The 2020 wildfire season broke records across the US. Wondering if you’ll be rerouted or if you’ll be traveling through burn zones devoid of trees, water, and shade? Use Gaia GPS’s Wildfires (Historical) map in combination with 3D satellite imagery to get a realistic look at how past fires impact your next trip.

The best — and safest — hikes start before you reach the trailhead. With a little advanced planning at home, you can know what to expect, find your way to the trailhead, and navigate the trails with ease. Check out this video to learn how to plan a hike using Gaia GPS.

Being able to navigate and communicate off the grid is essential for staying safe in the backcountry. Pairing Gaia GPS with a satellite communication device lets you do just that. We reviewed the satellite communication market to give you a rundown on what options are out there. Plus, we’ve got a limited-time special offer from ZOLEO for you.

Plan trips faster than ever with the USFS Recreation Sites map in Gaia GPS. This map clearly marks U.S. Forest Service campgrounds, trailheads, visitor centers, and other points of interest at high zoom levels, letting you view your options across an entire national forest.

Find the best waterways in the US with the new Wild and Scenic Rivers map. These free-flowing, protected rivers offer some of the best canoeing, kayaking, rafting, and fishing spots in the country. Plus, these biodiversity hotspots make up some of the most pristine, beautiful places to visit. Add the Wild and Scenic Rivers map to your favorite basemap to plan your next trip.

Packrafting expert Luc Mehl has spent decades creatively exploring Alaska. He worked his way up the learning curves of skiing, bikepacking, ice skating, and packrafting — sometimes at the expense of his own safety. But when a friend drowned in a packrafting accident, Luc critically examined his lifestyle. He decided to relearn how to packraft the right way. Buckle up as Luc takes listeners on a wild ride this week on the Out and Back podcast.

Whether you’ve mapped out dozens of hiking routes or added hundreds of waypoints to your next overlanding adventure, you can now easily organize your saved items into folders on gaiagps.com. This fresh update lets you build, find, file, and edit folders right from the sidebar on gaiagps.com. Quickly declutter your map, nest folders into parent folders, and use sorting and filtering tools to find the saved item you’re looking for.

Skiing and snowboarding allow the members of Indigenous Women Outdoors to gain a deeper connection to their homelands. Mapping tools assist in their travels, but their education goes far beyond what can be learned from an app or a piece of paper. Learn about how Indigenous Women Outdoors empowers Indigenous folks to connect with their community, history, and land through adventures outside.

Pacific Crest Trail “trail angels” Scout and Frodo have hosted thru-hikers — sometimes 40 per night — for over 15 years. This week on the Out and Back podcast, Scout gives the inside scoop on why he and his wife open up their doors to so many people without charging a cent. He talks about how the PCT has changed over time, and gives insight from his own PCT thru-hike.

Trail running allows you to cover a lot of ground in a little time. This means you can reach new heights and sights and still be back in time for lunch. If you already hike, it’s not hard to make the transition to running. Here’s how to get started.

Vasu Sojitra is a highly accomplished skier and mountaineer. Yet he finds summiting technical peaks, skiing narrow couloirs, and landing 720s are not really about the accomplishments themselves. It’s far more about how these activities make him feel. A self-described “brown kid with one leg,” Vasu found community in the mountains. Now he’s on a mission to empower everyone, especially those from diverse backgrounds, to discover courage, resiliency, and joy through moving their bodies outside. Tune in to Vasu’s story on the Out and Back podcast.

Spice up your Gaia GPS app icon on your phone in iOS! Fourteen new stylish icons let you tailor the look of the app icon just for you. Match the icon to the season or celebrate your community. Choose a subtle, suave icon or a colorful one that pops out from the screen. Learn how to change your app icon, plus get the inside scoop on the history and design of the Gaia GPS logo.