How-To

Gaia Topo with Public Land (US) and Private Land (US) overlays on gaiagps.com
App UpdatesGaia GPSHow-To

Navigate Public and Private Lands with Gaia GPS

by Abby Levene
written by Abby Levene

Find hidden game reserves, connect the dots on your big hiking loop, and camp in solitude using the Public Land (US) and Private Land (US) maps. This duo can be used in tandem to quickly and easily decipher public and private land right in Gaia GPS.

Always know where you can and can’t go with this toolkit in your pocket. Avoid trespassing, or see landownership if you want to ask for permission to pass through. Find those peaceful, obscure camp spots so you can beat the crowds. View who manages public land areas so you can find more info about camping regulations, vehicle accessibility, and hunting laws. Plus, the Public Land map just got even better. We’ve added 1.5 million acres to this map to give you an even more comprehensive look at federally-managed land across the US.

Whether you’re route planning on your desktop at home or navigating offline in the field, the Public and Private Land maps can assist on any adventure. Each map provides coverage across the entire US. Read on to learn how to use the Public and Private Lands maps on your next trip.

Public Land (US) Map

Discover state forests to explore in your backyard, or BLM land for camping during your next road trip. America’s public lands provide some of the best resources for hiking, offroading, bikepacking, fishing, kayaking, canoeing — you name it. The Public Land (US) map gives you the most current and comprehensive data of these government-managed areas.

Hikers, hunters, overlanders, and anyone exploring areas of mixed land ownership may want to consider using this layer, which emphasizes:

  • National and state forests
  • Parks and monuments
  • Wildlife refuges
  • Conservation lands and game preserves
  • Bureau of Land Management areas

Color-coded federal lands let you easily identify which government agency manages an area. Plus, this map just got even better. We’ve added 1.5 million acres of public land to the map to ensure you get the most accurate and comprehensive coverage available. This expanded coverage encompasses everything from nearly 327,904 more acres of land managed by the National Parks Service (an area the size of Grand Teton National Park) to 106,447 more acres of Forest Service land (the size of Antigua and Barbuda combined).

The updated layer draws on the most exhaustive and precise datasets available so you can find secret caches of public land you may never find otherwise. It displays the privately-held inholdings in federal and state parks that may not appear elsewhere, as well as smaller public lands missing from many popular maps. Bear in mind that not all of the areas in the layer will be open to the public, and watch for any restricted zones within otherwise accessible lands.

Private Lands (US) Map

Use the Public Land (US) layer in conjunction with its complement, the Private Land (US) map, to get access to land ownership data for every single state across the US. Various outdoor enthusiasts and professionals ranging from hunters to conservation officers and first responders can easily access critical information using the Private Land map. If you’re planning a hunt in a new zone, use the Private Land map to quickly scout the area and surrounding property lines. Bird hunters pursuing everything from pheasants in South Dakota to mallards on the US flyways also enjoy the quick access to land ownership data.

The Private Land map lets users easily view land ownership information and parcel sizes. Just tap on a land parcel to get more ownership information, including the address if publicly available. Property lines are marked by bright yellow boundaries that you can’t miss.

Downloading offline maps with the US Private Land overlay will benefit game wardens working with land owners in remote areas. Search and rescue personnel can use Gaia GPS as a single source for coordinating search efforts in areas with multiple land owners. Using both the Private Land map and the area feature, firefighters can use Gaia GPS to complete wildfire incident reports.

How to use the Public and Private Land Maps

Pair the Public and Private Land maps on top of your favorite base map, such as Gaia Topo or the Satellite Imagery layer, to get a quick and clear sense of land designation. Layering the Public and Private Lands overlays on top of the Satellite Imagery map proves especially useful for hunters who want a crisp areal view with property lines. Combining the Private Land and Public Land maps along with state-specific game management unit overlays will let you focus on the hunt and not worrying about where the big bull or buck you are stalking goes.

While you can see public land information right in Gaia Topo, area shading in the Public Land map gives you an even clearer picture. Add the Private Lands map to make sure you avoid trespassing, or so you can get permission to pass through a landowner’s property. Get detailed directions for layering maps together here.

Get the Public and Private Land Maps

Public Land (US) and Private Land (US) maps are available with a Gaia GPS Premium membership. Premium comes with the ability to layer maps on top of each other so you can see public and private land markers as well as topographic detail, landmarks and waypoints, and satellite imagery.

Going Premium also lets you download maps for offline use so you can always find your way and see whose land you’re on while in the field. A Premium Membership gives you access to Gaia GPS’s entire map catalog. Download hundreds of maps, including National Geographic Trails Illustrated, high-resolution satellite maps, weather overlays, and government-issued topo maps like USFS topo, all the USGS quad maps, and MVUMs.

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iPhone screenshot showing BLM land in Gaia Topo.
App UpdatesGaia GPSHow-To

Find Free Camping with Updated Gaia Topo

by Abby Levene
written by Abby Levene

Nothing says summer like eating s’mores in the woods and sleeping under the stars. With 10 million new campers in the US last year, the catch is finding where to go. Newly updated Gaia Topo now includes all BLM land — where you can find places to camp for free and without a reservation.

If you don’t mind foregoing amenities, BLM and other public land provide a trove of private and peaceful campsites for you to enjoy. Our flagship map now clearly shows all 248 million acres of BLM-managed public land, as well as expanded state public lands. Highlighting these public lands in the map that you know and love means you can navigate the forest roads, avoid trespassing, and find the best dispersed camping all in one map.

Read on to learn how to spot BLM and state-owned lands in Gaia Topo. You’ll also master how to use the map to find the best free campsites.

Camp for Free and Without a Reservation on Dispersed Sites

A tent with a sleeping bag and mat next to it in the desert.

Dispersed camping simply means camping outside of a designated campground. This includes everything from pulling your car up to a fire pit on the side of a forest service road, to cowboy camping next to the trail during your backpacking trip. Dispersed campsites don’t include the typical amenities of a campground, such as running water, bathrooms, and a camp host. But they do generally afford more privacy and seclusion. Plus, you can find a dispersed campsite at the last minute, and it won’t cost you a penny.

Once you’re prepared from safety and comfort perspectives, dispersed camping can provide a peaceful getaway for even the biggest procrastinator. The catch is that you can’t just camp anywhere you wish. Much of BLM land around the country allows for dispersed camping, as does National Forest Land. You can find these areas using the freshly updated Gaia Topo.

Full BLM Land Coverage Now in Gaia Topo

You can now easily see BLM, state, and locally-managed land right in Gaia Topo. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land accounts for 248 million acres of public land. That’s over 10% of American soil. State and local entities own an additional 199 million acres, accounting for another 8.7% of the US. We’ve expanded both BLM and state land coverage, as well as made these areas easier to spot in the map.

Recognize BLM land by its yellow shading in Gaia Topo. Be on the lookout for BLM land especially when you’re traveling out west, where most BLM land is located. National Forest Land, Wilderness Areas, and other locally managed lands are now shaded in hues of green. Check out the Gaia Topo Legend for a full list of color-coded public lands in the map.

Zoom in on BLM land to see the field office that manages that parcel of land. When you zoom into state and locally managed land, you’ll see if it’s state trust land, state forest, or another publicly accessible state-managed land area.

Find Dispersed Camping on Public Land

iPhone screenshot of Gaia Topo shows BLM land shaded in yellow.

Use Gaia Topo to find dispersed camping on BLM, National Forest, and other public lands. Dispersed campsites tend to be in undeveloped areas, yet right along county and forest service roads. These sites are usually quite accessible for car camping yet feel remote.

To find dispersed campsites, look for BLM and National Forest Land with access roads in less developed areas. Chances are you will find a place to camp. Dispersed campsites are usually marked by a fire ring. Check the BLM website, call the field office, or inquire at the ranger’s station to make sure dispersed camping is allowed in the area.

Choose a pre-existing campsite if possible, and camp at least 200 feet away from water sources. Of course, leave no trace rules apply to dispersed camping. Make sure you practice the seven LNT principles. And only build a fire if permitted in the area during that time. Check the local county or state website to see if a fire ban is in place.

To ensure you can navigate and find a campsite even if you drive out of cell service, download your map for offline use. Gaia Topo’s tiny file size makes this easy to do without taking up too much storage space on your phone. In fact, you can download the map for the entire state just to be safe.

Gaia Topo is Available to Everyone

Access Gaia Topo on the web at www.gaiagps.com/map/ and in the Gaia GPS app on both Android and iOS. With Gaia Topo you can search for hikes in your area, record tracks in the field, and create a custom route on the map for free. Create a free account to save your routes and tracks so you can revisit them later.

Get a premium membership to download Gaia Topo and take the map offline with you in areas without cell service. A Premium Membership also gives you access to Gaia GPS’s entire map catalog. Download hundreds of maps, including National Geographic Trails Illustrated, high-resolution satellite maps, weather overlays, and government issued topo maps like USFS topo, all the USGS quad maps, and MVUMs.

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Gaia GPSHow-ToUser Profiles

How to Photograph the Night Sky

by Jaymie Shearer
written by Jaymie Shearer

5 Night Sky Photography Tips from Professional Photographer Scott Sady

Nothing captures the imagination quite like the night sky. Sitting beneath its vast expanse leaves you feeling small in the midst of the universe. With the development of cameras and technology, it’s become easier to capture these scenes with only a few pieces of necessary gear.

Scott Sady, a fine art landscape photographer from Reno, Nevada is no stranger to photographing vistas like the night sky. He specializes in outdoor, action, and adventure photography with a focus on the landscapes around the West, the High Sierra, and Lake Tahoe. Sady began his career as a photojournalist with the Associated Press in Central America in the 1990’s and worked as a photographer for USA TODAY, covering two Olympics. An expert skier, whitewater kayaker, hiker, rock climber, and mountain biker, Sady’s love for the outdoors can be seen in each of his photographs, including in his images of starry skies.

In this article, Sady shares five tips for photographers who want to capture the night sky. His tips cover recommended gear, planning your shot, the best locations, camera settings, and post-process editing.

Photography Overview

Each time a camera captures an image, it is doing so under a combination of settings that include ISO, aperture, and shutter speed. ISO refers to the camera’s sensitivity to light. The aperture is the size of the hole in the diaphragm of the lens through which light passes, controlling how much light enters each image by making the opening bigger or smaller. The smaller the aperture number, the larger the hole and the more light that hits the image sensor. If the aperture number is high, the opening is small and less light will be captured in the image. Shutter Speed controls how long the image sensor is exposed to light coming in through the aperture, allowing only a certain amount of light to be captured in each image.

The Camera’s Relationship to Light

Cameras need light in order to work with each of these controls. Photographing at night means the light available with which to shoot is greatly reduced. In order to capture images at night, a different set of parameters is needed than during the day. For example, during the day you have enough light to take a photo while holding the camera in your hands. If you were to try to take a photograph at night with the camera in your hands, the shot would come out blurry. This is because the camera settings call for a big aperture (more availability for light) and slower shutter speed (more time to let that light in). Any movement the camera experiences will be reflected in the image. In order to minimize this movement, put the camera on a tripod and set up either a self-timer or remote to take the photo. This way the camera can work without any movement disruption.

A night sky with stars and the Milky Way in the distance and a rock island in the foreground.
Behind the shot: “Single frame out of the camera 24mm f1.4 lens at f2.0 25 second exposure at ISO 3200.”

1. Choose the Right Gear

A variety of cameras may be used to take photographs at night, including smart phones. There are apps available to help you manipulate the settings of your phone’s camera to take photos at night. Photographing with your smart phone is a great place to start, however, expect limitations. The settings you can choose on your phone camera are smaller than that of a Digital Single-Lens Reflex camera (DSLR). Photographing with a DSLR improves the quality of your images due to the camera’s wide range of settings that it’s capable of working under.

Sady uses two set-ups for two different photography situations:

Backcountry Setup

Being removed from cityscapes and light pollution allow for inspiring scenes where the stars cascade over the wilderness around you. When venturing out to capture these scenes in the backcountry, where weight matters, you may want lighter gear.

“When I backpack, I carry an ultra-light carbon fiber tripod and my mirror-less Sony camera. This is a lighter camera that works with a lighter tripod,” says Sady. But Sady admits that this lightweight set up has its disadvantages. “The drawbacks of this are the tripod is not as versatile (can’t go as high, legs don’t go as wide, etc.), and a lighter tripod is more affected by any wind or water movement.”

Front-Country Setup

You don’t need to go on a backpacking trip to photograph the night sky. There are many places within driving reach where light pollution is low and the stars are bright. This may be right outside your door or a few hour’s drive away. In this situation, heavier camera gear won’t weigh you down.

“When I am shooting from my car, I carry a full-frame Nikon D850 and a heavy Induro carbon fiber tripod with a heavy-duty ball head,” Sady says. “This allows me to get sharp photos even if the wind is blowing, or if I decide I want to put my tripod legs in a river or the ocean for compositional reasons. This is a lesson I learned the hard way when I went out several years ago to photograph a lava waterfall at dawn as it dripped into the ocean. The scene was amazing but the wind was howling and, despite my best efforts, very few of those images were sharp enough to use.”

Lake Tahoe's Emerald Bay under a star-filled sky.
Behind the shot: “The above image was shot on a tripod with a 20mm f1.8 lens at f2.2. Exposure was 30 seconds at ISO 3200 for the ground and 20 seconds at ISO 2500 for the sky and the images were combined in photoshop. Although the result would have been pretty close straight out of the camera as a single frame, the foreground might have been a bit darker if I didn’t combine.”

2. Plan Around the Moon Phases

Once you have the right gear, you’ll need to find out how much light to anticipate for your shoot. The main source of light in the night sky is the moon. In Sady’s experience, if the moon is more than a quarter full or if it is up when the core of the Milky Way is in the night sky, then it will wash the stars out.

“Do you know what I mean by the Milky Way core?” Sady asks. “If you look at night images, many of them will have this beautiful gaseous cloud of brilliant purple and green. Earth is out on one of the spiral arms of our galaxy. When you can compose so that you are looking back into the core of the Milky Way, that is when you will see the best stars.”

Sady suggests the apps ‘Go Sky Watch’ and ‘The Photographer’s Ephemeris’ as good resources for knowing where the core will be at any time in any given location.

Sady advises to look for a night with less than a quarter moon or when the moon won’t rise until after the core is where you want it.

“That sometimes makes for the best images because you can get a brilliant nebulous cloud of the Milky Way core in one exposure before the moon is up,” Sady says. “Then leave the camera on the tripod and don’t move anything, and when the moon comes up, take another exposure for the land now that the moon has cast a little light, and blend the two together.”

3. Find the Best Location

What makes for an interesting photograph goes hand in hand with your surroundings. Look for locations that have dark skies and a landmark in the foreground that draws the viewer in.

“I love a location that gives me something interesting in the foreground: mountains, an arch, cool tree, stream, lake, desert lines,” Sady says. “And I make sure that this foreground will line up with the core of the Milky Way once it gets dark, and that the moon helps me and doesn’t hinder me by washing out the night sky. It goes without saying that getting away from light pollution is a must.”

Clear Skies

Keeping an eye on weather patterns, local wildfires, and air quality are all worth checking before you go. Any cloud cover will prevent access to photographing the night sky. A metropolitan city with an abundance of lights will drown out the brilliance of the night sky.

Light Pollution

Before your shoot, assess how much light pollution an area has through the Light Pollution layer on Gaia GPS. This layer shows light levels measured by NASA. If the area immediately around you has high levels of light pollution, explore the map to find the closest location with a low amount of light pollution. You can also check the Air Quality layer to ensure you’re heading into clear skies.

A computer screen showing the Light Pollution Layer in Gaia GPS.

Dark Skies

Another resource is to check if there are any Dark Sky Parks and Sanctuaries around you. These are designated areas of land often found in remote locations, far from any source of light pollution. Living in Nevada, Sady has easy access to several of these designated areas. The Massacre Rim Wilderness Study Area is an hour north of Reno and was designated as an International Dark Sky Sanctuary in 2019. It is one of the darkest places in the contiguous United States. Also included in the list of Dark Sky Sanctuaries is Rainbow Bridge National Monument in Utah. Death Valley National Park is considered a Dark Sky Park.

If you’re unsure of the terrain around you or plan on traveling through a new location, Hike Search on Gaia GPS will help you discover what trails and landmarks are close by.

Star trails through the night sky over rocky Mount Whitney
Behind the shot: “This was a series of 60 – 30 second exposures while a ¼ moon was up in the sky. It was shot on a 24mm lens at f2.8 ISO 2500. One single image was used for the foreground and the remaining images were stacked in photoshop and combined to show the total motion of the stars over the 30 minutes or so the exposures were being made. With film, we used to use a cable release and run a single shot for ½ hour or more to get this effect. But with digital cameras, too much digital noise builds up much beyond a minute, so it is best to stack images.”

4. Get Out and Shoot

Taking a picture requires choosing a shutter speed, aperture, and ISO. When you take photographs during the day, your settings are tuned for the amount of light coming into the camera. The same goes for shooting at night, except your settings will need to be adjusted to accommodate the fact there is far less light available.

Set the ISO

One of these considerations is the ISO. “ISO is basically the camera’s sensitivity to light. Usually the higher it goes, the more digital noise (or gain) you see in the images.” Sady explains that photographing with a quality sensor can give you fairly clear images at around ISO 3200, “which is what you need to shoot at night”.

Adjust the Aperture

Shooting with a lens that allows for a larger aperture will help.

“The aperture, or f-stop, is a measure of the size of the hole in the lens that lets light into your camera,” Sady says. “The lower the number, the bigger the hole and thus the more light. I like to use wide angle prime lenses.”

Sady’s favorite lens for night photography is a 24mm f/1.4 lens.

“This lens allows about twice as much light into my camera as a normal lens,” Sady says, “thus making for brighter stars and clearer foregrounds.”

Focus

Once the tripod is set up, lens selected, and camera set to ISO 3200, you’ll want to set the lens to manual and find the focus yourself. You can start by opening your camera’s live view mode and focusing on a bright star.

Choose a Shutter Speed

There are many different approaches to setting up your shot. If you’d like to capture the milky way and have the stars crisp like pinpricks, set the shutter speed just long enough for the stars to show up in your photo. This could be anywhere from 15 to 30 seconds. To photograph the movement of the stars across the sky, or ‘star trails’, you’ll need an even longer shutter speed. The longer the shutter stays open, the longer the star trails will be.

From there be sure to set up the self-timer on your camera so you don’t accidentally move the camera when you engage the shutter. This process will require some trial and error as you find the right settings for the camera and environment you are in.

The Milky Way stretches across the night sky with a person with a bright headlamp standing with hands on hips in front of mountain.
Behind the shot: “This was a self portrait with a Sony a6400 (all others were Nikon D850) with a 18mm f1.4 lens at f1.8 25 second exposure at iso 2500 for the sky and for me. All one shot, out of the camera. However, there was a lot of trial and error about how long I kept my light on before things got too bright. I think I ended up holding that pose with the light for about 10 seconds before slapping my hand over it.”

5. Post Processing

You’ve made a plan, composed your shot, found a dark location, and took your photos. Now it’s time for some fine tuning in post processing by correcting the color balance and reducing the noise or grain that comes up in these photos. You can do this on computer programs like Abode Lightroom or Adobe Photoshop.

White Balance

“You do have to take care in processing the images,” Sady says. He points out that the sensor responsible for keeping the colors the camera can pick up on as true to what we see, also known as the White Balance, doesn’t work as well at night due to colors in the atmosphere and light pollution.

“First of all, the colors at night aren’t really what the eye sees,” Sady says. “There is a lot of green in the atmosphere that we don’t pick up.”

One way to correct this is by changing the temperature in post to be cooler, which brings out the blues in the image. The color temperature is designated on a Kelvin Temperature scale with lower numbers being cooler and high numbers being warmer. Sady finds adjusting the White Balance to a Kelvin temperature of 4000 is a good starting point.

Noise Reduction

Next, you’ll need to reduce the noise created by shooting in a high ISO. Finding a balance between sharp stars and soft grain takes careful editing. Many post-processing applications, including Adobe Lightroom, have functions to help with this.

“You will be amazed what a modern camera can see at night that you cannot.”

Find the Light Pollution Layer on Gaia GPS

You can access the Light Pollution Layer on GaiaGPS.com and on the app with a premium membership. If you’re using GaiaGPS.com, select the ‘Layers & Overlays’ icon on the left side of the screen to find the available Map Layers. If you’re using the app, tap the map layers icon on the top right corner of the screen. On both platforms, scroll to the bottom to select the ‘Add Map Layers’ button. The Light Pollution Layer is located under the ‘Feature/Weather Overlays’ category. Hit the green + button to add this layer to your map source.

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Screenshot of Wildfires (Historical) map and 3D satellite imagery on gaiagps.com.
Gaia GPSHow-To

How Last Year’s Wildfires Impact Your Upcoming Trip

by Abby Levene
written by Abby Levene

Wildfires swept through more than 10 million acres of forests and grasslands in the U.S. last year, making it one of the most severe wildfire seasons on record. California’s Creek Fire lapped up against the Nüümü Poyo (John Muir Trail). The East Troublesome Fire in Colorado jumped the continental divide and burned through Rocky Mountain National Park.

Some burn areas, including sections of Rocky Mountain National Park and the Pacific Crest Trail, may still be closed to the public. Trusted camping spots and water sources may be gone. And burn zones may mean you’ll be traveling through extended sections without shade.

Learn how you can use Gaia GPS’s Wildfires (Historical) map in combination with 3D satellite imagery on the web to get a realistic look at how past fires impact your upcoming trip.

Step 1: Add Satellite Imagery Map

Screenshot of Satellite with Labels on gaiagps.com.

To see how a wildfire path, start by adding a high-resolution Satellite imagery layer to your Gaia GPS map. (Choose from Satellite with Labels or Satellite without labels.) This map will give you a crystal clear bird’s eye view of the area at high zoom levels. Scout out forests, campsites, and water sources for your next overlanding or backpacking adventure.

Find and add Satellite maps here.

Step 2: Add Wildfires (Historical) Map

Wildfires (Historical) map on Gaia Topo on gaiagps.com.

Once you’ve added a satellite imagery layer, add the Wildfires (Historical) map to your active maps. Wildfires (Historical) will show you where wildfires have burned across the US and Canada, including how the East Troublesome fire impacted the Continental Divide Trail through Rocky Mountain National Park.

This interactive overlay displays wildfire areas in shades of red on the map. More recent fires appear in brighter shades of red. Tap on a fire to see the official name, year, and acreage of the fire.

The Wildfires (Historical) map requires a Premium Membership. Find and add Wildfires (Historical) by going to the Premium Maps > Feature/Weather Overlays category of the Layers Menu.

Step 3: Layer the Wildfires (Historical Map) on top of Satellite Imagery

All of Gaia GPS’s signature navigation and route planning tools can be used in 3D mode, including Wildfire (Historic) and Satellite imagery. Three-dimensional maps allow you to visualize how fire modified any and every mile of your route.

Once you’ve paired the Satellite and Wildfires layers together, just hit the 3D button while viewing Gaia GPS on the web. Watch the canyons plunge and the mountains pop. See how fire swept over plains, burned through forests, and crept up mountain passes.

Go Premium for Offline Maps

The Wildfires (Historical) map requires a premium membership. So does layering maps together. Go premium, and get an added bonus: download your maps for offline use. Note: the Wildfires (Historical) map must be used when connected to the internet or in cell service.

Watch: Does Your Trail Go Through a Burn Area?

View Current Wildfires and Air Quality

Screenshot of Air Quality and Wildfires (Current) and Wildfires (Satellite Detections) on gaiagps.com.

Now that you’ve viewed the impact of past fires on your route, you can use Gaia GPS to see if any wildfires are currently active and burning in the area you plan to visit. The Wildfires (Current) layer shows recent wildfire activity, including the fire’s name, size, and activity level. The Wildfires (Satellite Detections) layer taps into NASA satellites to detect all thermal anomalies on earth’s surface. Since some hot spots may be caused by flares, volcanoes, or other heat sources, pair the Wildfires (Satellite Detections) layer with the Wildfires (Current) layer to see what part of an active wildfire is still burning hot.

Even if your route does not directly pass through a wildfire, you may want to pay attention to how nearby wildfires impact the air quality. Use the Air Quality forecast maps to view current and next-day estimated levels of air pollutants anywhere in the United States. Sourced from the US Environmental Protection Agency’s AirNow program, Air Quality maps indicate pollutant levels of moderate, unhealthy for sensitive groups, unhealthy, very unhealthy, and hazardous conditions.

The Wildfires and Air Quality layers are available for free on gaiagps.com and in the mobile app.

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A screenshot of a route being built on gaiagps.com.
Gaia GPSHow-To

How to Plan a Hike with Gaia GPS

by Abby Levene
written by Abby Levene

The best — and safest — hikes start before you reach the trailhead. Like cooking a delicious meal, going on a delightful hike requires some advanced preparation. Taking a little time to scout out the area and map out a route can save you far more time and stress once you actually head out the door.

Gaia GPS offers powerful planning tools to help you make that game plan. Find and create your hike at home. Download your maps onto your phone. Then navigate to the trailhead and follow your route with ease, even if you go out of cell service.

In this tutorial, Gaia GPS expert Ryan walks through how to plan a hike at home using gaiagps.com. You’ll learn how to:

  • Search and maneuver around the map to find the location you’re looking for.
  • Add waypoints to flag your starting location, finish, and key stops on the way.
  • Use Gaia GPS’s snap-to-trail planning tool to quickly and accurately map out the route.
  • Scout out the area using additional map layers.
  • View the map in 3D to get a better sense of the terrain.
  • Check out the elevation profile so you know what to expect on your hike.

Before you head out for your hike, check out more tips for planning your trip, including how to choose your destination, what to pack, and the hazards you might encounter along the way. For more tutorials on using the Gaia GPS app, visit the Help Center.

To access the entire Gaia GPS map collection, download your maps for offline use, and save your routes, get a Gaia GPS Premium Membership.

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A runner smiles while running down a trail through a burn path.
Gaia GPSHow-To

How to Start Trail Running

by Abby Levene
written by Abby Levene

Photo credit: Ashleigh Thompson

Trail running is like hiking’s high-octane cousin. The two activities accomplish a similar objective: travel along a beautiful singletrack trail, often in the wilderness, on two legs. But by moving lighter and faster, running allows you to cover more territory in less time. And thanks to its sustained aerobic component, running transforms even city parks into rewarding adventures. Whether you want to cover a multi-day backpacking route in one day, efficiently train for a thru-hike, or simply discover a rejuvenating exercise regime, trail running can enhance a hiker’s life.

Professional runner and coach Sandi Nypaver sees how hikers can benefit from adding trail running to their repertoire.

“There’s a lot of beauty in hiking and taking a little more time to see everything around you,” Nypaver says. “But it can also be satisfying and enjoyable to cover more ground and see more views or be able to get more miles of trail time in on days you’re short on time.”

Here’s what you need to know to make the leap.

Hiking vs. Trail Running: Similar but Different

Photo credit: Thomas Woodson

Before you lace up some trail running shoes and hit the trail, it’s useful to keep in mind that trail running differs from hiking. Hikers possess a strong aerobic base, durable joints, and wilderness skills essential to thrive as a trail runner. While hiking and running use the same cardiovascular and musculoskeletal systems, the two movements use those systems in different ways.

Walking and running require distinct gaits. Think back to when you started hiking. While you probably didn’t get sore walking around your neighborhood, your whole body might have ached after climbing a mountain. The switch to trail running feels similar. Hiking primarily engages your quads, while trail running uses your glutes, feet, quads, calves, and even biceps.

Running is faster than walking. Your muscles need to contract harder with each step. They also get less time to recover between steps, making you fatigue faster. Plus running is higher impact, placing more stress on muscles, bones, and joints. Running’s added strain on the body increases your chance of injury if you’re not careful, professional runner and coach Sage Canaday warns.

How to Start Trail Running

a runner passes by mountains with a touch of fall color.
Photo credit: Adam Edwards

Pick a Trail
Pick a route that’s on the shorter side when you’re starting out. Just like with hiking, you want be cognizant of the vertical gain—climbing will require more energy and time. Consider dedicating some days to flatter trails, and even gravel roads and bike paths, to work on your running efficiency. Good running form translates from the flats to the mountains. Intersperse flatter days with more climbing days to give your body time to recover. Your calves will be sore at first!
You can, of course, combine hills and flats into one run. In fact, Nypaver suggests picking a trail with rolling hills so you can let the terrain help ease you into the sport.

“You could hike the uphills and then run the downhills, focusing on good form and listening to your feet as they hit the ground to make sure you’re not landing too hard.”

Let the course dictate when to run and when to walk, and you will start to acclimate without even realizing it.

Know Where to Go with Gaia GPS
Just like with hiking, use Gaia GPS to discover trails and routes. Map out a route of your choosing, and look at the elevation profile and trail surfaces to get a sense of how long the run may take. Several maps prove particularly useful:

Gaia Topo Map

Gaia Topo shows trails, paths, and hidden unmaintained roads that are perfect for running. This recently updated map makes it easy to find and plan out routes ahead of time. You can even tap on a trailhead or landmark to find suggested routes in the area.

Best yet, this vector-based map is tiny and fast to download for off-line use. The map takes up very little storage on your phone so you can download huge swaths of land, even your entire state, in minutes.

Nat Geo Trails Illustrated

This gorgeous set of maps provides incredibly detailed data on many trails and national parks across the US. Zoom in to see quick tips written on the map, like fording slippery streams, and how many miles until the next water source. National Geographic Trails Illustrated maps show mileage markers between sections of trail, trailheads, amenities, and parking areas.

Satellite with Labels

Topo maps prove invaluable, but sometimes you need a birds-eye view of the terrain to get a sense of what a place actually looks like. Use this satellite imagery layer to see if a trail winds through the trees or over an open plain, for example. Such information helps you decide if you should bring a visor for the sun, or a jacket for a windswept mountain top.

Gaia Streets

A beauty of trail running is that, contrary to its name, it can be done pretty much anywhere. Don’t be afraid to run on surfaces other than trails. Switching up your routine will only make you better at running. The Gaia Streets layer allows you to navigate urban areas with ease. Find city staircases to practice running hills, discover obscure paths through parks, and map out routes that optimize quiet sidewalks and minimize traffic light stops.

USFS Roads and Trails

This is Gaia GPS’s most frequently updated map layer, so it often contains roads and trails that are not available on any other map. This layer also highlights the surface and condition of the trail or road, so you won’t have to guess if you’ll be running on two-track, single track, pavement or dirt.

USGS Topo

The official map of the US Geological Survey, the USGS Topo quilts together all the USGS quadrangle maps for the contiguous United States. These maps are large-scaled to 1:24,000, bringing the character of the landscape into sharp focus if you’re skilled at reading topographic maps. Check out this article if you need to brush up on your topo map-reading skills.

You can use the web map on gaiagps.com to find routes and trails, and plan your run on the big screen. Log into your Gaia GPS account on your computer, and any routes you map out on the web will automatically synch to your Gaia GPS app. Just make sure you “show” the route on the map in the app.

Tip: download maps for the region you will be running through so that you can still access them if you lose cell service. At the start of your run, start recording your track so that you can easily retrace your steps if needed. Plus recording your track will allow to you visualize your run afterward and to repeat the route again.

Start Short and Easy

Sandi and Sage power hike up a mountain. They both are using trekking poles and are wearing hydration vests.
Sandi Nypaver and Sage Canaday in Colorado’s Sawatch mountains.

Start with short distances to stay healthy. While you may be in incredible shape from hiking, your body still needs ample time to adjust to running. Don’t be afraid to throw in walking or hiking breaks as needed. In fact, the best trail runners in the world still hike steep and technical climbs. Listen to your body when it tells you to walk.

Intersperse running days with rest, hiking, or other cross training days like cycling or swimming. In the beginning, aim for running two to three days a week, with at least one day off in between. This cadence will give your body enough time to recover between sessions, while also providing enough stimulus to allow your body to adapt and improve. After a couple of weeks, you can start working your way up to more runs each week.

Listen to Your Body, Not Your Watch
Try not to worry too much about your pace. Setting an arbitrary pace objective isn’t productive. And the pace you will run on smooth surfaces versus rocks and roots, flat terrain versus hills, will wildly vary. Again, practice listening to your body. As running grows more comfortable, try incorporating some fartlek-style runs. Fartlek, or “speed play” in Swedish, refers to adding unstructured intervals to your run. Pick a landmark down the path and run hard to it, then recover for a few minutes while running easy, and do it again. Mixing up the speed within your runs will help you grow faster and stronger.

Trail Running Gear

General rule of thumb — you need less gear than you think. Here are the essentials:

  • Phone: Download your maps for offline use beforehand so you can navigate as needed. Plus, having a phone on you provides an insurance blanket for emergencies when you have cell service.
  • Trail Shoes: Find a pair of trail shoes that work for you. Everyone’s feet are different, so relying on reviews can only get you so far. “Try on different pairs to see what feel you like and works with your running form,” Canaday recommends. Go to your local running store and test out some options to see what you like. Also consider the terrain you will be running over. The wet, rocky, root-laden trails of the White Mountains require a shoe with more grip and protection than the buttery mountain bike trails of the Marin Headlands. If you anticipate running over a lot of rocks, look for a shoe with a solid rock plate to protect your feet.
  • Waist Belt: Optional, but super useful to hold your cell phone and keys. Items like the Naked Band or Ultimate Direction Utility Belt can hold a surprising amount of things without bouncing or falling off.
  • Anti-Chafe Product: Sweating plus friction leads to painful showers. Prevent chafing with something like Squirrel’s Nut Butter or another anti-chafe product.
  • Traction: If you plan on running through a snowy or icy winter, traction will help save you from slipping. Nano spikes usually suffice for roads. Micro spikes open up a window of possibility for running over snowy, icy trails. Kahtoola and Black Diamond make durable and effective options for both.

Once you graduate to longer runs, especially in the mountains, a few more items prove useful:

  • Hydration Pack: A lightweight, running-specific pack lets you carry fluids, snacks, and additional layers you may need for longer or especially hot outings. Try on a few options, if possible, to see what fits best on you.
  • Soft Flasks: For fluids. These will typically come with a hydration pack.
  • Water Filter: If you know you will pass by running water, consider carrying less water and filling up along the way. To do this, you should invest in a water filter.The Katadyn BeFree is an efficient and effective option.
  • Hiking Poles: If you already love your hiking poles, don’t worry — they still prove useful for big mountain runs.

Apparel
While you can run in whatever you like, you may want to consider investing in a few comfortable, functional pieces of running apparel:

  • Lightweight and wicking shirt: Will keep you cool in the heat and warm in the cold.
  • Shorts: Or tights that allow full range of motion without bogging you down with extra fabric.
  • Socks: While it might seem superfluous, well fitting, wicking socks can make the difference between finishing a run with intact feet or blistered feet.
  • Windbreaker and Gloves: a light windbreaker that folds into itself for easy storage and a light pair of gloves re useful for mountain summits. Canaday points out that while you will stay warmer running than hiking, you may also sweat more. So if the weather changes as it often does in the mountains, having a layer to keep you warm is still important.

Fueling and Hydration
Just like with hiking, you need to properly hydrate and fuel to keep going. “You need a lot more calories and hydration drink mixes than you think!” Canaday says. On longer runs or hot days, consider adding some electrolytes to your water, or bring salt pills. Since you lose both water and electrolytes when you sweat, you need to replace both to keep your body and mind functioning. Eating on the run can prove tricky at first. But the more you practice, the more comfortable it will feel. Experiment with foods to see what your stomach and mind can tolerate. Drink mixes, gels, chews, gummies, and candy bars are a sugary albeit relatively safe place to start. Tail Wind, Skratch Labs, SiS, and Maurten make some of the most tasty and digestible endurance fuels on the market. Peanut butter pretzels provide a savory and relatively digestible sustained source of sustenance. Aim to DTYPC (drink ‘til you pee clear) and consume 200 to 300 calories an hour.

Find a Community

Whether virtual or in-person, finding a group of runners can be an effective way to learn, have fun, and find motivation. Join running groups on Facebook or other social networks to get new route ideas from people in your area and to find running buddies. You can also find local running groups by checking in with your local running store. Nypaver suggests that womxn look into their local Trail Sisters chapter.

Play to Your Hiking Strengths

As a hiker, you’re already strong at walking up hill. Lean into that! Use your trail intuition, and listen to physical and psychological queues to determine when you should slow down, and when you can push a bit harder if you like. Have fun practicing hoping over rocks and roots on the descents. It may feel foreign and slow-going at first, but you improve immensely with practice. And most importantly, remember why you’re out there: to have fun.

“Whenever you’re learning something new, leave the self-judgment at home,” Nypaver says. “Find your inner kid-like joy to help you along.”

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AdventuresGaia GPSHow-To

A Complete Intro to Bikepacking: How to Pack Your Bike & Plan Your Route

by Adrienne Schofhauser
written by Adrienne Schofhauser

If you enjoy both the excitement of biking and the solitude of backcountry camping, bikepacking offers a new thrilling way to explore wild places. With all of your gear packed strategically on your bike, you’ll cover more ground than you would backpacking, camp under the stars, and gain the skills for navigating a new type of adventure.

An evolution of bicycle touring, bikepacking travels along mostly backcountry singletrack and hiking trails, often using gravel paths, or fire roads to link them up. Bikepacking trips may be as simple as an overnighter in your local mountains or a multi-week international excursion. Because of the terrain, bikepacking gear setups tend to be lighter than those used for traditional bicycle touring, foregoing panniers for more streamlined solutions.

In this article, you’ll learn about bike options, how to pack your gear, and how to plan and navigate routes. This guide also covers tips for preparing your body and your bike for that first adventure, so you can focus on simply enjoying the scenery—and the descents.

Included in this guide:

  1. Bikes for bikepacking
  2. How to pack and carry your gear
  3. Essential camp gear & bike tools
  4. Best maps for bikepacking
  5. Preparing for your first bikepacking trip
  6. Bikepacking routes and resources

Bikes for Bikepacking

Just about any well-functioning mountain bike or touring bike with at least 2.4-inch wide knobby tires makes a suitable bikepacking option. If you’re just starting out, consider using the mountain bike you own—after all, you know you’re comfortable on it.

That said, certain bike styles do offer better experiences in backcountry terrain. In addition, frame material and components like gears and tires affect your ride.

Types of bikes

four bikepackers riding a gravel road in Colorado
WTF Bike Explorers ride through Routt National Forest, Colorado

To choose the right bike, consider the terrain you’ll be riding through. Does your route travel along mostly dirt roads or mountainous singletrack? Here are the main bike styles and where they excel.

  • Full suspension: Most popular for technical singletrack, these bikes feature suspension in both the fork and the “rear” of the bike. Suspension absorbs bumps, like rocks and roots, creating a smoother ride. But it adds weight and reduces pedaling efficiency. And though it’s rare, suspension forks and shocks can present issues—like leaking air—that can cause headaches in the backcountry.
  • Hardtail: These feature suspension in the fork only. Thus, they’re slightly lighter and offer greater pedaling efficiency on flat terrain, saving you energy. Yet they can be jarring on bumpy trails, which zaps energy. These bikes reign if your route is mostly double track, fire roads, or smooth singletrack.
  • Fully rigid: Best for pedaling efficiency and simplicity. For riders exploring mostly gravel paths, rigid bikes keep things simple. However, they’re likely too stiff to really enjoy any kind of backcountry singletrack.

Frame Materials

Frame materials influence your bike’s weight, price, and ride feel. Like anything, “ultralight” materials cost more. Fortunately, today’s mountain bikes weigh far less than their predecessors. (Besides, bikepacking isn’t always about distance, but rather the adventure.) The frame design plays a role in your experience, but here are general material guidelines.

  • Carbon fiber:
    • Pros: Ultralight.
    • Cons: Expensive. Slightly risky in rocky terrain, where a hard smash can crack the frame.
  • Aluminum:
    • Pros: Less expensive. More reliable than carbon in rocky backcountry terrain.
    • Cons: Generally heavier than carbon. A harsher ride feel.
  • Chromoly Steel:
    • Pros: Most durable. Typically the most affordable. Most plush ride feel.
    • Cons: “Heavy.” Limited offerings in full suspension.

Bike Components

After safe brakes, the drivetrain, tires and pedals impact your overall ride experience the most. Ultimately, the best bike is one that’s safely functioning, fit to you, and comfortable enough to spend long days in its saddle.

image
  • Gears: Opt for easier gears to make pedaling your loaded bike less taxing, especially up climbs. Pedaling gets progressively easier with more large rings in the rear cassette and the more small chain rings up front.
  • Tires: Most modern mountain bike tires at least 2.4 inches or wider adequately handle backcountry terrain. In general, the wider the tire, the smoother ride. Those with more aggressive traction knobs require more effort to roll, but offer better grip.
  • Tubeless Tires: Tubeless tires shed weight and better resist punctures, making them popular. But they take extra effort to install.
  • Pedals: Choose between flats or “clipless.” Flat pedals allow you to get on and off your bike quickly, say for hike-a-bike sections. And flat shoes offer better traction for hiking. Clipping into your pedals (clipless) increases pedaling efficiency.

How to Pack and Carry your Gear

You want your bike as nimble as possible for bikepacking. This means strategically spreading out the weight of your gear while keeping most of it centered and low. Bikepacking-specific bags help you do just that. But if you’re starting out, you may opt for a more DIY approach using a day backpack and gear you already own.

Bike Bags and Gear-Carrying Options

LRG_DSC03322.JPG

Lightweight and tailored to specific places on a bike, bikepacking bags streamline gear carrying. This approach can ultimately make bikepacking more fun by improving how the laden bike handles.

  • Seat bags: Perfect for carrying soft, bulky gear. Seat bags take extra care to pack and attach in order to minimize sway below the seat. They’re available in five to about 15 liters and various levels of waterproof protection.
  • Handlebar systems: Two options: roll bag or harness. For mountain biking, roll bags provide a slimmer profile for better clearance when your suspension fork compresses. A harness offers maximum versatility for larger items, such as long tents.
    Frame pack: Finding the right frame pack to fit in your triangle takes a little finesse. Full-sized bags provide more volume but may interfere with a rear shock. Partial packs leave room for a water bottle cage beneath. Some packs feature organizational pockets.
  • DIY system: If you have a daypack and dry bags at home, you can bikepack. Place heavier gear in your day pack and lighter items in the bags that will go on the bike. Attach the bags to your handlebar and seat post with ski straps or bungees. Dangle things like a coffee cup or flip flops off any setup with a carabiner.

Additional Carrying Options

  • Stem bags offer easy-grab convenience for snacks, phones, and other small items.
  • Fork cages can carry larger water bottles or stove fuel on trips in less technical terrain; just ensure they don’t interfere with the stanchions on your suspension fork.
  • Small backpack provides another place for snacks, layers, sunglasses and water reservoirs. But keep it light—you have plenty of weight to maneuver.


Where to Place Gear on Your Bike

Smart packing leads to a safer, more enjoyable ride. Still, it may take a few trips to dial-in your system. Strive for a low center of gravity and evenly weighted handlebars and seat pack.

  • Light, bulky items go in your seat pack: Things like sleeping bags and clothing. If your seat bag is waterproof, pack your sleeping bag without its stuff sack.
  • Light, long items go in your handlebar roll: Items like tents, sleeping pads, and other larger gear. Take care to not over-pack your handlebars to maintain safe steering.
  • Heavy items go in your frame pack: Things like bike tools, stove, and fuel. Positioning most weight in the center of your bike increases stability.

Essential Camp Gear & Bike Tools

LRG_DSC05409.JPG

Space is at a premium on your bike. Prioritize compact gear—and the lighter, the better. Your current backpacking gear likely covers most bases. Fill in the gaps from there.

Camping Gear

  • Shelter: Tarps and bivy sacks certainly make the lightest, most compact options. Yet in buggy terrain or foul weather, you’ll likely want the protection of a minimalist, pack-small tent.
  • Sleeping bag / quilt: If conditions allow, a featherweight down quilt with an elastic foot box may be all the warmth you need, saving precious room in your pack.
  • Sleeping pad: Air mattresses offer greater comfort and roll up tighter, but require at least a ground cloth to prevent punctures. Closed-cell foam pads are bombproof, but offer far less cushion and may be too bulky for backcountry setups.
  • Stove: The lightest gas stoves weigh just a few ounces and fit in the palm of your hand. 4 oz. fuel canisters stow easily as well. Alcohol stoves remain your lightest and cleanest-burning option. They limit your cooking to water boiling, but they’re ideal if you won’t be passing any gear shops to refuel.
  • Water & water filter: Research water sources before your trip to help assess how much to carry each day, as well as the type of water filter to bring to combat contaminants you might encounter.
  • Clothing: Beyond your bike outfit, pack warm layers for camp and flip flops if you use clipless shoes. Pack multiple socks and underwear, but otherwise wear the same outfit every day.
  • Sunscreen & toiletries: Pack these as you would for any backcountry adventure. Just remember to Leave No Trace.
  • First aid kit: Biking in remote terrain increases the safety hazards. Adventure Medical Kits makes a wide array of great wilderness first aid kits. Include super glue, needle and thread, duct tape, and patches for your sleeping pad and tent fabric.
  • Don’t forget: Your headlamp, spare batteries and chargers, bear hang kit, sat device, and other essentials for minimalist backcountry camping.

Bike Tools

Preparing for every mechanical issue would require an entire workbench of tools. Instead, carry those that will triage most common issues—and that you know how to use. Again, consider the terrain. For example, in rocky terrain you might pack more spare tubes.

tire repair.jpeg
  • Spare tubes, tire plugs, tire levers & small pump: Rarely does one escape a backcountry trip without at least a few flat tires. Even if you run tubeless tires, carry spare tubes, as sharp terrain (and crashing) can rip the sidewall of your tire beyond repair with sealant or tire plugs. On longer trips, also carry a patch kit.
  • Bike multi-tool: Featuring multiple sizes of Allen wrenches, a multi-tool lets you tighten, adjust, remove, and replace most bits on your bike trailside. Ensure the sizes match your bike’s bolts. Choose one with a chain breaker.
  • Chain lube & wipe cloth: Lubing your chain each morning before your ride is one of the easiest ways to keep your bike running smoothly throughout your trip, especially if crossing streams.
  • Chain quick links: Chains break. Quick links allow you to use a spare length of chain to replace the broken section, quickly locking it in and getting you back in business.
  • Zip ties & ski straps: Your ultimate MacGyver gear. From taming unruly cables to providing bag tie-downs, these come in handy.
  • Also consider: Bike lights, spare brake pads, shock pump for full suspension bikes, spare derailleur hanger.

Best Maps for Bikepacking

Planning a bikepacking trip encourages you to get savvy about land use access and, you guessed it, terrain—because biking isn’t always possible where hiking is. Gaia GPS’s map catalog provides numerous planning and navigating resources, and a Premium membership gives you access to them all. Here are the most helpful maps for bikepackers, along with some pointers for building your route.

Satellite Topo Base Map: This topo-and-satellite hybrid makes an excellent base map for bikepackers, who need to really visualize the terrain. It places the contour lines of Gaia’s Topo map over ESRI world satellite imagery. Use the topo lines to calculate elevation and the satellite imagery to see terrain features such as forests and open areas.

Ensure you know how to read topo maps.

Wilderness Map Overlay: Bikes aren’t allowed in designated Wilderness zones. This overlay lets you pinpoint Wilderness boundaries and ensure that your route avoids them. Find this map under the Feature/Weather Overlay option.

USFS Recreation Sites Map: Quickly find bike-friendly trails and campgrounds along your route. This overlay highlights U.S. Forest Service campgrounds, trailheads, visitor centers, and land-use access through an easy-to-read legend. Find it under the Feature/Weather Overlay option.

24- and 72-Hour Weather Forecast Overlays: In addition to the 48-hour Precip Overlay, Gaia GPS includes 24- and 72-hour Forecast Overlays. Pack the right gear for the forecast with these options that you can display over your favorite base maps. Sourced from NOAA data.

Wildfire Overlay: Dodge road closures, avoid burn scars, and find views unobscured by smoke using the Wildfires (current) and Wildfires (satellite) maps, now free for all Gaia GPS users.

Finally, find free camping spots using the Public Lands Overlay—and sleep soundly knowing you’re not trespassing.

Building Your Route

Blog_Feature (Robyn Martin

Once you know where you want go, use the Gaia app or Gaiagps.com to build your route and add waypoints with helpful info along the way.

  1. Create a route in Gaia: This step-by-step video tutorial guides you through the process. Start with your preferred base map. Then add overlays, such as those mentioned above, to increase your knowledge of an area. Or, import GPX files: If you find GPX files for routes online, import them into your phone. Here’s how to do it for iOS, Android, and at gaiagps.com.
  2. Drop waypoints: Mark water sources, camping spots, trail junctures, and other key points. Tag them with symbols and color-coding, and add notes. Here’s how in iOS and Android.
  3. Download your map: Ensure you do this while in cell service in order to access your map offline.

Preparing for Your First Bikepacking Trip

With your bike, gear, maps and routes, you’re nearly there. But before you pedal out into the great unknown, be sure you and your setup are dialed. Here’s a checklist to help.

  • Gain the fitness and sit bones you need by doing longer rides in the months prior.
  • Give your bike a safety tune-up yourself or take it to your local shop.
  • Learn how to do trailside repairs.
  • Practice packing your gear to dial-in your system.
  • Ride your bike fully loaded to experience its handling; consider doing a single night adventure to test your setup.
  • Get current beta on the zones through which you’ll be traveling via ranger stations and trip reports.
  • Download (and print out) your Gaia GPS maps!

Bikepacking Routes and Resources

Multi-night mountain biking has soared in popularity, and with it the resources and inspiration to plan an amazing trip. Here are a few places to start.

  • Find routes: Bikepacking.com, Bikepacking Roots and pinkbike.com (search bikepacking) offer a goldmine of routes, stories, images, and sometimes the GPX files to kick off your journey. Also use these sites to indulge in bike and gear nerdery.
  • Dip your toes in: Catered adventures, such as those in Canada’s Chilcotins, allow you to give bikepacking a try without carrying all of your overnight gear or hassle with cooking for yourself each night.
  • Get social: Tap into communities on Facebook for everything from gear setups to adventure ideas.
  • Get to know the popular trails: This article highlights some classic routes.
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A group of backpackers walk single file along a trail with mountains ahead.
Gaia GPSHow-ToOut and Back Podcast

Out and Back: How to Train for Hiking Season

by Abby Levene
written by Abby Levene

How to listen: iTunes | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Pocket Casts | RadioPublic | Breaker | Castbox

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The days are getting longer and warmer — hiking season is well on its way! But for many of us, nearby trails are still covered in ice and snow. And for many more, we’re cooped up in the city or live in geographical regions as flat as a pancake. How can we gear up for summer adventures?

Personal trainer Billy Gawron of Backcountry Fitness is here with answers. This week on Out and Back, Shanty and Abby chat with Billy about training for hiking, backpacking, and thru-hiking season. Billy equates getting in shape to building a house. You have to start with the foundation.

“If you try to build a house on top of a really crappy foundation, the house is not gonna last very long,” Billy says. “So you want to make sure that you solidify not only your core stability, but your stability around all your joints.”

Whether you’ve spent a little too much time on the couch this winter, are confined to the city, or don’t have access to a gym right now, don’t worry! Billy is here to walk you through how you can build a strong body and mind right at home. Billy has backpacked all over the world and specializes in training his clients to get ready for all types of backcountry adventures. He delivers his keen insight into training for big mountain days while confined to small spaces and flat, concrete cities.

Billy shares the number one thing we should all start working on right now and gives us the key to balancing strength work with endurance training. He breaks down some pervasive myths about training, including if you actually need to train at all.

Billy answers the most pressing hiker questions, like how to train your feet and ankles to withstand long days with a heavy pack, how to prevent pesky and debilitating knee pain, and how to prepare for altitude while at sea level.

If you’re dreaming up some big plans for the summer, you won’t want to miss this episode. In the meantime, check out Backcountry Fitness on the web, where you can find free training plans and can hire Billy as a coach, and follow Backcountry on Instagram for daily training tips.

Two hikers smile while standing in front of a lake with mountains in the distance.

Episode Highlights:

4:25: Meet Billy Gawron, personal trainer and founder of Backcountry Fitness.

5:50: Billy shares the story of the client who inspired him to specialize in getting people ready for backcountry adventures.

8:30: Billy and his fiancée have hiked and backpacked all around the world together.

10:20: Shanty tells the most ridiculous story that has been told on this podcast to date.

12:00: Billy resolves some of the biggest myths in hiking, backpacking, and thru-hiking.

20:00: How you can start preparing for hiking/backpacking season from right at home, right now. (Hint: we’re starting with the core.)

22:20: Do you sit all day? If so, you are a basket of injuries waiting to happen. Billy is here to help.

29:00: Shanty is eager to hit the gym with the heavy weights. Billy weighs in….

31:05: How many days do you have to train? How do you balance strength and cardio?

32:35: What kind of cardio is best to get ready for hiking season, especially if you’re confined to the city or somewhere flat? How hard should you work?

36:19: Billy explains why doing a bunch of HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) is not necessarily going to help you for your summer adventures.

37:35: What’s the minimum amount of time you need to devote to a workout?

40:50: When it comes to strength training, more reps at lower weight is going to help you out more than single max reps.

42:40: Billy explains why he loves SPT (Sustained Push Training). It combines cardio endurance and strength work all into one.

46:30: Knee pain? The problem most likely is not your knee.

49:20: Billy, who used to work at a running speciality store, advises on the best shoes for training, running, and hiking.

52:00: Learn how to become comfortable being uncomfortable now, so you’re mentally ready for your adventures later.

56:30: Can you prep for your altitude adventures from sea level?

1:01:45: Want more tips from Billy? Check out his app.

1:03:00: Billy is training for his honey moon — hiking Kilimanjaro with his fiancée!

Last episode: Adrian Ballinger

Adrien smiles while on top of a snowy mountain. He's got his arms raised and is holding an ice axe in one hand.

Alpinist Adrian Ballinger has made a career of climbing the Himalaya’s 8,000-meter giants. Since 2008, he’s summited Mount Everest eight times, including once without supplemental oxygen. But perhaps the biggest hurdle Ballinger has surmounted has been overcoming family and societal pressure to live a life outside of what’s true to himself.

In the last episode of the Out and Back, Ballinger takes hosts Shanty and Mary all the way back to his unusual foray into the outdoors growing up in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Though he fell in love with climbing, nobody ever thought he’d make a job of it. In fact, an undercurrent of pressure to study medicine swept him away to college. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University and was accepted to Georgetown’s medical school. But Ballinger deferred enrollment to indulge in one glorious gap year to “get the mountains out of his system.” One year turned into two years, and, well, let’s just say his parents weren’t impressed. Decades later, and well into his 40s, Ballinger is still scrambling up mountains on his “break” between undergraduate and graduate school.

In this fun and lighthearted chat, Ballinger speaks openly about the challenges and realities of guiding clients up the world’s highest mountains. Ballinger takes us to that fateful encounter on the side of Mount Everest, where he met the love of his life, professional climber Emily Harrington.

Tune in to learn more about how you can explore the mountains with Ballinger’s company Alpenglow Expeditions. Follow Ballinger on his Instagram page and watch the couple’s YouTube channel DangerstikTV for some real-life Adrian/Emily entertainment. Watch Breathtaking, a documentary about Ballinger’s climb on K2 without supplemental oxygen.

Next episode: Vasu Sojitra

A skier with a leg difference sends it down a mountain. He is using outrigers and one ski.

Growing up in India and Connecticut, Vasu Sojitra’s ascendence to becoming a professional skier may seem unlikely. Not to mention that he was born to Indian immigrants who did not understand the sport. And that he has a lower leg difference, and taught himself to ski with one leg and no prosthetic.

But Vasu doesn’t lean into excuses. In fact, he embraces who he is.

“That’s the thing about disability culture — we are one of the most resilient communities on this planet, which is awesome to be a part of,” Vasu says on Out and Back. “People think we’re fragile. People think you have to tiptoe around our disability.No. We are kicking ass.”

On the next episode of Out and Back, Vasu tells his story from having his leg amputated at nine months old to climbing peaks like the Grand Teton and backcountry skiing Montana’s Beartooth and Bridger mountain ranges. He’s even landed a 720 on skis, which is a first for an adaptive skier.

Vasu shares how he uses his engineering degree to problem solve equipment strategies for skinning up the mountain with one ski. And he explains how he brings an intersectional framework to the outdoors to lift those up around him and to help make these sports more inclusive to everyone.

You can follow Vasu’s adventures and advocacy on Instagram. Check out his newest venture, Inclusive Outdoors Project. And you can learn more about Vasu on his website.

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Two snowmobilers ride across a vast snow plain in the distance, in front of a glowing sunset over snowy mountains.
Gaia GPSHow-To

How to Use Gaia GPS for Snowmobiling

by Abby Levene
written by Abby Levene

Riding a sled allows you to cover a lot of terrain in a short amount of time. But this liberating, rewarding, and high-speed access comes with a price — it’s easy to get lost, or worse. Plus, there may be hidden trails and zones out your front door that you’ve never discovered. That’s where navigation tools come into play.

“I have different strategies for navigating depending on the ride, area, and the crew I’m with,” says Aleah Hockin, lead guide and coach at Savage Sisters Snow, a snowmobile guide company in Craig and Slater, CO. “It’s very important to trust the crew you have when riding in the backcountry. As a rider it’s important you know the strengths and limitations of who you’re with as well as your own.”

Your phone does not replace riding with a knowledgeable crew, taking an avalanche course if you live in avalanche-prone terrain, and just plain experience. But your phone can provide an invaluable supplementary tool, says Russel Mussio, president of Canada’s Backroad Mapbooks. Find new trails, plan routes, and stay found using Gaia GPS in conjunction with some tried and trusted navigation staples. Here’s how.

Plan Your Trip

A single file line of sledders ride over a snowy plain with small mountains in the distance.

A little advanced planning from the comfort of your couch can greatly enhance your trip. You just need your computer or your phone. If you’re on your computer, go to gaiagps.com/map. If you’re using your phone, open the Gaia GPS app.

Scout out the area

Hockin recommends looking at potential sled zones using satellite maps to examine tree cover. Check out the full catalog of snowmobile maps below to get a sense of which maps can help you plan your next trip. Turn on public tracks to see where other sledders have travelled.

Map a Route

You can use Gaia GPS to map out a route right on the web or in the app. Save the route to your phone, and follow it along as you go. Many local snowmobile club websites have GPX files of routes that are free to download and use. You can import these established routes directly into the Gaia GPS app.

Mussio cautions that sometimes it doesn’t make sense to map out a precise route beforehand. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t examine a map before you head out the door.

“For route planning, I personally plan the trailhead and destination — and ideally an alternate or two,” Mussio says. “Typically when riding, things change depending on conditions and or what is in the field. What looks good on the map might not be the case on the ground so it is nice to be prepared for flexibility or options.”

Download your maps

Download the maps for the zone you plan to visit before you leave home. That way you can access them in the backcountry, regardless of whether you leave cell service.

Gaia GPS Maps for Sledding

Gaia GPS offers multiple maps to help you find new zones, keep tabs on weather conditions, and make your way home safely.

Navigation Maps

Gaia Topo

Screenshot of Gaia Topo.


Topo maps are the most useful map layers for sledders, according to Hockin. Easy to read and tiny to download, Gaia Topo may be the most valuable map in a sledder’s pocket. It’s also free to use. This map shows most Forest Service roads and 4WD trails, as well as points of interest, land ownership designation, and many more details that make it easy to discover landmarks to see and places to stop along your adventure.

Quickly get a sense of elevation profiles thanks to blended contour line styling. Zoom in to get exactly the level of detail your planning requires. And download large swaths of land — even your entire state — thanks to its efficient file size.

USGS Topo

Screenshot of USGS Topo.

The USGS Topo layer includes the official topo maps from the United States Geological Survey (USGS). As another detailed topographical map layer, it can be used in conjunction with the Gaia Topo layer to compare trails and points of interest.

World Imagery

Screenshot of World Imagery map.


Seeing a photographic overview of an area provides key details that topo maps leave out. This satellite imagery layer helps you identify ridges and drainages, open plains and densely packed glades.

Wilderness Areas (US)

Screenshot of Wilderness Area map.


In the US, motorized travel is not permitted within designated wilderness areas. Use the Wilderness Areas (US) overlay to help ensure you stay where sledding is permitted — and avoid a pricey fine.

Trail Maps

BRMB Snowmobile Trails

Screenshot of BRMB layer.


If you’re in Canada, you’re in luck! We’ve partnered with the illustrious Backroad Mapbooks to bring you an overlay containing 90,000 miles of snowmobile trails across Canada, from BC to Newfoundland. Trails are color-coded to distinguish from Multi-Use and ATV trails, and easy identify which trail you’re examining thanks to bold trail names right on the trail itself. Pair this overlay with your favorite base map.

USFS Roads and Trails

Screenshot of USFS roads and trails map.


See maintained routes, 4×4 trails, backroads, and obscure paths across U.S. national forests and grasslands using the United States Forest Service (USFS) Roads and Trails layer.

USFS Roads and Trails often displays more roads and trails than any other map. Use this layer to find information on the road surface, maintenance level, and trail width. Plus, color-coded trails indicate which activities — including motorized sports — are allowed on each trail. Just tap or click a trail to learn more details.

USFS 2016

Screenshot of USFS 2016.


The USFS 2016 layer contains full, detailed topographic coverage of all 172 national forests and grasslands in the US. Easy-to-read Forest Service road numbers make route planning simple. This up-to-date, rasterized map available from the US Forest Service includes labeled trails, roads, and vegetation shading.

MVUM

Screenshot of MVUM.


The Motor Vehicle Use Maps (MVUM) layer uses data from the Forest Service to highlight vehicle-accessible roads. Use this map in conjunction with the USFS Roads and Trails layer to see whether sleds are allowed on a road or trail. MVUM gives information on seasonality, usage, and the condition of various roads. Just tap or click on the route to learn more.

The MVUM layer typically contains the most up-to-date information on which Forest Service roads are open to motor vehicles, which helps ensure you don’t break any rules or sled where you aren’t supposed to. Not all USFS lands have an MVUM, but this map data serves as the legal standard for trail access. Modeled off of paper maps MVUM makes it easy to compare and switch seamlessly between paper and digital.

Safety and Weather Maps

Snow Stations (Daily)

Screenshot of Snow Stations Daily map.


Check the Snow Stations (Daily) map before your trip to get a daily report on the amount of new snow that has fallen in the last 24 hours and what the average water density reading is for the new snow in the area you plan to visit.

Snow Forecast Overlays — Available in 24-Hour, 48-Hour, and 72-Hour Views

Screenshot of Snow Forecast 24-hour) overlay.


Precipitation forecasts give some indication of general weather patterns. Use the Snow Forecast Overlays to get a sense of snow conditions, and any weather moving in that may impact visibility and safety. Mussio likes to use this layer to get a sense of when he can expect a powder day.

Slope Angle

Screenshot of the Slope Angle map.


Sticking to low-angle terrain can help you stay safe in the backcountry. Over 90% of avalanches start on slopes between 30° and 45° degrees. A 30° slope compares to a blue run at a ski area, while 45° slopes are found on double black diamond runs. In other words, prime skiing terrain is also prime avalanche terrain. One key detail is that most avalanches start on slopes between 30° and 45° degrees. Avalanches can be triggered remotely and run into lower angle terrain, so it is important to have a thorough understanding of runout zones.

The Slope Angle layer can help you identify avalanche terrain. Slopes are color-coded with their approximate steepness, with orange and red denoting terrain between 30 and 45 degrees. Keep in mind that this map layer is only a “depiction of reality.” The map will differ from the actual terrain. Avalanche start zones like convexities or small pockets of steepness can escape detection. The error can be as high as 4 degrees. The difference between 26 and 30 degrees, or 30 and 34 degrees, can be a significant increase in risk exposure – check out this distribution chart of avalanches by start zone slope angle.

Slope angle maps have limitations and provide a general sense of terrain steepness and often do not depict micro-terrain features on the map. Always use an inclinometer tool to measure slope angles in the field to get an accurate picture of the terrain.

Avalanche Forecast


From Colorado to Utah, Montana to Alaska, avalanche centers provide detailed local forecasts that outline aspects of concern and relevant avalanche problems. When you are online or within cell range, you can use the Avalanche Forecast layer to access the detailed local forecast. Pull up the map to see what the danger rating is for the area you plan to ride that day. From the Avalanche Forecast map, click on the shaded area to be able to access a link that will take you directly to the local avalanche center’s website for more information. Be sure to read the entire forecast from the avalanche center from the link provided on the map. And remember, this layer and all avalanche maps are a supplement (not a substitute) for taking an avalanche course and bringing avalanche gear.

Cell Phone Use Coverage

Screenshot of Cell Phone Coverage map.

The Cell Phone Use Coverage maps provide insight into whether you can access the internet or send texts while you’re out in the backcountry. Track where you can find cell service anywhere in the United States including Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. Find out where your network provides 3G and LTE coverage for AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular, and Southern Linc carriers.

Navigate

Hockin rides through deep powder.

In addition to helping you find new zones, maps can help you strategically cover new ground once you’re out there.

“I’m a firm believer in exploring and doing so safely,” Hockin says. “When exploring a new drainage I try to tackle it from the bottom and work my way up then I know if it’s safe to drop in it next time we ride that zone. This keeps you from cliffing out or getting into a steep narrow drainage that may not be rideable and if you’re too steep to climb back out this can lead to trouble.”

Use topo and satellite imagery to help get a sense of how to explore a new drainage. Use the weather, avalanche, and slope angle overlays to help stay out of avalanche terrain.

While Gaia GPS can help you navigate, Hockin says to always bring a paper map and compass as a backup. You never know when your phone may shut down due to the cold. (Although there are steps you can take to help prevent that from happening.)

In addition, some snowmobile organizations, like Vermont Association of Snow Travelers, provide extensive paper maps showing their extensive maintained and groomed trail systems. However, many of these maps do not indicate mile markers. Use Gaia GPS in conjunction with your papers maps to measure your distance to your next destination, and see other sled-friendly trails not shown on the paper map.

Stay Found

Whether weather moves in or it gets dark, even the simplest routes can become difficult to follow once the visibility drops.

“Knowing your general location using land marks such as peaks and parks helps keep you moving in the right direction,” Hockin says. “That said, storms move in quick in the mountains and you can’t always rely on visuals to know where you are. Storms can also create anxiety and prevent you from keeping a clear head. This is where technology takes over and if working properly can get you out of the woods safe and sound during a storm.”

Gaia GPS offers a few tools to help you stay found and find your way home.

Locate and orient yourself on the map

Easy and quickly identify where you are on the map thanks to Gaia GPS’s location tracking. Simply open the app, and you’ll see your location as a gold arrow on the map. The arrow even indicates which direction your phone is facing, so you can get your cardinal bearings. Tap the circle in the very center at the top of the screen to center your location on the map. Hockin says being able to see her location on the map is a lifesaver for her when she’s out exploring or guiding trips. Here’s how to find your place and orient yourself on the map.

Record your tracks

In addition to seeing your place in the map, you can examine a bread crumb trail of the exact terrain you’ve covered. Simply start recording your tracks before you leave from the trailhead. That way if you get lost, you can turn around and retrace your path home.

Recording your tracks also creates a record of your trip, so you can find those zones again. This is one of Hockin’s favorite features. Simply save your tracks when you’re done with your trip, and you’ll be able to see the tracks directly in your Gaia GPS app.

To record your tracks, tap the circle with the “+” sign on the top right of the app. Select “Record a Track” from the menu. Don’t forget to end your track when you’re done. Save your tracks in your Gaia GPS account so you can examine your trip from home, and go back to that same zone again. Here are detailed step-by-step directions to recording your tracks.

Waypoints

Flag key turns, land marks, and other locations you want to remember by dropping a waypoint directly into the map. Press the circle with the “+” sign on the top right of the app and select “Add Waypoint” to choose a location on the map to flag, or “Add Waypoint (My Location”) to drop a pin at your exact current spot. Head over here for more information on creating and editing waypoints.

Practice

A snowmobiler looks off at the sunset over the mountains.

Your tools are only as good as you are at using them. Nothing replaces practicing navigating with Gaia GPS and paper maps.

“Staying safe is a combination of knowing your strengths along with your weaknesses and not over riding your limitations both in riding abilities and navigating abilities,” Hockin says. “Pushing your comfort zone is essential for becoming a better rider and navigator but should be done in a safe manner with the ego in check.”

Pay attention to the terrain, the conditions, and your surroundings. And remember that the landscape will always be there. Stay balanced while you BRAAAP!

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Backcountry SkiingGaia GPSHow-To

Winter Hiking Safety Guide: How to Stay Warm and Plan Ahead

by Corey Buhay
written by Corey Buhay

Winter hiking offers the ability to test out new skills, push your physical limits, and experience a landscape transformed by either snow or an open tree canopy. Plus, in many places you will have the trails all to yourself, making winter one of the best times to seek solitude in nature.

However, the same things that make winter hiking special also introduce unique considerations for preparedness and safety: colder temperatures, empty trails, and shorter days reduce your margins for error. Snow can also impair visibility and obscure navigational handrails.

In this article, you’ll learn how to pack for winter excursions, what hazards to expect, how to stay fueled and hydrated in the cold, and how to navigate in snowy conditions. This guide also includes tips for diagnosing and treating cold-related illness and injury in case of an emergency.

Included in this guide:

  1. Hazards of hiking in winter terrain
  2. Fuel and hydration for hiking in cold weather
  3. Navigation in winter conditions
  4. Essential winter hiking gear
  5. Winter first aid

Hazards of Hiking in Winter Terrain

Anu stands in a snowfield with jagged peaks in the background. He's holding hiking poles and carrying a big backpack.

Winter can radically alter a landscape, giving it both otherworldly beauty and unique dangers. Here are a few to be aware of before you set out.

Ice

In the winter, melt-freeze cycles can turn trails into slick ribbons of ice. Similar conditions can result when snow on popular routes becomes compressed over time. Slips on icy trails usually only result in bumps and bruises, but a bad fall can cause more serious back, ankle, or wrist injuries. Pack traction (see “Essential Winter Hiking Gear,” below) and metal-tipped trekking poles for extra stability in icy conditions.

Tree Wells

Skiers, snowboarders, and snowshoers can all fall victim to tree wells, which are pits of deep, unconsolidated snow that form around tree trunks. The danger occurs when skiers or riders skim too close to the edge of the pit, which is often obscured by evergreen boughs, and fall in head-first. Experts estimate that 90 percent of tree well victims are unable to escape the soft, deep snow on their own—one reason why solo tree-well victims often succumb to suffocation. Avoid traveling alone in snowy, forested terrain, especially just after a snowstorm. Stay in sight of your partner and be ready to call for help and excavate them if a fall should occur.

Avalanches

An avalanche is a mass of snow moving down a slope. In the US, avalanches kill 25-30 people and injure many more each winter. Most victims of avalanches are backcountry skiers and snowboarders, snowmobilers, and ice climbers, but oblivious hikers occasionally get caught in slides, as well. Avalanches can occur above and below treeline. About 95% of avalanches start on slopes that are 30 – 45 degrees in steepness, but the snow can travel all the way into flat terrain that appears safe to the untrained eye. Before you head out, consult trip reports, topo maps, and local experts to make sure your hike won’t take you into avalanche terrain. You can view your local avalanche report, another invaluable resource, at www.avalanche.org. If you’re a skier, check out this comprehensive guide to planning a backcountry ski tour and avoiding avalanche terrain.

Steep Snow

The adventure and challenge of kicking steps into steep, snow-covered slopes makes snow climbing appealing for many. However, it’s often more technical than it looks, since slipping on a steep slope can send you sliding for hundreds of feet. Make sure you know how to assess snow conditions, use crampons, and self-arrest a fall with an ice axe.

Many snow climbs also cross avalanche terrain, so if you’re bagging winter summits—make sure you’re familiar with avalanche safety first.

Glaciers

Glaciers guard many of the U.S.‘s most iconic summits. While there are many permanent snowfields throughout the West (some of which are misnamed as glaciers), for the most part, true glaciers only exist in the far north and in the Pacific Northwest. These active glaciers move and form cracks over time, and these fissures (called crevasses) can be hidden under snow, making unexpected, fatal falls a possibility. Don’t venture across glaciated terrain unless you’re experienced with snow travel and glacier navigation. This includes brushing up on your crevasse-rescue skills.

Fuel and Hydration for Hiking in Cold Weather

coffee cup, backpack, snowshoe and bench on snow

Harsh conditions can a toll on your body, and cold weather can affect your natural hunger and thirst signals. Having a strategy for fueling and hydrating is vital to a successful winter hike.

Eating to Stay Warm

Fighting your way through snow, using ski poles, and wearing heavy clothing can all cause you to burn more calories in winter than in summer. Consume plenty of fats and carbohydrates during the day to keep your energy levels up. Bonus: All that food also serves as fuel for your internal furnace. The more you snack, the warmer you’ll be.

Keep in mind that in very cold temperatures, you’ll need snacks that don’t freeze solid. (Below freezing, Snickers bars and many protein bars are tooth-breakers.) Some great options:

  • nuts or trail mix
  • beef jerky
  • dehydrated drink powders
  • milk chocolate
  • chips or pretzels
  • deli meat and cheese
  • crackers or tortillas
  • peanut butter sandwiches
  • slices of pizza
  • banana or pumpkin bread

Staying Hydrated in Winter Weather

The other secret to staying warm is staying hydrated. Drinking water thins your blood, allowing it to reach further into the capillaries that extend into your fingers and toes. Unfortunately, breathing cold, dry air can leave you dehydrated, and cold temperatures reduce your body’s perception of thirst.

The amount of water you should consume varies dramatically based on things like activity level, personal sweat rate, altitude, and how cold/dry the air is. For that reason, experts warn against offering set hydration recommendations due to fears of people forcing liquids and therefore succumbing to hyponatremia. They instead recommend hikers to drink when they’re thirsty (even though that’s compromised in winter), and/or to drink consistently at breaks.

Consider bringing hot tea or cocoa in a thermos and sipping whenever you take breaks.

Keep Your Drinks From Freezing

Wide-mouth water bottles like Nalgenes are more resistant to freezing than narrower bottles or bladders, which have more surface area exposed to the cold. If your bottle is uninsulated, fill it with warm water and store it in your pack upside-down. That will ensure that any ice forms at the bottom of the bottle rather than freezing the lid shut. You can also add some DIY insulation: cut a strip of foam from an old sleeping pad and duct-tape it around the bottle.

hikers in a blizzard with low visibility

Most of the time, navigating in winter is harder than navigating in summer. Snow can obscure landmarks, terrain features, and even the trail. Fog and blowing snow can also snuff out visibility, making it impossible to orient yourself.

Before setting out on a snowy hike, brush up on your foundational navigation skills first. Then, download a navigation app like Gaia GPS. Use it to plot your route, set waypoints to mark the parking area or any campsites, and download topo maps for offline use. That way, if snow or fog rolls in over the trail, you’ll still be able to follow your route and get an idea of the terrain ahead.

If you decide to hike in snowy, foggy, or unpredictable weather, always record a track. That way you’ll be able to retrace your steps, even in zero visibility.

Weather and Conditions Overlays to Help you Prepare

These top-recommended map sources will take your trip planning and preparedness to the next level.

Snow Depth Overlay

Snow depth overlay over Salt Lake City

Check the approximate depth of the existing snowpack to make educated decisions about necessary gear and preparation.

24-, 48-, and 72-hour NOAA Snowfall Forecast overlays

Snowfall 24-hour forecast over Seattle

Keep an eye on upcoming snowfall to help inform your gear choices and to predict the likelihood of avalanche and tree well hazards.

24-, 48-, and 72-hour NOAA Precipitation overlays

24-hour Precipitation Overlay over Mt Hood National Forest

Use rainfall forecasts in conjunction with temperature forecasts to predict icy conditions and to pack the right layers. Rain can also be a factor in avalanche likelihood.

Slope-angle shading overlay

Avalanche-savvy skiers and riders can use the slope-angle shading overlay to help inform their analysis of avalanche terrain.

Base Maps for Winter Travel

ESRI World Satellite imagery

Satellite imagery over Half Dome in Yosemite National Park

Get an idea of expected tree cover and other landscape features with advanced satellite imagery.

Gaia Topo

Gaia Topo over Yosemite Valley

Stay on-trail even when it’s under snow with Gaia GPS’s proprietary worldwide topo map. Gaia Topo also includes labeled backcountry huts and ski runs in many areas.

Essential Winter Hiking Gear

hiker traversing snow ridgeline on a sunny day

As the saying goes, there’s no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong gear. You can stay warm, dry, and comfortable in any weather—even heavy snow and strong winds—if you’ve packed the right equipment.

Winter Hiking Apparel

A proper layering technique is at the crux of ensuring a comfortable winter hike. Opt for wool and synthetics, which dry more quickly and retain some warmth even when wet, over cotton, which can sap heat from your body when damp. Make sure you have plenty of moisture-wicking and waterproof layers to choose from in case of temperature swings. Remember to remove layers before you start sweating (damp clothing will leave you feeling clammy and chilled) and add layers to trap heat when you stop for breaks. It’s easier to stay warm than to get warm.

You can find more information and best practices on how to layer for winter hiking in this in-depth article.

If you’re expecting icy, snowy, or wet conditions, make sure you have shoes with built-in waterproof liners (often Gore-Tex). Boots are better than low-tops in snow. If there are more than a few inches of accumulation, add gaiters to keep it from getting into your boots. Also, be sure to pack a hat and gloves.

Flotation for Snow Travel

For loose, unconsolidated snow that’s more than several inches deep, consider snowshoes, or nordic—they’ll help you float on top of the snow rather than sinking in. While sinking knee-deep into snow (known as “postholing”) is a great workout, it will leave you sweaty and exhausted, reducing the mileage you can cover. Plus, being dehydrated, damp, and low on calories can leave you a candidate for hypothermia.

Traction for Winter Conditions

If you expect packed snow or icy conditions, bring some form of traction to prevent slips. Often, it’s smart to bring both traction and flotation, as snow conditions can change drastically throughout a hike as tree cover and wind activity change.

For packed snow or less challenging terrain (think flat trails or rolling hills), you can often get by with chains or spikes that bungee over your shoes. These are available at most outdoor stores.

Additional Winter Hiking Essentials

Whenever you need traction or flotation, you’ll also need ski poles. (Hiking poles will work for bare or icy ground, but not for snow; the baskets on ski poles keep them from sinking in so far that they become unusable.) The poles will help you propel yourself up hills and stay balanced on slick or uneven ground. Goggles or wrap-around sunglasses can also be smart to protect against wind or blowing snow.

Tools For Advanced Winter Travel

An ice axe and crampons can assist you in exploring steep and icy terrain. It’s best to take a snow-travel clinic with a local guide service to learn how to use an ice axe and crampons. A guide will be able to help you practice these skills in a safe environment until they become second nature.

Backcountry skis are an efficient way to travel longer distances in unpacked snow.

Mountaineering, ice climbing, and backcountry skiing often involve exposure to avalanche terrain. We recommend avalanche safety courses as part of your training for these activities. Learn more here on the Education page at Avalanche.org.

Winter First Aid

Jagged, snowy mountain peaks with tent in foreground

Wilderness first-aid is a complex topic, and it’s best administered with complete knowledge from a trusted source. Before you head out on your next big trip, consider taking a hands-on wilderness first aid class, many of which can be completed in just a weekend. The education could save your life.

Here’s a list of reputable course providers:

These courses will teach you more about cold-related injury and illness, but here’s a refresher of some of the most common winter medical emergencies:

Hypothermia

Prevention
Hypothermia occurs when your internal body temperature dips below 95°F. While it’s more common in sub-freezing temperatures, it can also occur in temperatures as warm as 50°F if your clothes are damp and there’s a bit of wind. The bottom line: Always bring plenty of layers, including a windproof and/or waterproof layer, when you head outdoors. Do everything you can to keep those layers dry.

Symptoms
Some of the signs of mild hypothermia include:

  • shivering
  • rapid breathing
  • fatigue
  • impaired speech or coordination.

More serious hypothermia can cause additional symptoms:

  • severe confusion
  • extreme drowsiness
  • low or irregular heartbeat
  • cessation of shivering without any significant warming

Treatment
If you or your hiking partner starts to exhibit symptoms, stop and treat the condition right away.

  1. Put up a tent or find another shelter.
  2. Remove any wet clothing from the affected person, and have him or her layer up with all the spare dry clothing you have.
  3. Have the person sit or lay on a sleeping pad, and wrap him or her in a tarp or sleeping bag. Skin-to-skin contact can also be useful in rewarming.
  4. Give the patient sugary snacks and plenty of fluids (heat warm water or make tea or cocoa if you can). Don’t venture back out until the person is completely warm.
  5. If he or she doesn’t start to warm up, is exhibiting signs of moderate to severe hypothermia, or isn’t able to take in food or water, call for rescue.

Frostbite

Prevention
Frostbite—and its precursor, frostnip—most often affects the fingers, toes, ears, nose, and other extremities left exposed to the cold. Prevent frostbite by keeping your hands and feet warm and dry, and ensuring good circulation by wearing properly fitting boots and gloves. Always pack a hat and extra gloves, and wear a scarf or balaclava in very cold temperatures.

Symptoms
Signs of frostnip include:

  • excessive redness or paleness
  • numbness
  • a tingling or burning sensation

When the lack of blood flow has gotten more advanced, frostbite sets in. Symptoms of frostbite include

  • skin that’s both pale and hard to the touch (it may have a waxy appearance)
  • blisters
  • a purple or black hue in more advanced stages

Treatment
Rewarm frostnip immediately. Do not rewarm frostbite in the field unless you’re absolutely sure that you can prevent refreezing, which can cause even more damage. Always avoid rubbing frostbitten tissue, as that can intensify injury as well. Instead, try to prevent further cooling, and get to help immediately. If help is more than a few hours away, read more about rewarming in the backcountry. Wilderness medicine is often complicated, so we always recommend getting professional training before administering any advanced first aid — see the section above on Hands-On Wilderness First Aid Training.

Snow Blindness

Prevention
Snow blindness is essentially a serious sunburn to the eyes, often caused by light reflected off snowy or icy surfaces. Always wear polarized, UV-blocking, full-coverage sunglasses, goggles, or glacier glasses in snowy conditions, even when there’s not full sun.

Symptoms
Symptoms of snow blindness don’t typically set in until hours after the injury has occurred. They include pain, redness, and, of course, impaired vision. Some describe the cornea as feeling scratchy or gritty, like “having corn flakes under your eyelids.” In extreme cases, total but temporary vision loss occurs.

Treatment
Snow blindness usually clears up on its own, though it can take one to three days. Keep your eyes closed and bandaged as much as possible during this time.


*Note: Always consult with a medical professional or seek qualified training before undertaking any medical treatment on your own. Always call for rescue or professional help if symptoms seem serious and you’re unsure of how to proceed.

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