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Find the Deepest, Lightest Powder with the Snow Stations (Daily) Map

by Mary Cochenour
written by Mary Cochenour

Find the freshest, lightest, and deepest snow for your next winter adventure with the Snow Stations (Daily) map. This map taps into hundreds of remote SNOTEL and Canadian weather sensors to show just how much snow fell over the last 24 hours in mountain zones around the west. The map also provides water density readings to give you a sense of whether the new snow stacks up light and dry like Montana’s famous cold smoke or wet and heavy like Sierra cement.

No more trial-and-error in driving up to the pass or trailhead to hunt down the best snow conditions. Backcountry skiers, snowboarders, and snowmobilers can simply check the Snow Stations (Daily) map before heading out the door to get a real-time look at conditions on peaks and passes in the Western US and British Columbia. View this map with a Premium Membership on the web and in the Gaia GPS app when connected to the internet or cell service. This map relies on constant updates and is not available for downloading.

Real-Time Snow Data

two cell phones showing the snow stations daily map with information on snow totals

The Snow Stations (Daily) map helps you find the freshest snow conditions by pulling data from almost a thousand United States Department of Agriculture SNOTEL sites and British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations & Rural Development weather stations. Updated once every hour, these weather stations send out real-time information on total snow depth, snow water content, 24-hour change in snow totals, and more.

the legend showing what each color-coded snowflake represents on the Snow Stations Daily map. Orange and red snowflakes represent loss of snow. Black is no change in snow. Green and Blue show snow gain.


Find the location of all the SNOTEL and Canadian weather stations near you by looking for color-coded snowflake icons on the map. Each snowflake represents a remote weather station and the color of the snowflake indicates how much snow has fallen or melted in the last 24-hour reporting period.

Click on the icons to get more information about the location of the site and the weather conditions in that area. A pop-up will show the name, elevation, and the date and time the weather station last sent an update. View snow depth totals, 24-hour change in snow, and snow water equivalent changes within the last 24 hours. The link within the information pop-up on the map takes you to the weather station’s page, where you can learn more specifics about the sensor’s exact location and the maximum, minimum, and average temperature readings at the site for the last seven days, month, or a customized time frame of your choosing.

Location of Snow Stations (Daily)

You’ll find stations located in the most remote areas of Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Idaho, Montana, Utah, Wyoming, Arizona, New Mexico, and British Columbia, Canada. The weather stations were originally placed in these watersheds in the 1960s as a way to measure and forecast water availability for agricultural use. The SNOTEL sites quickly developed into a climate resource for backcountry enthusiasts. Skiers, snowboarders, mountaineers, and snowmobilers keep a close eye on conditions by referencing SNOTEL data. Hikers, bikepackers, and backpackers are equally interested in learning about spring, summer, and fall temperature readings and precipitation activity for backcountry areas they plan to visit.

How to Get the Snow Stations (Daily) Map

The Snow Stations (Daily) map is available in the app and online with a Premium Membership. Tap the layers icon from the Gaia GPS app on your phone or in your account on the web and select the “Add map layers” button. Scroll down and tap the “Feature /Weather Overlays” and select “Snow Stations Daily.” Tap the “+” icon to add it to your active map layers.

Layer this map on top of your favorite basemap, like Gaia Topo, USGS Topo, or even satellite imagery maps. Use the 24-, 48-, and 72- hour Precipitation layers to see what weather is predicted to come your way. Take a look at the Snow Depth layer to get a picture of how much snow is already on the ground. Always check in with the Avalanche Forecast map before heading out of cell service range.

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Earl Shaffer stands next to the sign on top of Mount Katahdin. He wears binoculars, a long sleeve tee and jeans. His pack sits on a rock in front of him.
Gaia GPSHikes

Walking off the War on the Appalachian Trail

by Abby Levene
written by Abby Levene

Photo: Earl Shaffer at the northern end of the Appalachian Trail, Mount Katahdin, Maine. Photographer by an unknown hiker. Courtesy of the Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Origin: Earl Shaffer “Walks off the War”

Around 1:30 pm on August 5, 1948, a weary Earl V. Shaffer reached the summit of Mount Katahdin. Someone took his photo by the sign, he talked with several others on the summit, and he made his way back down. His outing looked pretty similar to that of thousands of hikers who had reached the rocky pinnacle before him. Shaffer, however, had just walked the entire length of the 2,000-mile Appalachian Trail. And records show he was the first person to do so since the long trail was completed in 1937.

Shaffer had started his hike 123 days previously at the base of Mount Oglethorpe, which served as the southern terminus of the AT until 1958. He travelled alone, walking around 17 miles a day. Shaffer packed light. He nixed a tent when he realized his poncho could double as a shelter. He mended his clothes, and cooked cornbread in a pan over an open fire. Shaffer made it over the rocks, roots, and rubble in just one pair of Russell Moccasin Company “Birdshooter” boots. He resoled them twice, and they were in tatters by the end.

Despite Shaffer’s militancy for packing light, another heaviness weighed on his shoulders. Shaffer’s impetus for his unprecedented journey was to “walk the war out of my system.” The 29-year-old had served as a radar equipment technician in the South Pacific for four years during World War II. He saw the vestiges of war everywhere across the bucolic trail. In his “little black book,” a six-ring notebook he used as a diary, Shaffer perfunctorily makes note of military memorials, encountering fellow vets, and clouds resembling military carriers. He writes about a farmer’s son who “was psycho from [the] army” and a mother grouse who exploded from the underbrush like “an A-bomb.”

Twice, Shaffer mentions his childhood friend, Walter Winemiller, who passed away in the Battle of Iwo Jima. They had planned on hiking the trail together.

64 Years Later: Veteran Sean Gobin Thru-Hikes the AT

Sean Gobin stands in full combat gear in front of a military tank in the desert of south west Afghanistan.
Marine Sean Gobin in South West Afghanistan, 2011. Courtesy of Sean Gobin

Thru-hiking has exploded in popularity since Shaffer’s inaugural walk. About 20,000 people have completed the AT. Yet the tradition of “walking off the war” continues. Sixty-four years after Shaffer embarked on his 2,000 mile quest, marine veteran Sean Gobin did the same. Like Shaffer, Gobin had dreamed of thru-hiking the AT long before serving three deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan.

As a kid, Gobin and his family spent summer vacations traveling around the country in an RV.

“I remember visiting Shenandoah National Park and noticing this trail that went all the way from Georgia to Maine,” Gobin recalls. “I was fascinated that people actually hiked the whole thing. I always wanted to do it.”

On his last day in the Marine Corps, Gobin drove out the back gate of Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and beelined 500 miles due west to Springer Valley, Georgia. He started his thru-hike the next day.

“It was this really personal, cathartic experience.”

Gobin set out from Springer Mountain simply hoping to defy a statistic. He knew nothing about Shaffer, nature therapy, or even thru-hiking. But Gobin did know that of those who attempt to thru-hike the AT, only about 20 percent make it all the way.

“As a Marine,” Gobin says, “You’re like, ‘okay challenge accepted.’”

Sean Gobin sits on a rock painted with an American Flag. He's wearing his backpacking pack and holding poles.
Sean Gobin above Lehigh Gap, PA on the AT. Courtesy of Sean Gobin

Gobin wanted an extreme physical challenge. He got that — and an experience that shifted the trajectory of his life. The first month on the trail was a “complete mess.” Gobin made all of your typical beginner thru-hiker mistakes, and gave himself a slew of overuse injuries. But he was a fast learner, and by the time the shin splints, knee strains, blisters, and lost toenails recovered, Gobin had figured thru-hiking out.

“Once I figured everything out, it was really this incredible experience where I was able to focus outwardly and really appreciate the trail, nature, and the serenity of it all,” Gobin says.

Gobin settled into the rhythm of hiking eight to 12 hours a day. Immersed in nature and with nothing to distract him, he started processing his past, and planning for the future.

“Your brain really has nothing to do but start to focus on your life experiences and what you’ve gone through,” Gobin says. “You come to terms with it, and then start focusing on the future and what you want to do with your life; what’s really important to you. It was this really personal, cathartic experience.”

By the time Gobin finished the trail, he realized he had gone through an incredibly therapeutic, life-changing journey. He felt called to provide fellow vets with a similar experience — many needed it.

The early 2010s marked the height of the Veterans Association struggling to deal with an onslaught of vets coming home with mental health issues. Since 2001, over three million vets have returned home from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Many never transition from their experiences. In fact, the Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that over 15 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan vets suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

“The VA was prescribing a lot of medications, and some of the side effects are even worse than the effects of post-traumatic stress,” Gobin says.

To make matters worse, many vets would come home and give up the daily structure of working out and keeping up with military standards of fitness. Their physical health faded with their mental health. Gobin knew thru-hiking could help with both.

Warrior Expeditions: Walking Off War Together

A group of Warrior Expeditions Vets stand on top of McAfee Knob. Green mountains ripple into the distance under a cloudy sky.
A Warrior Expeditions group at McAfee Knob, VA on the AT. Courtesy of Warrior Expeditions

Almost instantly, puzzle pieces started falling into place. Gobin met an Appalachian Trail Conservancy board member, who introduced Gobin to the history of Earl Shaffer and veterans walking off the war. Gobin was intrigued. Together, Gobin and the ATC started putting together a vet outreach program to help vets transition from their wartime experiences by thru-hiking the trail.

Gobin used his MBA classes at the University of Virginia that winter to put Warrior Expeditions together. He made the website during finals week. Gobin called every outdoor company he could think of. Companies began donating gear. The ATC announced the program, and applications flooded in. Gobin organized a community of supporters all the way up the AT who would take vets in for a meal and a place to sleep every few days up the trail.

“And their eyes — wow, it was like someone turned the lights on.”

That spring, Gobin met his first class of vets in Georgia. He distributed gear, gave an orientation talk about how to thru-hike, and told them what to expect. Gobin shadowed them up the trail for a week, and departed in Hiawassee, GA. Six months later, Gobin met the group at Katahdin. He couldn’t believe the transformation that had occurred along the trail.

“The people I met in Maine were not the same people who started in Georgia,” Gobin says. “Physically, they had lost tons of weight. The pudgy vets who started up the trail no longer had an ounce of body fat. And their eyes — wow, it was like someone turned the lights on.”

By the time Gobin met the group in Maine, the previously depressive, introverted, and sullen vets were beaming, laughing, and talking. Gobin realized he had found his life’s calling. Warrior Expeditions rapidly expanded, organizing thru-hikes for vets on eight different long trails across the country, plus a 3,700-mile cross-country cycling expedition and paddling trip along the 2,320-mile Mississippi River.

A Magical Formula: Building a Routine in Nature as a Team

Sean Gobin smiles while standing on a rocky trail. He's wearing a backpack and button-down shorts sleeve shirt.
Sean Gobin. Courtesy of Sean Gobin.

Gobin says Warrior Expeditions works because of three elements: the therapeutic benefits of living in tune with nature, the structure of purpose and routine, and the social element of traveling together.

Hiking with a heavy pack all day, every day helps burn off anxiety. The physical toll and time in nature alleviates depression. The routine puts hikers on a normal sleep schedule where they’re up with the sun and sleep when the sun sets. Plus, they’re so tired that they actually get a good night’s sleep.

“It’s very structured,” Gobin says. “It strips away all the things in life that are unnecessary. It breaks life down to its most basic elements.”

Traveling along the trail in a group and interacting with community hosts and other hikers on the trail builds connection and a sense of camaraderie.

“All of those things are the magical ingredients that go into what makes it such a transformational experience, both physically and mentally” Gobin says.

These qualitative benefits have been backed up with quantitative data. For the past seven years, Warrior Expeditions has partnered with psychologists Dr. Shauna Joye (an Air Force veteran) and Dr. Zachary Dietrich (a Marine Corps veteran) to research the effects of long-term wilderness experiences on combat veterans. Their results show that participants benefit from significantly lower levels of post traumatic stress, anxiety, and depression after finishing a wilderness program.

A New Nature-Based Life

A Warrior Expeditions group stands on top of Mount Katahdin. They are posing and smiling around the sign, and two people are holding an American flag.
A Warrior Expeditions group reaches the end of their AT thru-hike. Courtesy of Sean Gobin.

Back on his first thru-hike in 1948, Earl Shaffer quickly misplaced his maps. Unfortunately for him, smart phones and digital maps did not yet exist. So Shaffer was forced to rely on a compass and instinct to find his way. He recounts getting lost numerous times. Yet Shaffer seems to have found himself along the way. After descending Katahdin, Shaffer shouldered the nickname “The Crazy One” and moved to a cabin in rural Idaville, PA — just five miles off the AT. Surrounded by cats and goats and forgoing running water and refrigeration, Shaffer coexisted with nature on his own terms.

Thru-hiking remained another constant in Shaffer’s life. He went on to hike the entire length of the AT two more times. In 1998 at age 79, he became the oldest person to do so. It took him 173 days.

Shaffer passed away in 2002 at the age of 83. But his legacy lives on through the veterans who embark on the same transformative journey each year. After their expeditions, most vets continue to hike. Some, like Gobin, buy an RV and travel. And some even move to the wilderness and go on to start their own small farms.

“It’s therapeutic for everybody, no matter who you are and what you’re dealing with at the moment. It’s just this incredible transformation all the way around.”

Veterans hold a special place in both the history and meaning of thru-hiking in America. Yet Gobin says that part of a trail’s magic lies in its ability to lighten the lives of anyone.

“The trail is full of all different types of people and demographics and reasons for being out there,” Gobin says. “And it’s therapeutic for everybody, no matter who you are and what you’re dealing with at the moment. It’s just this incredible transformation all the way around.”

Although the pandemic has placed Warrior Expeditions trips on hold, you can get involved by applying to serve as a community host along a trail. You can also contribute with donations. Gobin says they’re always seeking outdoor gear with which to equip vets on their trips. Follow along with Warrior Expeditions on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

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Gaia Winter map showing Aspen.
Gaia GPSNew Maps

Activate Snow Mode with Gaia Winter

by Abby Levene
written by Abby Levene

The world’s best backcountry navigation app is now available in winter mode! Ride the lifts, tour the backcountry, and explore nordic, fat bike, and snowshoe trails with confidence thanks to the all-new Gaia Winter topographic map.

Our in-house cartographers designed this new base map specifically for your favorite winter activities. A stronger emphasis on terrain, tree cover, and contours make it easy to navigate in an endless world of white. A special “winter” color palette pairs perfectly with our suite of winter maps, including Avalanche Forecast, Slope Angle, Snow Depth, Snow Stations (Daily), and 24, 48, and 72-hour Snow Forecast maps. Plus, see every run at the ski resort, along with nordic, snowshoe, fat bike, and uphill trails.

Just like our original Gaia Topo, Gaia Winter comes with industry-leading download efficiency. A tiny file size and lightning-quick download speeds let you save your entire state so you can always have a map on hand, even when you lose cell service. Whether you’re riding the lifts, sliding into the side country, or touring untouched terrain, bring Gaia Winter along with you so that you can always find your location — and your way back.

Get All the Ski Resort Maps in One Place

You always have the ski resort map in your pocket with Gaia Winter. If you get lost on the trails, just pull up the map to see exactly where you are. Zoom in to any ski resort to see all the ski trails, represented by thick, partially transparent lines.

Runs are color-coded by the corresponding difficulty level: green for easiest, blue for intermediate, and black for difficult. The most difficult and “extreme” terrain (double black diamonds) is shaded in orange. You’ll also see the names of the trails.

Whether you’re trying to avoid getting stuck on the cat tracks or want to stay off the bumps, use Gaia Winter to pick your best line down the hill. Chairlifts are easy to spot in red. We’ve added the chairlift names to make it even easier to place yourself on the map.

When you’re ready for lunch, consult Gaia Winter to find a lodge nearby. Easily spot major hotels, highlighted on the map in blue. Check out the best après ski options in town, as well as gas stations and grocery stores, all highlighted in orange. Record your tracks in the app so you can relive the day’s adventures. Pro tip: check out your tracks in 3D mode on gaiagps.com!

Explore Nordic, Snowshoe, and Fat Bike Trails

In addition to downhill ski resorts, Gaia Winter shows other trails designed for snow travel. Nordic trails are represented as thinner solid lines. They’re also color-coded by the corresponding difficulty level. Zoom in or click on a trail to see its name.

Dotted trails with highlighting denote snowshoe, fat bike, and uphill trails. Click on a trail to get more details, including distance and elevation gain.

Designed for the Demands of Winter

Gaia Winter immediately sets a seasonal tone with a winter-themed color scheme. The blue-grey palette also makes Gaia Winter easy to distinguish from the greens and browns of our classic base map, Gaia Topo.

At a zoomed-out level, the landscape appears pale blue, with mountainous and forested areas in shades of pale mint green. Once you zoom in, tree shading appears in a pale mint green, while exposed surfaces look white. Rivers and bodies of water appear ice blue.

Tour the backcountry with confidence thanks to a stronger emphasis on terrain, tree cover, and contour lines. The mountains pop out of the map, helping you scout the best uphill and ski lines. See exactly where treeline ends so you can find powdery bowls and untracked glades. Hiking, mountain bike, and other three-season trails are deemphasized to make it even easier to see ski, snowshoe, and fat bike trails.

Streamlined Integration with Winter Maps

Gaia Winter showing Jackson Hole overlayed with the Slope Angle map.

This less-diverse color palette also serves a functional purpose. Gaia Winter is expertly styled to pair perfectly with our suite of winter maps. Whether you’re accessing the side country from the resort or going out for an all-day backcountry tour, layer the Slope Angle map over Gaia Winter to find low-angle terrain. Pair the Avalanche Forecast maps over Gaia Winter to clearly see which zones are green, signifying the lowest rating for avalanche risk.

And of course, don’t forget to check out our snowfall map layers, including Snow Stations (Daily), to get 24-hour snowfall reports for remote mountain areas in the western US and British Columbia. View water density readings to see if the snow is light like Wasatch powder or heavy like Sierra cement. Get more information on snow conditions in the Lower 48 and find areas holding the deepest snow with the Snow Depth layer. Plus, check the snow forecast straight from NOAA with 24-, 48-, and 72-hour Snowfall Forecast overlays.

Navigate at Night with Dark Mode

Gaia Winter in dark mode on an iPhone.

Just like Gaia Topo, Gaia Winter also comes in Dark Mode. Save your eyes and your battery life by switching to Dark mode at night. Dark Mode inverts the traditional color scheme, giving you a gorgeous aesthetic that produces less ambient light. The map appears dark grey, while trails and icons pop in fluorescent colors.

For an even better viewing experience, enable the Dark Mode responsive Gaia Topo map and your eyes will thank you. To turn on this feature, go to Settings > Display & Brightness > Appearance. Then, tap “Dark” to set the display to Dark Mode. Gaia GPS will automatically adjust its own display settings to match. To ensure that your screen settings are always suited to your environment, tap “Automatic” under “Display & Brightness” to sync up Dark Mode with sunset and sunrise. You can also set it to adjust according to a schedule of your own choosing.

Gaia Winter is Available with a Premium Membership

Gaia Winter is available on the web and in the Gaia GPS app with a Gaia GPS Premium membership. To access this map, visit the layers menu and search for “Gaia Winter.” Or from the layers menu, select “Topo Maps.” Scroll down and tap “Gaia Winter.” Tap the “Add Layer” button. Learn how to add and manage overlays here.

A Premium Membership also gives you access to Gaia GPS’s entire map catalog, including a suite of avalanche safety maps. These include Slope Angle, Avalanche Forecast, recent satellite imagery, Snow Stations (Daily), Snow Depth, and snow forecast maps. Read up on how to use maps to help avoid avalanche danger.

Plus, with Premium, you can layer maps together. For example, you can place the Slope Angle map on top of Gaia Winter to find the best low-angle terrain. And you can download your maps (including Gaia Winter) for use without cell service, as well as print maps so you always have a backup.

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Hiker stands looking at the view of snowy mountains
Gaia GPSHow-To

The Art of Layering

by Angela Crampton
written by Angela Crampton

When it comes to layering for cold-weather adventures, seemingly tiny decisions can make or break a trip.

Snowy landscapes on crisp mornings sound magical. But in cold weather, the stakes are higher. Wearing the wrong clothes can leave you either too cold or too damp from sweat—both of which can lead to exposure-related conditions like frostbite and hypothermia.

That’s where the art of layering comes in. Knowing how to dress for winter hiking is all about knowing how to keep your body on that Goldilocks-fine line between too hot and too cold. Read on to figure out how to dial in your own winter layering system and enjoy your next winter hike in comfort.

Wick Away Moisture with Baselayers

A man walks down a snowfield with crampons, a backpack, and many winter layers.

Let’s start with your first layer. Your baselayer lies against your skin. It both provides warmth and wicks moisture away from your body to keep you feeling dry. Synthetic and wool fabrics, especially lightweight Merino wool, offer the best wicking capabilities. Wool also has the added benefit of natural odor-fighting properties. Cotton, however, absorbs sweat and will leave you feeling clammy. Save it for summer.

Your baselayer should be fairly thin. It can be short-sleeved or long-sleeved depending on the weather and how much you heat up when you really get moving. If you start overheating the minute you hit an incline, a short-sleeved layer or a shirt with a zipper will help you dump heat fast and avoid building up sweat. If you expect blowing snow or windy weather, you’ll be happier with long sleeves or a short-sleeved shirt under a wind-blocking layer like a softshell jacket or lightweight wind shirt.

Baselayer bottoms are also a personal preference. Even a thin pair of athletic tights or long underwear under your pants can make a serious temperature difference. But if you’re prone to sweaty legs, your winter hiking pants might keep you warm enough by themselves.

Insulate with Midlayers

A hiker stands with their back to the camera, gazing down from the top of a mountain onto mountains, a lake, and plains covered in snow. They're wearing a headband, winter coat, and a backpack.

A midlayer traps body heat to keep you warm and to continually dry your baselayer. These come in various weights—everything from a thin Merino wool hoodie to an insulated vest to a lightweight down jacket can count as a midlayer.

Breathable fleece is a popular option. It’s fairly warm for its weight, and the breathability allows sweat to dry fast, though that also means it provides little defense against wind. The close-knit fabrics of insulated synthetic mid-layers add both stretchiness and improved wind-resistance.

Down sweaters (puffy, down-filled jackets) offer the most warmth per ounce and pack down smaller than other materials. However, they only work if they stay dry. Down provides warmth by trapping hot air in the thousands of tiny air pockets that form between feathers. Get it wet, and the limp feathers will provide far less warmth than a damp wool or synthetic layer.

As the temperature dips, you might use more than one middle layer. For example, on a 10°F day, you might wear a thin Merino wool baselayer and a synthetic-insulated vest followed by a down sweater. All that goes under your outerlayer, or shell.

Keep out the Weather with Shell layers

A person walks away from the camera up a snowfield. They are wearing crampons, holding ice axes, and have on a backpack and down coat.
Photo: Anurag Nallavelli

Also known as a shell jacket, your outer layer protects you from wind, rain, and snow.

Soft Shells

Soft-shell jackets are stretchy, breathable, and water-resistant. They’re great for repelling snow in dry climates and most have a water-resistant coating that can keep out light rain and wind.

Many winter hiking pants or alpine climbing pants are made of a soft-shell material. The stretchiness and breathability make them great for steep climbs in deep snow.

Hard Shells

Hard-shell jackets are essentially rain coats. They have a waterproof membrane (like Gore-Tex) in addition to a water-repellant coating, which leaves them fully waterproof. They also block wind and retain more warmth, but they offer less stretch and far less breathability.

Hard shells shield hikers in mixed weather conditions and keep other layers dry, but even the most well-advertised “waterproof breathable” fabrics trap water vapor from sweat. Some come equipped with zippered vents in the armpits or sides to help keep air circulating, but the general rule is that if you’re working hard in a waterproof jacket, you’re going to sweat.

For winter hiking, you should always carry a waterproof jacket, even if you don’t expect rain or snow. For a full guide to choosing the right rain jacket, we recommend Adventure Alan’s Rain Jacket 101.

Protect Your Extremities

It’s easy to forget the extras, but your fingers, toes, ears, and face are the most prone to frostbite in cold conditions.

Head

You can regulate your body temperature like a thermostat by either putting or taking off a hat. Bring a wool or fleece hat that covers your ears. A balaclava or neck warmer is also useful for protecting your face from wiping winter winds.

Hands

Invest in a good pair of insulated, waterproof gloves or mittens. In general, mittens are much warmer, but gloves provide better dexterity.

For really cold weather, pack a thin pair of liner gloves, as well. They act like a base layer and wick sweat away from your hands, and they’re useful to have if you want thin coverage while working hard or while performing high-dexterity tasks like adjusting ski or snowshoe bindings.

Feet

Wear wool or synthetic socks to keep your feet warm even when sweat builds up. If you’re prone to blisters, also consider a thin liner sock to reduce friction. Make sure your socks are thick enough to provide adequate warmth, but not so thick that they’ll impair circulation by taking up too much space in your boot.

Consider packing extra socks. Feet can sweat even in very cold temperatures, and you may want to switch out socks halfway through a hike if your feet aren’t drying or warming up.

In deep snow, wear gaiters to keep snow out of your boots. Waterproof and durable, gaiters attach to your boot laces and typically extend to just below the knee.

Listen to Your Body

A hiker turns their face against the wind. They're carrying poles, wearing crampons, and have a backpack, hood, sunglasses, and winter coat. They're standing on a snowfield with mountains in the background.

Everyone handles extreme temperatures and responds to high cardiovascular output differently. A layering system that works flawlessly for one person might fall completely short for another. When you’re starting out winter hiking, pack more clothes than you think you need, and pay attention to cues from your body to determine when you need to add or subtract layers.

The only exception: When you stop hiking, layer up before you get cold. It’s easier to stay warm than to get warm.

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Two people look at Gaia GPS on their phone while standing in front of mountains.
Gaia GPSHow-To

Unlock the Full Power of Gaia GPS with Our New Advanced Online Course

by Abby Levene
written by Abby Levene

Gaia GPS is a great tool to have in your back pocket for when sh*t hits the fan. But also proves invaluable for taking adventuring into your own hands. By unlocking the full power of Gaia GPS, you unlock the power within yourself to create – and go on – your own adventures.

Our new online course from Outside Learn, Gaia GPS Advanced, teaches you how to use every feature of the app and gaiagps.com to the fullest. Plus, get the insider tour of our 300+ map catalog, as well as how to layer maps together to reveal even more terrain features. And learn how to tap into our curated collection of map packs, as well as how to build your own so you can put your favorite map combinations in your hands at any moment.

Whether you are just getting started with Gaia GPS, or you’re looking to use more advanced tools, this seven-part course will help you quickly hone your skills. 

You’ll learn:

  • How to take your maps offline so you can navigate without cell service 
  • How to modify your route or create a new one while on the trail
  • How to find the perfect campsite using the Gaia GPS
  • How to customize your maps with adventure-specific details
  • How to organize and share your maps and routes
  • Our best, top-secret tips and tricks

Take Gaia GPS Advanced with Gaia GPS Premium powered by Outside+, the one subscription to fuel all of your adventures. 

p.s. If you’re just getting started, check out Gaia GPS 101 on Outside Learn or Youtube!

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Hiker looks at phone in front of Lake Tahoe.
Gaia GPSHow-To

Master the Fundamentals of Gaia GPS with Our New Course

by Abby Levene
written by Abby Levene

From exploring out the front door to adventuring around the deepest corners of the backcountry, Gaia GPS unlocks a new world of opportunity. You just need to know how to use it. 

And here’s the thing: Gaia GPS is such a powerful mapping and navigation tool that even we’ll admit there’s a little bit of a learning curve to mastering its breadth and depth. That’s why we teamed up with our friends over at Outside Learn to create Gaia GPS 101, our brand new course designed to save you time and help you get the most out of the app.

Whether you’re just getting into hiking, backpacking around the world, or navigating tricky mountain passes in your rig, this course is for you. Follow along with our seven short lessons and you’ll be fully equipped to plan your own adventures on foot, skis, boats, or wheels.

In this course, professional ultra runner and Gaia GPS team member Abby Levene teaches you the fundamentals of the app. Learn how to find your way if you lose the trail, use waypoints to enhance your adventures, stay safer with weather and terrain features, and plan and navigate along your own routes. 

Watch the full course below for free and grow empowered to explore. Outside+ members can also take the course on Outside Learn.

Gaia GPS 101 covers:

  • Customizing your app
  • Orienting yourself on the map
  • Checking localized weather
  • Creating your own routes
  • Navigating along a route
  • Free map layers and how to use them

Pssst if you want to take your skills to the next level, stay tuned for Gaia GPS Advanced, coming soon!

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Joshua Tree National Park at sunset
AdventuresGaia GPSHikes

Discover the Ultimate Winter Getaway with These Ten National Parks

by Mary Cochenour
written by Mary Cochenour

Some of America’s national parks are best visited in the winter. The off-season brings the possibility of more solitude, dramatic snow-dusted scenery, and cooler, more comfortable temperatures in areas with extreme summer climates, like the Everglades and Death Valley. Whether you’re craving a warm, summer-like hike in the depths of winter or looking for a snowy adventure far away from the crowds, explore these 10 national parks for a variety of winter-season adventures.

Two sets of footprints cross a sand dune in Death Valley with blue skies overhead.

Desert Adventures

1. Death Valley National Park

Winter brings cooler temperatures and fewer visitors to Death Valley — the hottest place on earth. Located on the California and Nevada border, Death Valley commonly surpasses the 120-degree Fahrenheit mark during the months of July and August. This sweltering summer heat makes outside activities like hiking, biking, and even sightseeing uncomfortable and downright dangerous.

In winter months, you’ll find the less extreme side of Death Valley. From December through February, temperatures cool to the 60s to 70s F in the daytime, making it possible to get out of air-conditioned cars and explore the park’s sand dunes, colorful geological formations, and sunbaked playas, including Badwater Basin, the lowest point in the U.S. at 282 feet below sea level.

Recommended Hikes:

  1. Darwin Falls, 2 miles, 376 elevation gain 
  2. Zabriskie Point Loop 6.8 miles, 827 elevation gain
  3. Sidewinder Canyon, 1.8 miles, 505 feet elevation gain

Winter Tip: Wildrose Peak (9,064 feet) and Telescope Peak (11,049 feet) may be covered in snow, so stick to the lower elevation trails.

2. Joshua Tree National Park

The most unique of all the desert landscapes, Joshua Tree National Park hosts the fuzzy Cholla cactus, interesting rock outcroppings, and the region’s trademark Joshua Tree — a spiky member of the Yucca family found in no other place in the world. The park’s diversity is owed to its varied elevation, ranging between 1,000 and 5,500 feet and spreading across two of California’s deserts, the Mojave and the Colorado.

Even though Joshua Tree sits above sea level, midsummer temperatures swelter around the 100-degree F mark. You can count on spring and fall bringing mild weather and a lot of visitors. Winter, with its chilly daytime highs in the 60s F, attracts fewer crowds but is still comfortable enough to enjoy hiking and rock climbing in this one-of-a-kind desert wilderness. 

Recommended Hikes:

  1. Skull Rock Loop, 1.8 miles, 121 feet elevation gain
  2. 49 Palms Oasis, 3 miles, 349 feet elevation gain
  3. The Maze Loop, 6.2 miles, 393 feet elevation gain

Winter Tip: Expect wild temperature swings from day to night and don’t be surprised by the occasional snow storm in mid-winter season. 

A desert canyon, with steep rock walls and a calm river flowing through the bottom of the canyon.

3. Big Bend National Park 

With over 150 miles of trails, Big Bend National Park presents a winter hiking paradise with balmy daytime temperatures averaging in the 60s F and the chance of snow slim to none. Located in a remote area of southwest Texas along the border of Mexico, Big Bend’s enormous landscape offers a variety of desert terrain that stretches from the banks of the Wild and Scenic Rio Grande at 1,850 feet to the 7,832-foot Emory Peak in the Chisos Mountains. In between the summit and the river, explore desert slot canyons, dry washes, and barren landscapes. 

As a general rule, count on a 20-degree F temperature variance between the highest and lowest points in the park. This variety in temperature makes it easy to select a hike with a comfortable climate no matter what the forecast. Hike the trails near the river for warmer weather and head high into Chisos Mountains for cooler temperatures. Because of this varied elevation, Big Bend is home to a diverse ecosystem, with over 1,200 species of plants, 450 bird species, and 75 mammal species, including mule deer, black bears, and coyotes. 

Recommended Hikes:

  1. Saint Elena Canyon, 1.4 miles, 564 feet elevation gain
  2. Boquillas Canyon, 1.3 miles, 98 feet elevation gain
  3. Emory Peak, 4.6 miles, 2,402 feet elevation gain

Winter Tip: Avoid Big Bend during the Christmas and New Year holiday season, one of the most popular times of the year to visit the park.

Snowy Mountain Adventures

Wide open snow field with steam rising from geothermal pools, under a blue sky.

4. Yellowstone National Park

With packs of wolves, herds of Bison, roiling geothermal pools, and steaming geysers, Yellowstone National Park offers one of the wildest experiences of any national park. But add a layer of winter into the mix and you’ve just upped the ante. In early November, four of the five roads leading into Yellowstone’s main attractions close to vehicle traffic, turning the park into a snowbound wilderness that is remote, untamed, and uncrowded — a feeling not easily achieved in the summer months when this popular park is crawling with tourists. 

To get to the park’s popular destinations, like the Old Faithful Geyser and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, book a ride on a snow coach, take a guided snowmobile tour, or use your own snowmobile to participate in the park’s non-commercial snowmobile program. Once within the park’s interior, you can explore by ski, snowshoe or snowmobile, visiting steaming hot geothermal pools and exploding geysers. Or you can spend the day watching wildlife — bison, wolves, deer, elk, antelope, and eagles — endure the brutal cold season. Don’t expect to see any Grizzly bears though; they are sleeping the winter away and set to stir sometime in late March.

Recommended Ski and Snowshoe Trails:

  1. Canyon Rim Ski Trail, 4.5 miles
  2. Lone Star Geyser Ski Trail, 9 miles
  3. Observation Point Snowshoe Trail, 2 miles

Winter Tips: If you missed out on reservations for a snow coach or snowmobile ride, take a drive through Lamar Valley, accessible from the park’s north entrance in Gardiner, Montana. This road is plowed and open all year long, but in the winter it dead ends in Cooke City, Montana, a backcountry skiing and snowmobiling destination. The two-lane road travels through Yellowstone National Park’s famed Lamar Valley, where bison and packs of wolves live. Check the park’s webpage here for a list of available winter services. 

Snowy Mount Rainier pokes above the clouds with a colorful, pastel sunset of orange and soft pink hues int he background.

5. Mount Rainier National Park

Mount Rainier National Park, just a two-hour drive from Seattle, averages more than 53 feet of snowfall per year, making it the perfect place to play in the snow for almost six month out of the year. Only the hardiest of mountaineers attempt to summit the 14,411-foot peak in the winter months, but the lower elevations around Paradise and Longmire, offer plenty of opportunities for backcountry and cross country skiing, snowshoeing, winter hiking, and sledding. Hone your winter camping skills in the Paradise area. Be sure to pick up a backcountry camping permit at the Longmire Museum or the Paradise Visitor Center on the day of your arrival.

Recommended Winter Activities:

  1. Longmire Winter Trails
  2. Paradise Winter Snowplay

Winter Tip: Most roads in the park close for the winter, but visitors can access the park from the Nisqually Entrance to Longmire, which is open year-round except in extreme winter weather conditions. Check with the park’s road status page for updates on winter road conditions. The road from Longmire to Paradise opens at 9 am and closes for the night at 5 pm depending on weather, so time your visit accordingly. Never walk, ski, or snowshoe on the road to Paradise because road crews are operating snow plows and heavy equipment even when the road is closed.  

Mountain scenery with blue skies and tall rock face in the background and snow dusted evergreen trees on a field of snow in the foreground.

6. Rocky Mountain National Park

Rocky Mountain National Park, just outside of Denver Colorado, offers all kinds of snow-filled fun, including winter hiking, cross country and backcountry skiing, sledding, snowshoeing, and ice climbing. Before you go, you’ll have to decide whether to visit the east or west side of the park because Trail Ridge Road, which climbs to 12,183 feet and connects the two sides, closes to traffic in the winter months.  

Besides Trail Ridge Road, most of the park’s roads are open to travel, providing access to trails that are popular for hiking in the summer. If there is fresh now, you’ll want some sort of floatation to keep you on top of the snow pack, like skis or snowshoes. Chances are good though, that in popular areas, the trail will already be packed in from other hikers and suitable for walking in boots. Bring traction devices and trekking poles if the trails seem slippery with ice. Rocky Mountain National Park is truly a wilderness adventure, especially in the winter, so be cautious of avalanche danger when traveling within the backcountry of the park. Learn more about winter safety here. Check the park’s trail conditions page here to get updates on conditions for winter hiking or snowshoeing.

Recommended Hikes:

  1. Ouzel Falls 5.5 miles, 905 feet elevation gain
  2. Dream Lake, 1.8 miles, 735 feet elevation gain
  3. Fern Lake, 3.7 miles, 1,391 feet elevation gain

Winter Tip: The east side of the park attracts more visitors in winter months than the west side. The west side of the park gets more snow and offers more solitude.  

Snowy river rocks backdropped by snow covered El Capitan, Yosemite Valley's most prominent monolith.

7. Yosemite National Park

Yosemite’s 3,000-foot granite monoliths and giant pine trees dusted with snow make for a magical winter visit and well worth the 170-mile drive from San Francisco. What’s even more magical about Yosemite in winter is its lack of crowds. Anyone who has ever been to Yosemite in the peak seasons of late spring and summer will appreciate viewing the iconic rock faces of El Capitan and Half Dome in relative solitude. 

The elevation of Yosemite Valley is close to 4,000 feet. Snow can accumulate on the valley floor but usually not enough for snowshoeing or cross country skiing. Trails that ascend from the valley can be snow packed and icy. In addition to hiking, try ice skating at the Curry Village Ice Rink, snowshoeing to Dewey Point, or cross country skiing to Glacier Point. Yosemite also offers downhill skiing, snowboarding, and tubing at the Badger Pass Ski Area.

Recommended Hikes:

  1. Mirror Lake, 2.2 miles, 100 feet elevation gain
  2. Mist Trail, 1.5 miles, 1,217 feet elevation gain
  3. Dewey Point, 4.6 miles, 3,018 feet elevation gain

Winter Tip: Yosemite’s Tioga Pass is closed in winter, making Tuolumne Meadows inaccessible to everyone but backcountry skiers who are interested in a long skin up into the park. A 10-bunk ski hut is available in Tuolumne Meadows on a first-come, first-served basis, firewood included. Wilderness permits are required for overnight visits to the backcountry. 

A frozen waterfall creates an ice column in the forest of Smoky Mountain National Park.

8. Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Straddling the border of North Carolina and Tennessee, Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most visited park in the nation with more than 11 million visitors annually. Winter is your chance to ditch the crowds. But the price you pay for a lonely, offseason visit will be cool temperatures in the 50s F and the possibility of hiking on snow-covered trails.

The trails in Smoky Mountain National Park wind through old growth forest, along a creek bed, and sometimes lead to a waterfall. If you’re lucky enough to visit after a cold snap, you might get the chance to see interesting ice formations and frozen waterfalls. Expect high temperatures in the 50s and 60s F in the lower elevations of the park with near freezing temperatures at higher elevations.

Recommended Hikes:

  1. Laurel Falls, 1.3 miles, 366 feet elevation gain 
  2. Alum Cave, 2.3 miles, 1,260 feet elevation gain
  3. Andrews Bald, 1.8 miles, 584 feet elevation gain

Winter Tip: Hike in the park’s lower elevations, where light snow falls just a handful of times each year.

Tropical Adventures

Black rocks along the ocean coast line view of Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park.

9. Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park

With year-round temperatures in the 80s F, Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park is your best bet for summer-like hiking in the middle of winter. Better yet, the Big Island’s sunniest days occur in December and January when there is only a 40-percent chance of cloud cover on average. So get out your shorts and sunglasses, and check out the park’s Mauna Loa volcano, considered the largest volcano in the world by both mass and volume, and the Kilauea volcano, the Big Island’s youngest and most active volcano. 

In 2018, the Kilauea volcano erupted. Lava flows gushed into residential areas, destroying hundreds of homes and much of the park’s infrastructure. At the same time, the park experienced thousands of earthquakes that collapsed the Kilauea caldera. Kilauea’s active lava flows are no longer present, and according to the park’s website, there is no molten lava to be seen anywhere in or out of the park. Even so, the park offers an impressive volcanic landscape of old lava flows, steam vents, and craters. 

Recommended Hikes:

  1. Puʻu Loa Petroglyphs, 1.2 miles, 33 feet elevation gain
  2. Waldron Ledge Loop, 2.9 miles, 463 feet elevation gain
  3. Mauna Loa, 13 miles, 2,641 feet elevation gain

Winter Tip: Believe it or not, winter weather can pummel the summit of Mauna Loa volcano which rises 13,678 feet above sea level. Temperatures at the top of Hawai’i’s volcanoes are often 20 degrees F cooler than at the park entrance. If you’re planning to tag the summit, wear layers and check in with the Visitor Center about weather conditions before going up top.  

An aerial view of green coastal lowlands surrounded by water in Everglades National Park.

10. Everglades National Park

Moderate temperatures, low humidity, and a lack of mosquitoes, make December through March the perfect time to visit south Florida’s Everglades National Park. At 1.5 million acres, the park’s considerable size includes coastal lowlands, pine forests, and freshwater slough ecosystems. Considered the largest subtropical wilderness in the U.S., Everglades is home to a wide variety of species, including an abundance of alligators, dolphins, manatees, panthers, and turtles. Wildlife viewing is at its best in the winter season. 

Pick your mode of travel: hike, bike, or kayak through the park. Pine Island and Flamingo trails, near the park’s main entrance in Homestead, Florida, offer a number of short, interpretive walks. Though it doesn’t sound inviting, Shark Valley offers the best bike trail along with an excellent chance to view alligators in the wild. Take a seven-day kayak or canoe trip on the 99-mile Wilderness Waterway, accessing some of Florida’s most remote coastline. 

Recommended Hike, Bike, and Kayak Trails:

  1. Shark Valley Loop, 14.7 miles, 24 feet elevation gain
  2. Pine Island and Flamingo Trails, interpretive trails
  3. Wilderness Waterway, canoe and kayak route 

Winter Tip: Winter is Florida’s dry season, making the park’s water holes the best chance to view wildlife. 

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Fall foliage in Stowe, VT
Gaia GPSHow-ToOffroading

Five Incredible Road Trips Perfect for Fall

by Megan Michelson
written by Megan Michelson

We asked Andrew Collins, author of the new book ‘Ultimate Road Trips: USA and Canada,’ to reveal his favorite fall road trips. From underrated national parks in Utah to classic leaf peeping in New England, here’s his intel on where to go and what to do.

Fall is the perfect time for a road trip. Temperatures are cooler, so you can drive with the windows down. Peak summer crowds have gone back to work and school, and off-season deals abound. Plus, you’ll be treated to fall foliage, you-pick orchards, and autumn festivals.

But figuring out where to go is always a challenge. For suggestions, we called up self-proclaimed nomad and seasoned traveler Andrew Collins, author of the recently published guidebook Ultimate Road Trips: USA and Canada. Collins has been road tripping since he was a kid in his family’s wood-paneled 1969 Ford Country Squire station wagon. His book features dozens of detailed itineraries, but he picked the five best suited to take in the fall.

“There are famous destinations to see fall foliage, but at that time of year, you’ll be able to find beautiful colors in a lot of lesser-known places as well,” Collins says. Here, he offers a few must-see sites along each route, but grab a copy of his book for more complete route suggestions, plus additional lodging and dining options along the way. Now all you have to do is hit the road.

1. Get Off the Beaten Path in California

Winding through San Luis Obispo’s verdant farmland (Photo: Mimi Ditchie Photography/Getty)

Wineries dot much of the California coast, and you can’t go wrong with a road trip on the northern or southern end of Highway 1 or Highway 101. But consider focusing your fall road trip on the lesser-visited central coast, hitting low key towns like San Luis Obispo and Paso Robles, which have ideal weather in the fall, so you can combine wine tasting, hiking, and a day at the beach. “Several of these roads you can follow from town connect with the coast,” Collins says.

Start in Los Angeles and head 175 miles north to San Luis Obispo, known for its year-round Thursday night farmers’ market downtown. Collins recommends Old SLO BBQ Co. for its Santa Maria-style barbecue and overnight lodging at Hotel Cerro (from $399), which has a rooftop pool and in-house brasserie.

From there, drive Highway 101 over Cuesta Pass, stopping at the Ancient Peaks Winery for a tasting and for wildlife or foraging tours at Margarita Adventures. The next town worth posting up in: Paso Robles, 30 miles north of San Luis Obispo on Highway 101. “Paso Robles has an incredible restaurant scene, all within walking distance,” Collins says.

It’s worth it to take a short detour to the coast and drive a stretch on Highway 1, visit the elephant seals at the Piedras Blancas Rookery, then take a tour of the hilltop and historic Hearst Castle. From there, it’s back to Highway 101 north for 150 miles to reach Pinnacles National Park, which has 30 miles of trails with views of the park’s famous rocky spires. “That’s a great place to combine hiking and wine tasting,” Collins says.

2. Take a Classic New England Foliage Tour

The ultimate leaf peeping in the Berkshires in Massachusetts

You can’t beat New England in the fall. “The maple trees are the most dramatic with changing colors, especially in northern Vermont and New Hampshire,” Collins says. “Plus, there are harvest festivals, Oktoberfest festivals, all the different apple orchards and cider makers and pumpkin patches.”

Collins suggests starting in Burlington, Vermont—three and a half hours from Boston—with a night at the upscale Hotel Vermont (from $439), and a dinner of earthy, seasonal fare at Hen of the Wood, next door.

From there, head south on U.S. Route 7, stopping at the farm store and for a walk along the pastoral grounds at Shelburne Farms. Your destination for the night is Manchester, Vermont, 100 miles south of Burlington, where you can visit the American Museum of Fly Fishing, drive to the top of 3,855-foot Mount Equinox, the highest peak in the range, and post up for the night at the Taconic (from $221), a boutique hotel with wrap-around porches.

Next stop is the Berkshires, in Massachusetts. Spend a morning hiking up 3,491-foot Mount Greylock, the tallest mountain in the state, and refueling afterward at the Lost Lamb Café, in Stockbridge. End your trip in Litchfield, Connecticut, where you can birdwatch from the 4,000-acre White Memorial Conservation Center. “With perfect town greens and white-steepled churches, Litchfield is a classic New England town,” Collins says.

3. Check Out Southern Utah’s National Parks

Capitol Reef National Park has fewer crowds than other Utah parks.

Start in Salt Lake City and point your car south: it’s 230 miles to Arches National Park. “Fall is the perfect season for exploring the five national parks of Utah, all in the southern part of the state,” Collins says. “Summer can be hot there and winter you may not be able to access everything, and fall is primetime for the scenery, with cottonwoods and aspens turning at higher elevations.”

The Mighty Five, as Utah’s national parks are called, can be excessively crowded, so plan ahead and check entry requirements before you go. Arches National Park requires reservations, but that’s lifted in early October. “If you’re trying to do the parks like Zion and Bryce and Arches that are suffering from overcrowding, fall can be a slightly quieter time to go,” Collins says. “Though plenty of people still know it as the time to go.” In Arches, head to Devils Garden for some of the park’s best hiking trails.

Back on the road, take in a view of the sandstone hoodoos in Goblin Valley State Park, then grab a roadside lunch at Stan’s Burger Shackin Hanksville, before heading to Capitol Reef National Park. “It’s the most underrated,” Collins says. Book a room at the Chuckwagon Lodge (from $118), near the park entrance in the town of Torrey, where you can have dinner with a view of the red rock mountains at Hunt and Gather.

Cap off your Utah road trip with a stop at Bryce Canyon National Park. Be sure to drive the Southern Scenic Drive, an 18-mile stunning roadway that starts from the main park entrance and ends at the overlook at Rainbow Point. Collins recommends the short, beautiful hike into the canyon along the Queens Garden Trail, accessible from Sunrise Point. Stay at the Lodge at Bryce Canyon (from $183), the only lodging inside the park.

4. Cruise Around Lake Michigan

We recommend a chilly dip in Lake Michigan on this road trip. (Photo: Ed Reschke)

Lake Michigan has excellent fall foliage as well, and a drive around the northern edges of the lake feels like truly getting away. “There are these beautiful small towns that you’ll want to hide away in for days,” Collins says. Head to Wisconsin’s Door County, 150 miles from Milwaukee or 245 miles from Chicago. Collins recommends the charming towns along the peninsula’s western shore, including Egg Harbor, Ephraim, and Sister Bay, for their you-pick orchards and boutique lodging, like the Scandinavian-style Dörr Hotel (from $229), in Sister Bay.

Back on the road, pass through Green Bay and head north on the scenic U.S. 41 and U.S. 2, which hug the northern shores of Lake Michigan, eventually making your way to the western shore of Michigan, some 300 miles away. Collins’ tip: stop for chicken pot pie at the Good Hart General Store before pushing onto the lakefront town of Harbor Springs, where home base is the 105-room Inn at Harbor Bay (from $347), located waterfront in Little Traverse Bay.

“Harbor Springs is this cute little boating town with great hiking around it,” Collins says. “There’s a road there called the Tunnel of Trees that takes an hour to drive. It’s literally a tunnel of deciduous trees that change colors in the fall.”

While you’re there, go for a swim from the white sand beach at Zorn Park Beach downtown, then enjoy a cruise on a restored wooden boat that used to serve as a local water taxi, followed by a seafood lunch at Stafford’s Pier. From Harbor Bay, it’s a six-hour back drive to Chicago to complete the circumnavigation of Lake Michigan.

5. Go from City to Mountains in Québec

The lakeside village of Mont Tremblant in Quebec (Photo: Marc Guitard/Getty)

“Québec is a French speaking province, and it’s a very different experience,” Collins says. “It’s a cliché at this point, but traveling here feels like an opportunity to see France without getting on a plane over the Atlantic.” The draw of this road trip is it hits both rural and urban destinations and fall colors will be on display here as well. “Montréal and Québec City have lovely parks and tons of trees, but you’re also in a great city, so you can enjoy the restaurants and culture,” Collins says.

Start off in Mont-Tremblant, a lakefront ski resort with European-style lodging and a lively village. The panoramic gondola offers lift-accessed hiking and mountain biking until October 16 from the top of the highest peak in the Laurentians, and there’s live music on weekends at the base around Place Saint Bernard’s fireplace for much of the fall.

Stay overnight in the mid century-style Uville Hotel (from $209) in historic Old Montréal. Continue your journey along Highway 10 east from Montréal. Collins recommends stopping in the town of Bromont to visit the climbing gym slash café known as Backbone, a community gathering place with exceptional coffee and ramen in the heart of what’s known as the Eastern Townships. Then take a tour of the Haskell Free Library, which straddles the U.S.-Canada border (with entrances from either country) and was founded in 1901. Take a brisque swim in nearby Lake Memphremagog or push on for a hike in Mont-Orford National Park.

Finish up in Lower Town of Québec City. “That’s the really historic spot where the city began,” Collins says. “You’ll find historic buildings with beautiful sidewalk cafes that’ll still have outdoor seating in the fall.” Book a room at the Hotel Pur (from $208).

This article was originally published by Outside. Outside and Gaia GPS are both owned by Outside Inc.

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Moroccan desert.
Gaia GPSHow-To

How to Find the Perfect Photography Location

by John Peltier
written by John Peltier

Leaf peeping season presents one of the best opportunities to bust out the camera. But finding the perfect location for your photography project requires some skill. Professional photographer, veteran, and avid outdoorsman John Peltier shares how he finds nature-based photography project locations.

An accredited associate at Photographers Without Borders, John focuses on photodocumentary projects for humanitarian and environmental organizations throughout the world. In this article, John explains how he uses Gaia GPS’s powerful mapping tools to find new places to shoot. He also shares how to use the map for post shoot processing.

Planning a location-based photography project

Margie hiking down Forester Pass.
Margie hiking down Forester Pass. Photo: John Peltier.

Part of the fun of a location-based photography project is just driving around and seeing what you find. But you need to have some semblance of focus and organization to keep the photography project going in the right direction. An outline, if you will. Where do you need to go, when should you go there, and how will you get there?

Gaia GPS has been a godsend for me for use in Search and Rescue, backpacking trips, car camping, and day-hikes. It’s only recently I discovered its applicability in planning a photography project.

All the features discussed here are included in Gaia GPS Premium Membership. A premium Membership gives you access to Gaia GPS map catalog and allows you to download those maps to your phone so you can navigate offline in areas without cell service.

I will also be demonstrating this on Gaia GPS’s web-based interface, which I prefer to use for the planning phase, saving the “devices” for the field phase.

Discover the Best Spots

You’re going to have some idea of where, what, and why when planning a photography project. Much of this discovery will be done via other sources on the internet or your own local knowledge. You can also use Gaia GPS’s map layers to find new features.

Take the example below. The first map (the base layer) doesn’t show much at all in this area except for a few springs. I turned on the USGS Topo layer which revealed much more information. After zooming in, you can see a large mine complex. Turning on the World Imagery layer reveals that some of the structures are still there.

1. This zoom level on the Gaia Topo base layer shows some features, but some are hidden. 2. The USGS Topo layer reveals a large complex of mines. 3. Turning on the World Imagery layer reveals a network of roads and a few structures remaining.

Other layers that will help you with discovery include:

  • National Park Service Visitor Maps
  • USFS Recreation Sites Overlay
  • NatGeo Trails Illustrated Maps
  • And a number of other open-sourced maps available as layers

If you’re on the hunt for fall foliage, try outthe Fresh Sat — Cloud Free and Fresh Sat — Recent layers. These maps show recent arial satellite imagery from around the world. Learn more about them here.

Remember Places with Waypoints

After I’ve found a place on the map I want to photograph, I mark the area with a waypoint.

Custom Waypoints– Instead of just your standard default pin, assigning a custom icon to the pin lets me quickly see what kind of feature this is. I’m a very visual person, and this lets me build a catalog in my brain of where each kind of feature is.

Emoji icons on Gaia Topo.

Folders – Gaia GPS lets you put waypoints into folders. As mentioned earlier, I have a mix of both natural and cultural features in this project. Putting all waypoints in one folder could quickly get messy, so within my photography project folder, I’ve created subfolders for Natural and Cultural. You can also hide folders to declutter the map.

Check out Gaia GPS’s new folder organization on the web.

Check the Private Land Map to Avoid Trespassing

I have my waypoints I want to photograph – but is it public land?

Gaia GPS has a Private Land layer for the U.S. It outlines boundaries and shows you who owns the land. When you click on an area it will show you who owns the land; around here there’s a lot of Unknown owner. Based on other map labels, I know this is National Forest land – public. There are some private holdings nearby of which I need to be careful.

If I can’t get to a location because it’s on private land, I might look for areas to photograph the area from. I’ll use Google Earth for this and “fly to” locations where I’ll have good views, then drop a waypoint with a camera icon back in Gaia GPS so I know to bring my camera here. You can create a waypoint with any emoji on your keyboard. In the Notes I’ll add what I’m photographing here. If it’s a good location for an aerial photo, I’ll change the icon to an Airplane so I know to bring my drone (which brings up a whole other set of restrictions to check).

And then finally – so I’m not guessing which time of day to be here – I’ll use The Photographer’s Ephemeris & TPE 3D to check where the sun will be and what the shadows will look like throughout the day. In the Gaia GPS waypoint Notes I’ll put which time of day is preferable based on the time of year I want to photograph it.

Logistics

What are the roads like, and where can I camp?

If you’re on USFS land, Gaia GPS has additional layers called USFS Roads and Trails and USFS Recreation Sites.

These overlays show all numbered USFS roads and designated trails; clicking on them will show you what the conditions & rules are. They’ll also show all USFS campgrounds. I add Camping icons at campgrounds I might want to stay at so that I can add my own notes to them.

You can camp pretty much anywhere on National Forest and BLM land; the NPS Visitor and NatGeo Illustrated Maps will show you additional campgrounds in national parks and elsewhere.

The Open Source outdoor maps are also great for discovering trails that aren’t officially-designated trails.

How about a spreadsheet?

If you’re a spreadsheet person, you can download all of the waypoints in a folder – titles, locations, icons, and notes – as a GPX file. You can then run this GPX file through a free online converter so it spits out an XLS file. Now you have all of your waypoints in an Excel spreadsheet for further organization and note-taking, such as keeping track of when you photographed each one.

Navigate in the field

Preparation

When I want to go for a drive and photograph some of these locations, I’ll identify a small geographic area based on lighting, time of year, and so on.

Within that geographic area, I’ll identify potential places to camp out based on my campground icons. I’ll want to make sure I have access to the locations I want to photograph from that campground (looking at roads and trails) and that I have the appropriate photo gear with me.

But I won’t have cellular service in many of these locations to use the app. So I’ll download the maps & layers for offline use in the Gaia GPS smartphone app. You can select up to five active layers to download for offline reference. Then tap the Add icon, go to Download Maps, and draw a box around the area you want to download. I usually download the following layers:

  • USFS Roads and Trails (for road conditions)
  • Gaia Topo (for park boundaries, trails, campgrounds, etc)
  • World Imagery (for visual reconnaissance)
  • USGS Topo (for geologic features)
  • Outdoors (for additional trails and campgrounds)

Again, this is all just based on the needs for this specific project; you can change this up depending on where you’re going and what you’re photographing. Beware the imagery does take up a lot of storage so I only download it if needed. If nothing else, just download the easy to read and tiny to download Gaia Topo.

Photography

When I’m out with my camera in hand, I’ll use Gaia GPS to record my GPS track. When I return home, I can download this track and use it to geotag my photos in either Photo Mechanic or Lightroom. That way I know where I was when I took each photo, another important piece of this project.

I’ll also update the Notes for each waypoint as needed, based on what I see when I get there. Maybe a different time of year or time of day will be better for photography, or I can’t access that location. I’ll tap on the waypoint and just add a few notes, which will then be synced to my account when I get back into cellular range.

Planning a photography project for flexibility

A meadow on the west side of Dollar Lake, with Fin Dome seen off to the south.
A meadow on the west side of Dollar Lake, with Fin Dome seen off to the south. Mile 173. Photo: John Peltier.

I always tell students that we’re planning to be flexible.

Nothing ever goes as planned, but it’s important to know where to start. And this is how I use Gaia GPS to plan my start. It’s one of many great photography apps to help you plan.

Unplanned photos are often the best. But sometimes we just don’t have the time or resources to blindly travel around waiting for those images to appear to us, especially if we have a focused photography project in the works. Planning is the first step to success.

This post originally appeared on John’s website. It’s been lightly edited for clarity.

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Gaia GPSHow-To

Avoid Smoky Skies and Wildfires with Our Suite of Weather Maps

by Abby Levene
written by Abby Levene

Don’t let your weekend plans go up in smoke. Gaia GPS’s robust collection of weather maps can help you avoid current wildfires and find smoke-free skies. These real-time maps are available for free with a Gaia GPS account. Read on to learn how to use wildfire, smoke, and air quality maps to stay safe hiking, biking, or camping at your next destination.

Wildfires (Current): See Where Wildfires are Burning Now

Wildfire (Current) map.

Check where fires are currently burning with the Wildfires (Current) layer. This map shows the perimeter of fires burning throughout the U.S. and Canada. Click a fire on the map to get more information, such as its name, size, and perimeter date.

The Wildfire (Current) map is updated daily. Data comes from the U.S. National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC), Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), the Province of British Columbia, Alberta Wildfire, and the Government of Saskatchewan.

Wildfires (Satellite Detections): See Wildfire Hotspots Worldwide

Wildfires (Satellite Detections) map.

See hotspots around the world with the Wildfires (Satellite Detections) layer. This global map detects and displays heat on the earth’s surface. While most of the hot spots on the map indicate heat from fire, the map also detects other heat sources such as geothermal activity and lava flows.

Tap on the purple shading to get more information about the heat source. The Wildfire (Satellite Detections) layer is updated several times a day as new data is made available by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Use the Wildfires (Satellite Detections) layer in conjunction with the Wildfires (Current) layer to see where a fire is still burning hot within the fire perimeter. You can also use the Wildfires (Satellite Detections) map to see fires not yet on the Wildfire (Current) map. Some wildfires remain undetected by the Wildfires (Current) layer, especially when the fire is brand new, in a remote area, or not being actively fought. However, both detected and undetected fires will appear on the Wildfires (Satellite Detections) layer in purple shading if they are still hot and actively burning.

Smoke (Current, 24h, 48h): Check the Smoke Forecast

Smoke map.

Not surprisingly, wildfires generate tremendous amounts of smoke. Surprisingly, that smoke can blow hundreds (and even thousands) of miles away. A wildfire in Oregon may make for hazy skies in Montana — or even Massachusetts. Even if you can’t smell smoke, the fine particulate matter hanging in the air can lead to adverse health effects and even premature death.

So don’t trust your nose to sniff out bad air. Use the Smoke Forecast maps to check detected levels of smoke in the area you plan to visit. Gaia GPS offers three Smoke Forecast layers: Current, 24-hour, and 48-hour to give you a picture of upcoming smoke trends. Each shows smoke concentrations on a color-coded scale. Click a region to see the smoke concentration and when that forecast was recorded. Keep in mind that these maps are forecasts from NOAA’s High Resolution Rapid Refresh model, and may not always be accurate.

Air Quality (Current, Tomorrow): Check the Air Quality Index from the EPA

Air Quality map.

Get an even more comprehensive sense of the air quality by consulting the Air Quality layers. These maps show the EPA’s Air Quality forecast right in your Gaia GPS account, and are updated daily. The Air Quality layer uses color-coding to indicate the Air Quality Index (AQI). AQI reports levels of some of the most common air pollutants: ozone (smog), particle pollution, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide.

Consult this map to get an index rating with which you are familiar; colors on map are analogous to those used by the EPA. Choose from either the Air Quality (Current) or Air Quality (Tomorrow) map depending on when you’re planning to take off on your trip. Once again, keep in mind that these are forecast layers and may not be accurate.

Wildfires (Historical): See Burn Zones Across the U.S.

Wildfires (Historical) map.

Check to see if you’ll be traveling through a burn zone using the Wildfires (Historical) layer. This map shows where previous wildfires have burned across the U.S. More recent fires appear bright red, fading to paler shades as time passes by.

Use this map to get a sense of whether you’ll be traveling through barren burn zones with high sun exposure that also afford sweeping views. Foragers flock to burn scars to find an abundance of mushrooms and other edible and medicinal plants. Tap on a burn zone in the map to learn the name of the fire, the date of the burn, and the acreage affected. This map is available with a Gaia GPS Premium Membership.

How to Get the Wildfires, Smoke, and Air Quality Maps

To add the Wildfire, Smoke Forecast, and Air Quality maps to your Gaia GPS account:

  • Go to map layers icon.
  • Tap the “Add Map Layers” button.
  • Select “Weather Feature Overlays.”
  • Click on the maps you want to see.

With a Gaia GPS Premium membership, you can select several maps and layer them together to get a complete picture of the air pollution and active fires in your area. Use the opacity controls to further customize the map view.

Watch: How to Check for Wildfires and Smoke

Access More Maps with a Premium Membership

Gaia GPS gives you access to hundreds of maps, from high-resolution satellite layers to topo maps for around the world. With a Gaia GPS Premium Membership, you can layer weather and feature maps on top of your basemaps to customize information you need for your upcoming trip.

A Premium Membership also lets you download maps for offline use. Keep in mind, though, that many maps are regularly updated and cannot be downloaded. Check those weather and feature maps before you leave wifi or cell service.

Wildfires, Smoke, and Air Quality Maps are available with a free account, sign up here.

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