The National Geographic Trails Illustrated layer now covers both California’s Desolation Wilderness and Texas’s Big Bend National Park.

About Desolation Wilderness

Glaciers shaped the land of Desolation Wilderness thousands of years ago, leaving the granite peaks scarred and polished and dotted with alpine lakes. Located just west of Lake Tahoe in Northern California, Desolation Wilderness is about a 3.5 hours’ drive from San Francisco and 1.5 hours from Sacramento. The area is known for its waterfalls, open landscapes, and expansive Sierra views. For that reason, Desolation is one of the most popular wilderness areas in the United States.

About Big Bend National Park

The gem of West Texas, Big Bend National Park sits along the Mexican border, centered between El Paso and San Antonio. The park contains mountain hikes, greenery-floored canyons, dirt roads winding through rocky badlands, and cactus-ringed desert springs. It also contains a number of historical and cultural sites, including those of early settlers, miners, and Native Americans. Fossils and dinosaur bones have been found in the area, as well.

How to Use the NatGeo Illustrated Layer

Available with a Premium Membership, the NatGeo Illustrated layer lies within the Premium Base Maps section of the map manager. Simply click the plus sign to add the layer to your map, then download the area of your choice for offline use.

To further build out your itinerary, find hikes in either Desolation Wilderness or Big Bend National Park by using the Hike Search feature. Just tap the “Discover” tab in the app or “Hikes” in the menu on gaiagps.com to get started.

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