entire State Map with Gaia Topo

    August 19, 2021
  • 4

    Unlock Adventure with Gaia GPS on Outside+

    September 30, 2021
  • 5

    Using Gaia GPS to Find Free Camping in National Forests

    March 9, 2022

Categories

  • Adventures
  • Android
  • App Comparisons
  • App Updates
  • Backcountry Skiing
  • Boating
  • Company News
  • Emergency Response
  • Featured
  • Fishing
  • Gaia GPS
  • Gaia GPS Offroad Podcast
  • GaiaCloud
  • Hikes
  • How-To
  • Hunting
  • iOS
  • New Features
  • New Maps
  • Newsletter
  • Offroading
  • Out and Back Podcast
  • User Profiles
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • RSS

@2022 - All Right Reserved. Gaia GPS


Back To Top