Tag:

cycling

desktop and iphone showing Trailforks in Gaia GPS.

Discover Your Dream Ride with the Trailforks MTB Map

by Abby Levene January 13, 2022

written by Abby Levene

Trailforks’ coveted mountain bike trail database is now in Gaia GPS! The sum is greater than its parts: marrying Trailforks’ premier collection of trails with Gaia GPS’s world-class maps and tools unlocks new levels of two-wheeled adventure. Discover brand new routes, get the beta on trail conditions, and easily spy trails based on type and difficulty level with this new map overlay.

Trailforks, a trail management system, catalogs trail networks around the world. The crowd-sourced database and moderated site provides the most accurate and comprehensive trail data in the world. Trailforks community members can access all of this data both on the web and in the Trailforks app. And now you can get all 361,392 Trailforks mountain bike trails around the globe right in the Gaia GPS app and on gaiagps.com. This Trailforks MTB map layer is available with a Gaia GPS Premium or Gaia GPS Premium with Outside+ Membership.

While we’re stoked about this new map (even in winter!), we’re even more psyched about what it represents in our quest to make Gaia GPS even better for you. This collaboration with Trailforks is just the start of a bright future working with our sibling company as part of the Outside Interactive, Inc. network.

Global Coverage of the Best Mountain Bike Trails

Life for downhillers, endurance junkies, gravel enthusiasts, and bike commuters just got a whole lot better. The Trailforks MTB layer in Gaia GPS shows all 361,392 mountain bike trails on the Trailforks website and in the Trailforks app. If you’re familiar with Trailforks already, the Trailforks MTB map layer in Gaia GPS will look familiar:

Mountain bike trails pop out from the map, color-coded by difficulty. Easy trails are represented by green lines on the map. Intermediate trails are blue, and very difficult trails are black. Red and orange signify “double black diamond” and “extremely difficult & dangerous, pros only!”

Distinguish trails primarily used for mountain biking from those where mountain biking is permitted (but not the primary use) right on the map, represented by lines and dotted lines, respectively. Roads come in shades of purple, while double green lines show paved paths.

If you’re wondering what trail you’re on, just zoom in on the map. The trail name will appear right in line with the trail. Click or tap on a trail to get more information, including trail type, use (both primary use and all allowed uses), direction, and closure status. You can also see the trail direction and closure status directly on the map. Little arrows on the trail indicate which direction you can go, if only one direction is permitted. Red “x”s appear if the trail is currently closed.

Layer Trailforks MTB on Gaia Topo Lite for Optimal Visibility

Trailforks MTB is a trail overlay, meaning you need to pair it with a base map to see the underlying terrain. This gives you the ultimate freedom to let your map visualization dreams run wild. You can layer Trailforks MTB on any base map you like, including our suite of in-house topo maps, satellite imagery, and USFS maps.

We highly suggest pairing Trailforks MTB with Gaia Topo Lite. A slimmed-down version of our proprietary Gaia Topo map, Gaia Topo Lite is designed to pair with trail overlays like Trailforks MTB. Gaia Topo Lite takes advantage of the beautiful styling and efficient download sizes of our flagship Gaia Topo map. It simply contains fewer trail details, meaning the Trailforks trails really pop from the map for optimal visibility.

Gaia Topo Lite is available with a Premium or Outside+ membership, which also grant you access to Trailforks MTB and the ability to layer these and other maps together.

Adventure Further and Wiser with Trailforks MTB in Gaia GPS

Whether you’re lapping the resort, linking up trail systems, or simply looking for a new dirt route for your gravel bike, check out Trailforks MTB to tap into a whole new level of trail curation in Gaia GPS. Discover bike paths in new cities — they pop out in purple on the map. Find out whether that forest road you’ve always wanted to explore is maintained. Get beta on where to find the sweetest bike parks.

Take advantage of Gaia GPS’s world-class route planning tools to link up new trail systems or to plan the bikepacking trip of your dreams. Download the Trailforks MTB layer like any other Gaia GPS map so you can always find the trail, see where you are, and create plan B on the fly.

We’re Just Getting Started

We are proud to say that integrating Trailforks MTB trails into Gaia GPS is just the tip of the iceberg for great things to come between our two world-class apps. We know that many loyal Gaia GPS users also love using Trailforks for mountain biking. Trailforks now contains our proprietary map, Gaia Topo. So if you’re a mountain biker, hopefully we’ve simplified life just a little bit for you. Use just Gaia GPS, just Trailforks, or continue on with a combination of both — it’s totally up to you.

If you do enjoy using both Gaia GPS and Trailforks, you can get Gaia GPS Premium and Trailforks Pro (plus Outside TV and a suite of other awesome outdoor content) with an Outside+ membership. And if you’re eager to help Trailforks build out its trail systems for other activities, hop over there to get involved.

Trailforks MTB is Available with a Premium Membership

Add the Trailforks MTB map to your arsenal with a Gaia GPS Premium membership. Premium gives you access to our entire map catalog, including Gaia Topo and Gaia Topo Lite (perfect for pairing with Trailforks MTB). Scout out trail conditions with our recent satellite imagery maps, see where you can camp using the public and private lands maps, and get our extensive suite of weather maps, along with the rest of our deep map catalog. You can also download maps to avoid getting lost, and take advantage of our offline route planning tools so you can always re-route on the fly. Premium also lets you print maps so you have a paper backup.

You can also get Gaia GPS Premium, Trailforks Pro, and the brand-new Outside App with an Outside+ membership.

January 13, 2022

Ian and Phoebe smile while Phoebe holds out her hand with an engagement ring on her finger.

Gaia GPS Out and Back Podcast

Map Points to “Yes” in a Marriage Proposal

by Abby Levene July 1, 2021

written by Abby Levene

Maps are like love letters. They enable boldness, and they break down barriers to the impossible. This episode of the Out and Back podcast is indeed a love letter written on a map. In fact, a map in Gaia GPS played an integral role in putting a ring on a couple’s relationship.

Phoebe Novitsky knew there was something special about Ian Silberman from the first time they met at the dingy basement office of SOS Outreach in Denver, Colorado. The stars never quite aligned for these two expeditionary learning educators. Years later, Phoebe finally mustered the gumption to put her feelings out there. She sent Ian a text. He didn’t respond.

Turns out, Ian was gearing up to lead a 17-day backpacking adventure for this students. It was a rough trip. After Ian evacuated one student with a stomach bug, he noticed that text from Phoebe. The two struck up a text conversation that continued on for the rest of Ian’s trip, their words shrinking the many miles of wilderness separating them. They never looked back.

Phoebe and Ian smile with their arms around each other. They're wearing helmets, sunglasses, and button-down short-sleeved shirts and jorts. Ian has his hand on a bicycle saddle.

From taking a wrong turn on Colorado’s Grizzly Peak to bonking on an epic gravel ride, Ian and Phoebe quickly got to know each other through their trials and triumphs outside. And they developed an unbreakable bond in the process.

“When we are out together, there is always this understanding that the objective never takes priority over the other person,” Phoebe says on Out and Back. “At the end of the day, we are out there to do this thing together. And that is what is important. It’s not really about the destination.”

While it may not be about the destination, the landscape played a crucial role in forging Phoebe and Ian’s connection. The couple especially share a love of Buena Vista, Colorado and the surrounding Sawatch Mountains. Ian knew he wanted to incorporate geography into the proposal. He ended up taking it to the next level. Tune in to the episode to hear all about his ingenious plan.

So grab a box of tissues and sink into this heartwarming story of how maps (and particular Gaia GPS) helped Phoebe and Ian take a trip through time and space to put a ring on their relationship.

Follow along with Phoebe and Ian on Instagram. Learn how you can make your own memories in the map by using our new feature, emoji waypoints.

Next Episode: Bike-packing through Japan with two toddlers

Jenny and Scott Jurek and their two kids smile for the camera on their bikes on a bike path in Japan.

Jenny and Scott Jurek planned on going to Japan for their honey moon…eight years ago. But life got in the way, including Jenny’s thriving career as a designer for Patagonia, their record-setting Appalachian Trial thru-hike, and the birth of their two children.

So in August of 2019, Jenny and Scott shipped their bikes across the world. And with their one- and three-year-olds in tow, they left their Boulder, Colorado home to embark on a month long bike-packing tour across the mountains, beaches and farmlands of Hokkaido, Japan. Carrying all of their own gear, the family covered 600 miles and camped in a new location every night.

Tune in to the next episode of Out and Back to get all the details about bike-packing in a foreign country with two toddlers. Jenny, who is of Japanese descent, describes the joy the family felt connecting with her ancestors’ homeland. The kids didn’t want to leave!

Jenny also keeps it real with her and Scott’s challenges of getting pregnant, including two miscarriages; how the AT injected new life into their relationship despite her sometimes harrowing task of driving around rural America by herself to support Scott on his run; and the struggle of balancing two young children with starting her own business.

While you’re waiting for this episode to drop, enjoy a short film Jenny and Scott made about their family trip. And follow Jenny on Instagram for an inside view into Jenny’s busy and beautiful life.

Last Episode: Emily Ford’s Winter Ice-Age Trail Thru-Hike

Despite its name, the Ice Age Trail mostly attracts thru-hikers during summer. Emily Ford forged right ahead and thru-hiked the 1,200 trail during the dead of winter anyway. After 69 days of post-holing down the trail, trudging along paved roads, and eating breakfast curled up in her sleeping bag, she also became the just second person and the first female to complete a winter thru-hike of Wisconsin’s long trail.

Emily did not set out to break any records or set any “firsts.” Her rationale for taking on the trail during the harshest time of year was simple. As a professional gardener at the Glensheen Mansion on the shore of Lake Superior, winter was when Emily had the time.

If you missed it, go back to episode 33 of Out and Back to hear all about Emily’s frigid trip. She wound up borrowing a lead mushing dog, Diggins, to keep her company on the trail. Hear the heartwarming tale of how Diggins ended up becoming a permanent member of Emily’s family.

Follow Emily on Instagram for updates on her adventures outside and gardening career.

July 1, 2021

Alan Adams bikes across a singletrack trail through a field of wildflowers.

Gaia GPS Out and Back Podcast

How a Milestone Birthday Led Alan Adams to Break a World Record

by Mary Cochenour June 3, 2021

written by Mary Cochenour

In 2013, a life threatening crash in a cycling race set Alan Adams into a spiral of bad decisions. He quit bike racing, and faded into the worst shape of his life. After seven years, Alan finally felt stable in his relationship and job as a Patagonia sales rep. He was ready to reclaim his fitness and ambition by taking on an audacious goal. So for his new years resolution in 2020, the year he would turn 40, Alan aimed to climb two million vertical feet under his own power.

Alan not only met his goal, he smashed it. The Bozeman, Montana, resident climbed over 2.5 million feet of vert by ski touring and cycling — breaking the record for the most human-powered vert climbed in a single year.

Alan climbed an average of 7,000 feet on his skis and bike — every day for an entire year. There was no media fanfare, no Instagram hashtags, and no corporate sponsorships. The challenge was purely a way for Alan to reconnect with the natural world around him and to rediscover his inner strength.

In this episode of the Out and Back podcast, Alan tells the story of what led to this ambitious goal. Tune in to hear how this vertical challenge brought Alan’s life back into focus. The routine of being outside every day taught him to appreciate time and accept a simpler way of life.

Next Episode: Thru Hiker Emily Ford Takes on Wisconsin’s Ice Age Trail in Winter

Selfie of Emily and her husky Diggins while hiking a snowy trail.

Tune in to the next episode of Out and Back to hear how thru hiker Emily Ford tackled Wisconsin’s Ice Age Trail in the dead of winter. Armed with a ton of clothes and a husky, Emily became the first woman (and second person ever) to complete a winter thru-hike of the 1,000 mile trail.

“One dude did it before me, Mike Summers. And it kind of should have been like a red flag to be like, are you sure you want to do this? I didn’t care. In my mind, this dude did it, so he already broke the ice. I guess I could probably do it too.”

In this episode, Emily tells us all the details of her sub-zero, snowy trip across Wisconsin. She explains how the journey convinced her of the inherent goodness in people. She wound up borrowing a lead mushing dog, Diggins, to keep her company on the trail. And she shares how Diggins ended up becoming a permanent member of her family.

You won’t want to miss this episode of Out and Back to get Emily’s surprising motivation for taking on a winter thru-hike in the midwest. In the meantime, you can follow her on Instagram for updates on her adventures outside and her career as a professional gardener.

Last Episode: How a Tragedy Turned Luc Mehl into a Packrafting Expert

Adventurer Luc Mehl has spent decades exploring Alaska in the most creative ways. He’s skied from Haines to Juneau; ice-skated a 100+ mile route on frozen lakes and seashores above the Arctic Circle; and bikepacked portions of the Iditarod Trail. In 2006, he discovered a much more efficient way to cover miles in the mountains: packrafting. He’s taken floating down alaskan rivers to a new level ever since.

But when a friend tragically died in a packrafting accident in 2014, Luc reexamined his own skills on the river and realized he was boating on water that was way over his head. It was a tough pill to swallow, but he dialed back and started learning the sport all over again. The result is Luc’s new book, “The Packraft Handbook.”

If you missed it, go back to episode 31 of the Out and Back podcast to hear Luc’s incredible Alaskan journey. His story starts with growing up in a tiny, landlocked village deep in Alaska’s interior. He shares how he found joy in playing outside in Alaska’s great expanses, and opens up about how the loss of his friend inspired him to become an expert in packrafting safety.

Learn more about Luc and his Alaskan adventures on his website. Follow him on Instagram. And pick up a copy of “The Packraft Handbook” to get the best tips for staying safe on moving water.

June 3, 2021

Load More Posts