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Gaia GPSOverlanding

Battling the Wind: Setting Your Shocks to Firm Helps on Overland Drives

by Andrew Crow
written by Andrew Crow

If you’ve ever been white-knuckling the wheel as a crosswind tries to shove your overland rig off the highway, you’re not alone. Gusty conditions can make any drive feel like a wrestling match – and the bigger your vehicle (rooftop tent, lifted suspension, gear piled high, even a Sprinter van), the more wind acts like a bully trying to push you around. But there’s a simple suspension tweak that can make a big difference: setting your shocks to firm.

Here’s why it works – and why you should be adjusting your suspension with the weather, not just the terrain.

The Problem: Crosswind sway

High winds act like an invisible side-force against your vehicle. This creates sway, especially if your suspension is soft. That sway causes:

  • Body roll
  • Delayed steering response
  • Fatigue from constant steering corrections

Worse yet, if you’re towing or carrying a roof load, the vehicle can “sail” even more, shifting momentum unpredictably.

The Solution: Firm up those shocks

If your shocks are adjustable (like those from ICON, FOX, or King), turning the dial toward firmer damping limits how quickly your suspension moves. That means:

  • Less body roll
  • Faster recovery after wind gusts
  • Improved high-speed stability

You’re essentially telling the suspension: “Hey, stop bouncing around and hold it together.”

There are multiple kinds of shocks, each with their own method of adjustment. Some can be changed remotely from inside the vehicle.

Real World Example

Let’s say you’re driving across the Mojave or Wyoming – flat, open, windy as heck. You’re running mid-stiffness settings from your last trail outing. As the wind pushes you sideways, your rig leans slightly, suspension compresses on one side, then rebounds. And, just as you correct, a new gust hits.

Now imagine you’ve clicked your shocks to full firm. The rig stays flatter. It resists the push. The steering feels tighter. That fatigue? Dramatically reduced.

When to Adjust Back

Once you’re back on slower, off-camber trails, dial your shocks back to a softer setting to regain articulation and ride comfort. Suspension tuning is situational, not set-it-and-forget-it.

Pro Tip

Combine firm shock settings with:

  • Slightly higher tire pressure for sidewall stiffness
  • Redistributed weight (lower center of gravity)
  • Roof load minimization when possible

The result: a stable, safer, and more comfortable drive, no matter what Mother Nature throws your way.

Next time the wind kicks up, don’t just grip the wheel harder. Dial in your shocks and let your suspension do its job.

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Backcountry SkiingGaia GPSHow-To

Make the Most of Your Early Season Backcountry Ski Turns With Gaia GPS

by Tyler Jackson
written by Tyler Jackson
The ridge line I hiked up; a prime example of why rock
skis should be considered essential equipment for early
season tours.

For many backcountry skiers with sticks to spare, early season ski tours mark the start of a months-long pursuit of fresh lines and high adventure. However, these outings come with their own unique challenges: thin snowpacks, unpredictable conditions, and a whole lot of rocks. That’s why proper planning and on-the-ground navigation are essential—and Gaia GPS is one of the best tools to make this process as efficient and safe as possible.

This is the second post in my series about using Gaia GPS in real-world situations. In part one, I focused on how to use Gaia GPS’s web browser interface to plan trips before heading out. This time, I’ll look at how to use Gaia GPS during the adventure itself—navigating your route, adapting to conditions on-the-ground, and using the app’s features to stay safe and maximize your ski day.

This past Friday, I set out on my first ski tour of the 2024 season: a pre-work dawn patrol at Berthoud Pass, hunting down cool lines for the winter. I’ll walk you through my preparation and navigation on this trip, dishing out practical tips to get the most out of Gaia GPS.

What to do Before Leaving the House

Although this post focuses on the real-time use of Gaia GPS, it’s worth briefly revisiting the pre-trip steps that set the foundation for a successful day in the backcountry.

I planned my route on the Gaia GPS web browser. This process allows for precise route creation and layering of important information, all of which syncs seamlessly to the mobile app. Here are the key steps I took:

Note how I have Gaia Topo active as my base map, with Slope Angle overlayed atop it for quick reference.

1. Cleaning Up the Mobile App with Toggle Mobile Sync
Gaia’s “Toggle Mobile Sync” feature is a great tool, and it’s also brand new. This feature lets you remove unnecessary data from your mobile device while keeping it accessible on the web browser. For ski tours, this means I can focus on the route and waypoints relevant to that specific outing, ensuring my interface is clean and easy to use for quick reference when I’m on the move. To get the full scoop, check out this article: Goodbye Clutter, Hello Streamlined Maps: Introducing Sync to Mobile

2. Selecting the Right Layers
For early season tours, I rely on two layers:

  • Slope Angle Layer: This is essential for evaluating avalanche risk. Using this in conjunction with avalanche forecasts from the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC) helps me to identify safe routes at a glance.
  • Gaia Topo: This detailed topographic map is ideal for backcountry navigation. I use this layer to plan ascents and minimize exposure to steeper, avalanche-prone slopes and terrain traps.

Pro Tip: Early in the season, avoid snow depth layers, as they’re often inaccurate for sun-exposed aspects. Instead, focus on slope angle and terrain features to assess conditions.

3. Planning an Efficient Route
My goal for this outing was a quick, safe tour that I could wrap up before heading home to clock in for work. I used the web browser to create a route that followed a wide ridge line and minimized steep sections. This had the dual effect of keeping the hike up easy and minimizing avalanche risk. Once the route was finalized, I synced it to my phone for use in the field and checked to make sure that I had maps for the region downloaded.

Navigating the Route in Real Time

Once I arrived at Berthoud Pass and clicked into my rock skis, Gaia GPS became my primary navigation tool. Here’s how I used the app during the tour:

Waypoints I placed for my tour, marking spots to check out in the future or places I wanted to make note of.

1. Following the Pre-Planned Route
My route served as a reliable guide throughout the tour. By referencing the route on my phone, I could stay on track without constantly second-guessing my path.

2. Use Waypoints!
During the hike, I used waypoints to mark cool spots or lines for future reference. This is a critical habit for anyone exploring the backcountry, as it helps build a mental and digital map of the terrain. Here are the types of waypoints I added:

  • Future Objectives: I pin interesting ski lines that looked promising for later in the season.
  • Avalanches: I drop waypoints wherever I see avalanches or signs that one might happen.
  • Reference Points: Landmarks like prominent trees or rock outcroppings (or in this case, large metal towers) to make it easier to orient myself, both on the way down, or on future occasions. Most critically, once I’m getting ready to transition and ski down, I almost always drop a waypoint or two at the topographic lines that indicate my point of no return: the minimum elevation I can ski to without having to hike back up to my truck.

3. Recording Tracks
I also used the app to record my track. In the moment, the recording is not necessarily critical, but I find that recordings are incredibly handy to use for reference when I am making repeated trips to an area.I can drop waypoints along the track, and I can refer back to the old tracks whenever I’m building a new route. 

Pro Tip: I like to look back and see where my actual track differs from my planned route, which helps me to plan more efficiently in the future, or make note of hazards (like the wind slab).

Safety First!

Safety is always the top priority in the backcountry when I’m out alone, especially during the early season when rocks and thin snowpacks combine with avalanche danger to create unpredictable, often risky conditions. As one of my favorite guidebooks states: “They’re called the Rocky Mountains, not the Snowy Mountains.”

Here’s how I use the app as part of my safety toolkit:

Early season does not mean avalanche free. Anytime there is snow on the ground, an avalanche can release!

1. Slope Angle and Avalanche Forecasts
Before heading out, I review the CAIC avalanche forecast to get an idea of the snow conditions and what to watch out for. On the way up, I use the slope angle layer to maintain awareness of the terrain I’m in and the avalanche risk, especially when I venture off of the route I had planned out. It’s also important to note that this layer provides a broad overview of slope angles but doesn’t account for localized terrain features, so you’ll still need to use your best judgement when assessing slope steepness.

2. On the Fly Adjustments
Gaia GPS is an excellent planning tool, but it’s no substitute for real-time decision making. You’ll need to detour around hazards and obstacles, adjust your ski plan on the move, and stay on track to reach your destination. This is a huge reason that I always try to have a route built and available in Gaia GPS. While tracking myself, I can easily check my location against the route, and work my way back over to the intended path.

3. Avoiding Terrain Traps
This becomes especially important on the way down, doubly so when I’m exploring new areas. When I’m somewhere new, I’ll stop and check the topo layer or map layer periodically to make sure that I’m not running myself toward a drainage or terrain hazard like cliffs or gullies.

Wrapping Up the Tour

The final phase of any ski tour is returning safely to the trailhead. Here’s how I used Gaia GPS to finish my day on a high note:

1. Navigating Back to the Trailhead
After completing my descent, I used the app to navigate back to the parking area. By following my recorded track and the waypoints I dropped along the way, I avoided my most common mistakes like veering off course or ending up on the wrong side of a drainage. Nothing saddens me more than putting the skins back on for a hike up to the truck after a beautiful run.

2. Post Tour Beers and Review
Back at home (or a conveniently placed brewery), I reviewed my recorded track to evaluate the day’s route. This process is incredibly useful for identifying areas where I can improve, such as finding new routes, or making note of hazards I ran into on the way up. Whenever I come across something particularly cool, I like to export it and share it with my skiing partners for future consideration.

Early season ski tours come with lots of challenges, but with the right tools (a good pair of  rock skis) and preparation, these adventures can be almost as much fun as powder days, and every day on skis is a good day. Gaia GPS is an invaluable resource for both planning and pursuing backcountry trips, providing the information and flexibility needed to stay safe and make the most of your time in the mountains.

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Sawatch Range, CO
AdventuresGaia GPSHow-To

Planning a Weekend Car Camping Trip with Gaia GPS: A Step-by-Step Guide

by Tyler Jackson
written by Tyler Jackson

We’ve been looking at ways to make the huge array of features offered by Gaia GPS easier to use and understand. To do that, I’m going to offer a set of real-world “case studies” on the best practices for using Gaia GPS. We’ll post these studies as a series on our blog, and we’d love to have you join us on the adventure! Join me this week as I plan a weekend car camping trip and dive into some pro tips along the way.

This weekend I set out on an adventure in the Sawatch Range in my “trusty” pickup truck, scouting out campsites for the fast-approaching ski season. 

Step 1: Exploring Layers for Road Access (MVUM Layer)

Thursday evening rolls in, chilly with blue skies—perfect for a planning sesh. I fire up Gaia GPS on my laptop and switch to the MVUM (Motor Vehicle Use Map) layer, courtesy of the US Forest Service. This layer shows different forest service roads/trails and their level of access, ideal for scouting the best routes to potential campsites. The MVUM layer includes info on seasonal access, road type, and some limited info on the type of vehicles the route is open to and appropriate for. 

  • Pro Tip: Use the map legend to interpret different road access levels. It’s a quick way to identify vehicle access types for specific trails or roads.

Step 2: Checking Cell Coverage

Next, I want to know if I can expect to have cell service where I’m going. Gaia GPS offers five cell coverage maps to choose from, covering AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, US Cellular, and All Carriers. I selected Verizon, my provider, to assess signal strength in the area. This helps me prepare to either bring my Starlink or to let my friends know that I’ll be out of contact for a while.

Choose your cell coverage map by clicking on the map layers icon, searching for ‘cell coverage, & choosing your preferred cell provider map.

  • Pro Tip: Use cell coverage layers as a quick reference. Once you’ve checked your coverage, remove the layer to reduce clutter in the app.

Step 3: Downloading Offline Maps

After planning my route and scoping out campsites, I download the essential offline maps for the region. Gaia Topo is my go-to layer—it offers rich detail and manageable file sizes for downloading. This ensures I’m never stuck without navigation, even in areas without cell service.

  • Pro Tip: Balance your map download area to cover essential regions while conserving storage space. Consider breaking up larger regions into a series of smaller areas for a more modular approach and to decrease download times.

Step 4: Setting Waypoints and Navigation

With my maps ready, I drop a waypoint in the Twin Lakes area as my destination. Gaia GPS allows you to tap a waypoint and get driving directions to the location through your preferred navigation app, making it easy to switch from highway to trail navigation. 

  • Pro Tip: Save frequent destinations as waypoints for quick access. Re-use these waypoints to streamline your trip setup.

With these steps, my initial planning stage is complete. Gaia GPS on the web makes it easy to set up your adventure and avoid unexpected hurdles. In the next post, we’ll switch gears to explore Gaia GPS’s mobile app features for navigation on the go. 

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Two skiers skin up a low-angle snowfield in single file. It's sunny and mountains extend in the distance.
Backcountry SkiingGaia GPSHow-To

How to Use Maps to Help Avoid Avalanches

by Drew Zieff
written by Drew Zieff

Beyond the boundaries of ski resorts, untouched powder and the promise of adventure beckon skiers, snowboarders, snowmobilers, mountaineers, and hikers into the backcountry. However, traveling in the backcountry is not without risk—25-30 people die in avalanches each year in the United States alone. Last season, an exceptionally weak snowpack in many popular backcountry zones has contributed to an increase in avalanche danger and fatalities.

While avalanches are undoubtedly hazardous, they tend not to occur randomly. Backcountry travelers can largely avoid avalanches with careful route planning and terrain management. This how-to article will point out a few ways that you can use maps as one tool to mitigate risk and help you avoid avalanches.

Traveling in avalanche terrain is an inherently dangerous activity. You should not travel in avalanche terrain until you and your partners undergo avalanche safety training and are competent in the use of avalanche safety gear (beacon, shovel, probe). Maps serve as a supplement to avalanche safety training, not a replacement.

This article covers how to identify avalanche terrain by observing:

A Short Primer on Avalanche Terrain

photo of avalanche with terrain trap beneath it.
Avalanche at Farmington Lakes, Utah. Photo courtesy of Utah Avalanche Center

If you aren’t familiar with identifying avalanche terrain, the Avalanche Canada online terrain identification tutorial is a great place to start. Our article gives you some examples of how you can identify and analyze avalanche terrain on a map. While a map is an important planning tool, keep in mind that it can be hard to completely understand terrain solely from a 2D map. You can supplement your understanding of a route with photographs from guidebooks or online sources like PowderProject and with 3D tools like Google Earth. And, most importantly, continually evaluate terrain as you travel, as subtle details may not be completely conveyed by the map.

Aspect and Elevation

Avalanche hazard often varies by aspect and elevation. Many avalanche forecast centers use an avalanche danger rose to forecast the distribution of the different avalanche problems at different aspects and elevations. The danger rose, in conjunction with your map, is a good place to start when planning a tour. Use the forecast to help you pick a safe objective for the day, rather than choosing a location first.

Here is an example from the Utah Avalanche Center forecast. Below 9500 feet, the avalanche hazard is “low,” a subjective categorization meaning human-triggered and natural avalanches are unlikely. Keep in mind that conditions can change rapidly, avalanche forecasts are imperfect, and accidents and fatalities have occurred on “low” hazard days. Elevation and aspect are only one part of mitigating avalanche risk.

Example of a danger rose for the Salt Lake Area Mountains

Aspect can give you important clues about danger from wind loading and sun exposure. If the winds have been coming from the west, you may be more concerned about wind slabs on easterly aspects. On sunny days, solar radiation can contribute to wet loose avalanches on solar aspects. And, particularly in continental and intermountain snow climates, persistent slabs may be present on all aspects.

When planning your tour, note the elevation on the map by reading the contour intervals and compare it with the danger rose. Or, better yet, create a route and look at the elevation statistics.

Avalanche on the south face of Taylor Mountain, Teton Pass, Wyoming. Photo courtesy of Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center.

Slope Angle

When avalanche expert Bruce Tremper introduces terrain management in his must-read book, Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain, he leads with a quote from Canadian avalanche specialist Karl Klassen. Klassen says, “The snowpack is a capricious and erratic acquaintance who you never get to know very well. The terrain is a steady and predictable friend that you can always depend on.”

Caveats riddle avalanche textbooks and avalanche safety classes. Snow science has fewer hard rules than backcountry skiers would like, and discussions of slope angle are no different. Avalanches are dynamic, conditions dependent, and can occur on a wide variety of slopes. These inconsistencies demonstrate why terrain management should always be used in conjunction with snowpack evaluations, weather observations, and avalanche forecasts. That said, while by no means a foolproof strategy, backcountry travelers who want to avoid avalanches significantly minimize risk by sticking to slopes under 30°.

Slope Angle and Avalanche Correlation: Because slope steepness directly correlates to avalanche activity, savvy backcountry travelers pay close attention to slope angles. 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.

Slope Angle Maps: Gaia GPS’ 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.

The Inaccuracy of Slope Angle Maps: Keep in mind, slope shading 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.

In January 2019, a tragic avalanche accident occurred during an avalanche training class in Colorado. One contributing factor was that the slopes the group traveled on were a few degrees steeper than what the slope-shading estimated. To understand more about how nuanced—and impactful—slope-angle readings can be, read the full accident report. For an even deeper discussion, see Jeff Deems’ presentation about how these map overlays are made from the 2019 Colorado Snow and Avalanche Workshop or the article “Digital Mapping: Do You Know What Your Map Knows?” in September 2020 issue of The Avalanche Review.

Additional Tools for Measuring Slope Angle: Slope angle maps are best used for a big picture overview of terrain. To assure that you avoid 30°+ slopes, use a map in conjunction with a hands-on tool, like a slope meter, for a more accurate slope assessment. That said, measuring by hand isn’t infallible either—to get an accurate slope reading with an inclinometer, you may have to expose yourself to the start zone or the slide path.

Topography

If you aren’t familiar with reading topographic maps, here is a good primer.

Understanding topography helps differentiate more dangerous, complex terrain from simpler, safer terrain. Identifying start zones, ridges, and gullies can help you choose safe travel routes. Keep in mind that ridges are generally safer places to travel.

Onsite interpretation of terrain
Topo map with slope-angle shading of the area in the photograph. Some example terrain features are identified on the map.

Terrain Traps

Terrain traps magnify the consequences of being caught in an avalanche. Being washed over a cliff or into a stand of trees increases the chance of being injured or killed due to trauma—in addition to the risk of being buried under the snow. Trauma causes up to 30% of avalanche fatalities. Gullies and abrupt transitions to flat zones cause the snow to pile up higher, meaning a victim could be buried more deeply, decreasing the chance of a successful rescue.

Carefully scout your intended line for terrain traps with topo and satellite layers. Cliffs may be visible on satellite layers, and will show up on topo maps as contour lines stacked very close together.

Avalanche Paths

Use satellite layers to identify known avalanches paths that you may want avoid on your tour. While avalanches can happen in a wide variety of terrain, satellite maps often reveal signs of obvious avalanche paths including open slopes, sparse trees, and funnel-shaped terrain.

Utilize the Satellite Topo layer to help identify ridges and drainages, which are sometimes confusing on satellite images.

After identifying an avalanche path, it’s important to have a clear understanding of avalanche runout angles. While start zones are generally over 30°, the momentum of a slide may carry avalanche debris down gentle slopes, across flat expanses, and even up inclines, so be sure to give yourself adequate distance from the path. Keep in mind that in very unstable conditions, avalanche paths might exceed the normal runout—taking out old trees or buildings and redefining the path.

Supplement your analysis of avalanche paths with data and maps from avalanchemapping.org, which provides an atlas of common avalanche paths in popular backcountry skiing areas.

Key points to keep in mind before you venture into avalanche terrain:

  • Get avalanche safety gear. Practice sufficiently with your beacon, shovel, and probe before you head into the field.
  • Get proper training. Using maps is a supplement to education, not a replacement. Visit avalanche.org to find an avalanche education course. Start with the free avalanche awareness and education series “Know Before You Go.”
  • Read the 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 ski 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.
  • Supplement the weather forecast with Snow Forecast overlays to see what snow is expected to roll in during your ski tour. 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.
  • Always travel with a trustworthy partner. Beacon, shovel, and probe are useless if you don’t travel with a partner who knows how to use them.

Gaia GPS Pro Tip: Plan routes at home
Planning routes at home is always a smart idea: you can use the desktop version of Gaia GPS, create routes or import tracks from a friend, and print out maps just in case your phone dies when you’re in the field. You can also plot decision points, make backup plans, and determine exit strategies. For more on backcountry route planning, click here.

Contributors to this post include:

Drew Zieff is a freelance journalist and writer and the snowboard test director at Backcountry and Outside Magazine.
Jim Margolis is a Gaia GPS Support specialist and former instructor, program supervisor, and field staffing coordinator at NOLS
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AdventuresBackcountry SkiingGaia GPSHow-ToNewsletter

How to Read Topographic Maps

by Mary Cochenour
written by Mary Cochenour

Knowing how to read a topographic map is the foundation of any backcountry adventure. Through the use of contour lines, topo maps bring a 3-dimensional element to a 2-dimensional paper map. Topo maps allow you to visualize the rise and fall of the land and “see” the depths of canyons, the location of boggy meadows, and the height and shape of mountains.

But, make no mistake about it, learning to read and understand topographic maps takes time and practice. Whether you’re new to topo maps or a seasoned wilderness navigator, this article will help explain the basic features found on topo maps, like lines, numbers, symbols, and colors, so that you can read them with ease and confidence.

This article covers:

Contour Lines

Contour lines are the primary and most important feature on a topo map. They show the shape of the terrain, including its hills, slopes, and depressions, by tracing a constant line of elevation on the map that corresponds with the landscape in the real world. Think of contour lines as imaginary horizontal planes sliced through the terrain surface.

Visualizing Contour Lines

It may be helpful to visualize contour lines as stacked “layers” of the landscape, similar to a layer cake. A large mountain appears as a dense group of lines with a small circle in the center that represents the peak—just picture looking down at a wedding cake from above. Areas with few contours appear relatively flat—more like a 2-tier birthday cake. A topo map provides a bird’s eye view of those concentric circles, allowing you to “see” both the height and shape of the mountain on the map.

Blog_Feature.png

From the USGS Topo on Gaia GPS, the summit of Pu’umakanaka, Hawaii is a near-perfect cone as indicated by the evenly spaced and round contour lines. Notice the tick marks on the contour lines in the center of the map. Those marks indicate a crater or depression at the summit.

Knuckle Mountain

Try this quick exercise at home to get a better understanding of contour lines:

  1. Make a fist with your hand, taking note of the “features” on your fist. There are four knobs (knuckles), a gentle slope (back of your hand), and four small ridges (fingers) separated by ravines (space between the fingers).
  2. With your other hand, mark an “x” on the knuckle that sticks up the highest to mark the “summit.“ Using a pen, drop down from the summit a quarter-inch and make a contour line around the peak of “knuckle mountain.” Follow the elevation around the mountain, without dropping or climbing, until you complete the contour line and close the circle. Drop down another quarter of an inch and repeat. Do that again and again, until you’ve mapped out your entire fist.
  3. Next, lay your hand flat with your palm on the table. Find the spread out contour lines on the back of your hand, indicating a gentle slope. Notice the “v” shaped topo lines where the ravines were between your fingers. The areas by your fingers have contour lines that are close together, indicating steepness. Find an hourglass-shaped topo line for the saddle between your knuckles.

Reading Slope Steepness on a Topo Map

Contour lines present in very predictable ways on the map. When the slope is gentle, the contour lines are spread far apart. Conversely, when the slope is steep the contour lines pack closely together. On a cliff, the contour lines are stacked on top of each other. A flat meadow is void of contour lines.

whitney.png

California’s Mount Whitney, at 14,505 feet, the tallest mountain in the lower 48 states, is steep on its east face as indicated by the closely spaced contour lines. Whitney’s west face is marked by low-angle slopes, as depicted by the wide-spaced contour lines.

Identifying Features with Contour Lines

Contour lines show more than just the steepness of a slope or the elevation of a peak. You can pick out major land features on the map by the way the contour lines are shaped.

  • Peak: A mountain or hill that is marked by concentric contour lines. The summit may be marked with a name, an “X”, or an elevation.
  • Valley: A landform with a depression in which water, if present, would flow down. Also know as gullies, drainages, ravines, and couloirs, valleys are indicated by “V“or ”U“ shaped contour lines that “point” uphill, toward higher elevation.
  • Ridge: A landform with an elevated crest that slopes down on the sides. Ridges are also shown by “V“ or ”U“ shaped contours, but these “point” downhill, toward lower elevations. Remember, water never runs along ridge tops.
  • Saddle: A low spot between two peaks marked by hourglass-shaped contour lines.
Basic topographic landforms (peak, saddle, ridge, drainage) and a comparison of relative steepness as seen on US Topo in gaiagps.com.
Basic landforms on Thompson Peak, Idaho.

Contour Intervals and Index Marker

The contour interval is the amount of elevation change between each contour line. Contour intervals vary from map to map. Intervals set at 40-feet are common on 1:24,000 scale maps. But many maps, especially small scale maps, have 50-foot or 100-foot intervals. Index contours are the more prominent, bold colored lines with the elevation marked on them.

Index contours on the NRCAN Canada Topo layer. Index contours are every 5th line, and there are 500 feet between index contours, so the contour interval is 100 feet.

Discover the contour interval in two ways:

  1. Find the contour interval on the map margin or legend, or
  2. Calculate the contour interval between index contours, which are are the more prominent, bold-colored lines with the elevation marked on them. First, subtract the lower number from the higher number and then divide the result by the number of contour lines. For example, if the index contours elevations are 8000 and 7500 feet as shown in the picture above, the difference is 500 feet. If every fifth line is bold, then divide by 5. The contour interval is 100 feet.

Topo Map Scales

Map scale is important because it tells you how detailed a topo will be. Map scale is defined as one single unit of measurement equal to a definitive number of the same number of units in the real world. You’ll find the map scale written as a ratio in the bottom margin of a topo map.

Map scales vary greatly across different topo maps, but the most common scale is 1:24,000 for topo maps created in the United States. On a 1:24,000 scale map, 1 inch on the map is representative of 24,000 inches, or 2000 feet, on the ground. The United States Geological Survey quadrangle maps are scaled to 1:24,000. These are large scale maps and bring a lot of detail into focus.

A map scale of 1:63,360 is common in Forest Service maps, and maps throughout Alaska. These are smaller-scale maps, with less intricate detail. Some National Geographic maps use a scale of 1:65,000, which allows a large area of land to be packed onto a single topo map.

What you need to know is that the bigger the number on the bottom of the ratio, the smaller the scale and the less detail:

  • 1:24,000= a large scale map that depicts a smaller region of land in intricate detail
  • 1:63,360= a small scale map that depicts a larger area of land in less detail
The map scale and contour intervals are usually found in the bottom margin or in the legend of the topo map.

Distance Scale

The distance scale in the margin identifies the distance on the ground in relation to a straight line on a map. For example, in a 1:63,360 map, one inch on the map equals one mile on land. On a larger scale 1:24,000 USGS quadrangle map, as referenced in the photo above, one inch on the map equals 2,000 feet on the ground. This is important when you’re out in the field because it places context to distances on the map’s representation of the landscape.

The bar scale doesn’t take into account distance added by switchbacks and twists and turns of a trail. But you can use the lanyard of your compass, a guy line from your tent, or the shoelace from your boot to trace the bends of the trail and then measure the lanyard against the linear bar scale. This will give you a more accurate assessment of distance than a straight-line measurement on the map’s surface.

Map Legend

A map legend explains what the map’s symbols, lines, and colors represent. Look for the legend in the margin or in the corner of a map. On gaiagps.com, click on the map’s thumbnail in the layers menu to access the legend.

Large scale USFS recreation maps often include a robust legend with keys for recreation symbols, like campgrounds and restrooms. There may be a listing of points of interest, such as prominent peaks and glaciers, and a legend defining roads, trails, and manmade features like gates and power lines.

Colors on the Map

Some legends define what different colors represent on the map:

  • Blue represents water in the form of creeks, rivers, and lakes.
  • White areas outlined by a thin blue line indicate a year-round snowfield.
  • Green areas are sections of land covered with vegetation, like trees.
  • White, or the color of the base map, represents land that lacks tall vegetation.

The absence of vegetation can mean many things, including a desert landscape, a meadow, a scree field, a gentle grassy slope high above treeline, or a burn area. Use the contour lines to take a guess at what the surface characteristics will be on the ground without vegetation. If the area is flat with no contour lines and a river flows through the non-vegetated area, then the white-shaded zone is likely a meadow. If the non-vegetated area is high above tree-line, steep, and below a rocky mountain, there is a good chance it’s a field of talus.

Declination

Topo maps are oriented to true north, while your compass needle is drawn to magnetic north. Declination is the angle of deviation between the magnetic north and true north. This angle is often depicted in the bottom margin of the map or on the map itself, as seen in the photos below.

Two ways declination is depicted on maps, in the margin or on the map face.

These diagrams show the declination for the area on the map. Map and compass navigators use the declination angle to adjust their compass to account for the difference between true north on the map and magnetic north, which lies some 400 kilometers south of true north.

Declination varies with location on the earth, and in one part of the United States may be several degrees different than in another part of the country. Also, declination changes over time as magnetic north responds to the earth’s ever-changing magnetic field, so it’s important to check the map’s publish date as older maps may not accurately reflect the current declination. You can also look up magnetic declination by using this nifty calculator.

Orient the Map

Topographic maps are oriented to true north. If you’re holding the map in front of you, and the letters and numbers are right-side up, then the direction of true north is located at the top of the map. This is important because when you are in the field, you’ll need to orient the map to true north to bring the map in line with the land features around you. Learn how to orient the map from backpacking guide Andrew Skurka.

When the map is oriented to true north in the field all the surrounding features will line up with the contour lines on the map. This is the time to practice picking out ridges and peaks on the skyline and matching them up with distinctive contour lines on the map.

Map Grids

Township and Range

Many maps have grid lines with the numbers 1-36 written in the middle of each box. These numbered boxes are called sections and originate from the township and range survey method that was used throughout the western United States, some midwestern states, and Alabama and Florida. Each square on the map represents one-square-mile on the ground, conveniently giving you the ability to assess distance without having to use the distance bar.

The map on the left shows a large-scale USGS quadrangle map showing township and range grid lines and section numbers. The map on the right is a USFS large-scale map displaying township, range, and section numbers. Each box represents one square mile.

UTM Coordinates

Some maps, like National Geographic Trails Illustrated, display the Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) coordinate system, which includes markings on the map for every 1,000 meters on the map’s north-south line and east-west line. The measurements on the north-south lines are “northings” and represent the number of meters that point on the map is from the equator. The numbers on the east-west lines are “eastings” and they depict the number of meters east or west of a particular reference line. You can find these measurements along the margins in the USGS quadrangle maps. Some maps display UTM grid lines, and others don’t, leaving you to eyeball the exact measurement or use a tool to help calculate the exact point.

Latitude and Longitude

Latitude and longitude coordinates are also listed in the margins of most topographical maps. They present in the form of degrees, as shown in the picture below.

image.png
Notice the lat/long coordinates on the upper left margin of this USGS quadrangle map and the UTM “easting” and northing“ measurements closer to the edge of the map.

Find Topo Maps

The USGS has been producing topographic maps since 1879 and has produced some 54,000 maps that cover the topography of the entire lower 48 states and Hawaii. These maps are referred to as the USGS quadrangle maps, with each map covering a 7.5-minute section of latitude and longitude on the globe. USGS quad maps, scaled at 1:24,000, are still considered the industry standard.

The U.S. Forest service also makes topo maps for its lands. The FSTopo is the same large-scale map as the USGS quadrangle map and is available in hard copy at some of the Forest Service offices. Its wilderness maps cover an entire wilderness area and come in a small scale to fit on a single page.

Private companies have delved into publishing topo maps too. National Geographic Trails Illustrated offers more than 250 titles for recreation areas in America. Some smaller companies make regional topo maps, such as Beartooth Publishing in Bozeman, Montana, and Tom Harrison Maps, based in San Rafael, California.

View the nine most popular hiking maps at Gaia GPS to get an idea of which topo maps people use most. With a premium membership, you can access and download the entire Gaia GPS map catalog, including the best backcountry maps and layers. Check out all the classics:

USGS Topo

Official topo maps from the United States Geological Survey (USGS). This quilt of digitized 1:24,000 USGS quadrangles covers the entire contiguous United States. Each quad covers 7.5 minutes of longitude by 7.5 minutes of latitude. The date of the last update varies by region.

Gaia Topo

Gaia Topo is the main map source in Gaia GPS, available to all Gaia GPS users—with or without a paid membership. The new Gaia Topo is now available on iOS, the web, and in the latest beta test version of Gaia GPS for Android.

USFS 2016

Full, detailed topographic coverage of all 172 national forests and grasslands in the US. This is the most up-to-date rasterized map available from the US Forest Service. It includes labeled trails, roads, and vegetation shading to help you plan hiking, backpacking, camping, off-roading, hunting, or fishing trips.

You can also print and customize the maps from Gaia GPS and take them with you on the trail.

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Gaia GPSHow-ToNewsletter

How to Save Phone Battery Life in the Backcountry

by Joe Pasteris
written by Joe Pasteris

Smartphones are an excellent alternative to conventional GPS devices because they are lightweight and compact, and their large screens are ideal for viewing detailed topographic maps while using an app like Gaia GPS.

But, if you use a phone to navigate in the wild, you need to consider ways to conserve battery power so you don’t end up with a dead phone halfway through your hike. The tips in this post will allow most people to get several days, or even longer, of use from their phone in the backcountry. Having said that, it’s important to note that even if you’ve mastered battery conservation, you still must bring along a compass and paper map and the skills to use them. It only takes one unfortunate drop to leave you with a busted phone.

Download Offline Maps Before You Go

Downloading maps to your Gaia GPS app for offline use before you leave home is an essential step that allows you to use the app with your phone in airplane mode or in a location without cell coverage. With the maps downloaded on your phone, you’ll be able to use all of the functionality that Gaia GPS provides, even in the most remote of locations, far away from any cell tower. Learn how to download maps for offline use here.

Use Airplane Mode

After you’ve downloaded the maps to your phone, put your phone into airplane mode before you head out on your trek. This simple change will make a big difference in how long your battery lasts. Airplane mode will stop your phone from constantly trying to establish a network connection when you’re in an area with poor or no cell coverage. Airplane mode will not automatically disable WI-Fi or Bluetooth connectivity. Manually turn off those features in settings in your phone to save even more battery.

There’s a common misunderstanding out there that when your phone is in airplane mode, you won’t be able to use apps that rely on GPS. However, because your phone can still communicate with GPS satellites while in airplane mode, Gaia GPS works just as well on airplane mode as when you are connected to Wi-Fi or cell service, so long as you’ve downloaded maps ahead of time. Download your maps with a Gaia GPS Membership or Premium Membership.

Avoid Exposing Your Phone to Extreme Temperatures

Both hot and cold temperatures can have a dramatic effect on battery life, so it’s important to take steps to avoid extremes. Apple says that iPhones are designed to work well in temperatures between 32°F and 95°F, with the ideal range being 62°F to 72°F. If you’re going out backcountry skiing, you’ll have to find ways to keep your phone warm. Conversely, if you’re headed out hiking in the hot desert, you’ll need to keep your phone cool.

How to keep your phone warm: In below-freezing temps, use your body heat to help keep the phone warm. Keep your phone stashed in a pocket close to your body rather than in an exterior pocket or in your backpack. For extra warmth on especially chilly days, try keeping a small disposable handwarmer packet in the same pocket as your phone.

If your phone does get really cold, the battery level will plummet and the device may even power down. When this happens, try warming your phone up by placing it close to your body. Once the battery temperature warms, your phone should come back to life. If you need to charge your phone, wait until the battery is warm. Charging your phone while the battery is disabled from the cold will be ineffective and can potentially damage your battery.

How to keep your phone cool: Extreme heat can be tougher to solve for and more dangerous for the device than cold temperature exposure. In fact, high temperatures can permanently damage battery capacity, whereas the effects of cold are only temporary.

Prevent overheating by keeping your phone out of direct sunlight. You can also try removing the phone from its case, as cases tend to trap heat. Storing your phone deep inside the main compartment of your pack, wrapped up in gear and clothing, will typically insulate the phone from damaging heat. This leaves your phone fairly inaccessible, so it’s not a great option if you’re using your phone to navigate.

Two climbers review their route in Gaia GPS

Shut Down Apps You Don’t Need

Many apps sit dormant when they’re not in use and won’t drain your battery while they sit open in the background. But, some apps keep track of your location and/or refresh content in the background. Force close all the apps you don’t need during your outing to be sure there’s no background activity that will draw down your battery.

If you prefer to keep apps open, limit their ability to refresh in the background to help conserve battery life. To do this with an iPhone go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh, then tap Background App Refresh and select Off. This disables background activity for all apps. If you want to turn it off for individual apps, you can do so on the Background App Refresh menu. With an Android phone, you can restrict individual apps by going to Settings > Battery > More > Battery usage. There, you’ll see a list of apps with the percentage of battery used. For apps with high battery use, tap them and turn Background restriction on.

Customize Location Services

Do not turn off all location services as this will disable your connection with Gaia GPS. But for apps other than Gaia GPS that you want open during your trip, like your camera, you can reduce the demand on your battery by turning off location services. Of course, doing so may affect how well an app performs. With your camera, for example, turning off location services means location data won’t be recorded and you won’t be able to see where you took a particular photo. But, for many people, location data on photos is not a must-have feature.

Customize location services with an iPhone by going to Settings > Privacy > Location Services and scroll down to the apps listed as using location services. Go through and select “Never” on those apps you will open during your trip but won’t need location services for. With an Android phone, open your phone’s Settings, then tap “Location services” or “Location access” whichever your phone shows. From this screen you can customize location services for each app.

Lower Screen Brightness

A bright screen is one of the biggest drains on your phone’s battery. Dimming your screen can reduce the impact that your display has on battery life. Here are two ways to do it:

  • Manually adjust the brightness to the dimmest level that still allows you to see your maps. With an iPhone, open the Control Center and drag the slider with the sun symbol up and down or go to Settings > Display & Brightness and drag the slider left or right. With an Android phone, open your phone’s Settings app, then tap Display > Brightness level and move the slider. 
  • Turn on auto-brightness, which allows your screen to automatically adapt to the lighting, decreasing the brightness in dim conditions and increasing it in bright conditions. With an iPhone, go to Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size and turn Auto-Brightness on. With an Android phone, open your phone’s Settings app, then tap Display > Brightness level and turn on Adaptive brightness.

Consider Turning Your Phone Off When You Don’t Need It

Putting your phone in airplane mode and taking other battery-conserving measures will allow most phones to stay powered for several days without ever turning them off. But, if you really want to get the most out of your battery, then powering the phone down completely can be a wise move. That said, you need to consider how you use your device.

If you will be checking your phone regularly for navigation or to snap photos, then you should leave your phone on, because waking the phone up from sleep mode uses less power than turning the phone off and back on again. But, if you won’t be needing your phone for a few hours or more, such as when you’re hiking on an obvious trail that doesn’t require frequent map check-ins or when you’re sleeping at night, then powering the phone down completely will save battery power in the long run.

Bring a Backup Battery

Despite all your efforts to conserve battery power, it’s still possible that your phone will get low on juice. So, if you’ll be relying on your phone for navigation, you should always have a backup battery pack and the appropriate cable to be able to recharge your device.

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Two skiers skin up a low-angle snowfield in single file. It's sunny and mountains extend in the distance.
Backcountry SkiingGaia GPSHow-To

How to Plan a Backcountry Ski Tour with Gaia GPS

by Devin Lehman
written by Devin Lehman

Devin Lehman is the Product Manager for Gaia GPS. Join him in planning and going on a backcountry ski tour, and to learn how to use Gaia GPS for your winter backcountry excursions. 

I’m a backcountry snowboarder who happens to work in tech. It’s a lame joke I’ve told coworkers over the past decade. (And it’s a joke that needs no explanation to my coworkers at Gaia GPS.) So when winter swung into central Oregon and the avalanche forecast looked promising, I jumped on the opportunity to tour Mount Bachelor with some friends before opening day. Here’s how I did it, from start to finish.

A New Mapping Paradigm

Technology has revolutionized ski tour planning. Growing up on ice coast of Maine, I spent many weekends with friends and family bootpacking up the Camden Snow Bowl to get a few edgeable turns. Hail, sleet, snow, and freezing temperatures rarely stopped us from having a good time outdoors. 

We didn’t have the best gear in the late ’90s. I wasn’t sure what “gore-tex” meant and jeans with sweatpants underneath often served as our premier choice of winter clothing. Checking conditions around Belfast, Camden, or Carrabassett Valley included picking up paper maps to look at terrain. We’d open a local newspaper to see weather forecasts. We’d talk to park rangers about conditions. And we’d turn on Maine Public Broadcasting to find out if school was canceled or if we’d be begging our parents to call in “sick” for us. These were the best methods we had at the time to plan, adventure, and share our outdoor experiences.

Enter Gaia GPS. Over the years, this app has transformed how outdoor enthusiasts, professionals, and weekend warriors adventure—including me.

Armed with vastly better tools and relocated to the opposite coast, my mission remains the same. When my friends and I decided we wanted to tour Mount Bachelor, I just had to turn to one resource to bring the trip to life.

Route Plan on the Web

With the best route planning tools available, gaiagps.com is the place I like to start planning any adventure. Plus, a desktop’s big screen also lets you get a better, bigger sense of the terrain than the tiny screen of a phone.

So start by going to gaiagps.com. Hit the locate button in the bottom right corner to center yourself on the map. Since I’m not planning this ski tour from my front door, I type “Mount Bachelor” into the search bar to bring me to my destination on the map. Conveniently, I can see the localized weather forecast from OpenSnow just by tapping anywhere on the map.

Activate Winter Maps

The Gaia Winter map shows backcountry ski start zones in orange, and touring zones in blue.

Of Gaia GPS’s hundreds of maps, a handful prove essential for every backcountry tour. I start by selecting Gaia Winter as my basemap. Designed in-house, Gaia Winter boasts the same clarity and file efficiency as Gaia Topo, but prioritizes winter travel. Backcountry ski zones conveniently pop-out from the map in blue and starting zones stand out in orange, making it easy to find places to tour. Gaia Winter’s winter color palette also pairs perfectly with the suite of winter safety maps we’re going to layer on top of it.

Snow Safety Maps

Next, I add the Slope Angle shading map and layer it on top of Gaia Winter. (Just drag Slope Angle to the top of the active map queue.) I turn the opacity down to about 30 or 40 percent so I can still see the underlying topographic terrain. Wondering what the colors mean? Tap the map name in the sidebar and scroll down to the bottom to see the map legend. Since I want to avoid slopes above 30 degrees, which could yield avalanche-prone terrain, I can easily pick my route through terrain that’s shaded yellow (26 to 29 degrees) or has no shading at all (less than 26 degrees).

Now that I’ve got a sense of the terrain, I add the Avalanche Forecast layer to the top so I can scope out the regional avalanche forecast for the day. By zooming out a bit on the map, I can see that the avalanche forecast for the central cascades is green. But I want to read the full report anyway, so I click on the link to the full forecast from the Central Oregon Avalanche Center. 

Weather Maps

I also add the Snow Stations Daily map to get snow conditions for the area, including the snow depth, how much new snow has accumulated, and the snow water equivalent, which tells you whether you’ll be skiing Montana cold smoke or Sierra cement. Since we’re touring a ski resort, I can also add the Ski Resort Reports map to get official conditions from the mountain. (Resorts with fresh snow glow on the map.) I can also add the Snow Depth map to get a visual on estimated snow depths throughout the area. Once again, tap the map in the sidebar and scroll down to the bottom for the map legend to see which colors correspond with what snow depths.

Given the late-season wildfires, I also add the Wildfire and Smoke Forecast maps just to make sure our plans don’t go up in smoke.

Finally, I add the Satellite Imagery map so I can get a sense of how treed the terrain will be, where we’ll hit treeline, and where avalanche paths may exist. I’m going to keep this map as an inactive layer for now; we’ll turn to it once we activate 3D mode.

Hone in on the Zone

Now that we’ve got all of our maps, I start to scout out potential zones for the tour. I’ve already decided I want to ski around Mount Bachelor. Using Gaia Winter, I can see the backcountry skiing start and touring zones are on the northeast aspect of the mountain. The Slope Angle map shows there are some clear low-angle paths up this side of the mountain as well. 

For easy reference, I mark this region of the map with a polygon. That way I can spy this area of the map at low zoom levels, and my touring partners can get a sense of where we’re going. To add a polygon, or “area,” click “Area” in the sidebar and add points to mark the perimeter of the zone. If the polygon shading gets in the way of seeing the map underneath, just turn it off by either toggling off “Areas” in the “Map Overlays” section of the sidebar. Or tap the area on the map, click the polygon in the sidebar, and turn the map visibility off. 

Map Route with Snap-To-Trail

Now that I’ve got a sense of the terrain and the region we’ll be touring, I’m going to map out a potential uphill route. Of course, this may change as we assess the conditions and terrain upon arrival, but it’s useful to have a sense of where we’re going and how long the route may be.

Zooming into the orange “start” zone near Mount Bachelor, I see there is a parking lot. I’m going to mark that as our starting point by dropping a waypoint on the map. Next, I’m going to map out the route. After clicking “Route” on the sidebar, I’m going to follow one of the trails switchbacking up the mountain. Mount Bachelor actually has designated uphill routes when the lifts are spinning, so I want to abide by this uphill route in case there are any employees working–I’d hate to pop up in front of a groomer or patrolling and startle them! Gaia GPS’s smart snap-to-trail routing automatically snaps to the trail as I plot out points along it. When I make a careless click on the web, using the undo feature makes route correction a breeze.

About two a half miles and 1,500 feet of climbing up the trail, we reach a saddle. As we had a group of folks with varying levels of experience, I want to create two options. One more mellow mid-mountain approach, and another option to summit if conditions are right. While creating the routes, I’m able to see the right statistics (weather, ascent, slope angle, avalanche conditions) and tailor the route accordingly. 

Some people may want to transition and ski back down here, so I’m going to end the route and give it a name: “Main plan.” For those who may want to continue on to the summit if conditions allow, I’m going to start a new route here in a different color. Once again, I let Gaia GPS’s smart planning tools do most of the work for me until the route reaches the summit.

For fun I even dropped a waypoint that could be a nice lunch spot for us to eat our pocket-tacos, a staple diet for touring adventures. 

Scout in 3D

Now that I’ve drawn some potential routes on the map, I want to get a better understanding of the terrain we will be covering by looking a the map in 3D. So I hit the “3D” button in the bottom right corner. Next, I add the Satellite Map to the top of our active map layers. Following the route up the mountain, I can see that the first half of the skin track goes straight up a ski slope with trees on either side. The second half switchbacks up a ridge above the treeline. Panning around this northeast face of the mountain, I can see some potential skiable chutes and faces.

Share with Friends

I want to share my routes, waypoints, and area with my friends so they can prepare for the tour at home and navigate in the field. First, I add all of these items to a new folder. Now it’s easy to share it with my partners. Just click on the folder, hit “Invite others to this folder,” and enter their email addresses.

Now when my friends open their Gaia GPS accounts on gaiagps.com, they’ll see a notification on the bell (top right of the screen) inviting them to add my folder to their accounts.

Sync Route to Phone

While gaiagps.com serves as the powerhouse for planning at home, I want to see all my new data in the field once we get going. To ensure it shows up in the app, open your Gaia GPS app at home. Tap the “Saved items” button on the bottom bar. Swipe down to automatically sync the items on your web and app accounts.

Take Maps Offline

We may not have cell coverage for the full tour. Plus, sometimes I like to put my phone in airplane mode to save battery life. To ensure I can see the map regardless of cell service, I’m going to download Gaia Winter and Slope Angle shading for offline use. 

To download the maps on the app, tap the plus button on the top bar. Select Download Maps, and move the rectangle over the area in question. I like to download a little extra map, just in case. Next, press “Save” and choose which maps you want to download for offline use. You also have the option to download the data that will let you create new snap-to-trail routes in the field without cell service. Why not, it can’t hurt–toggle on “Include data to create and navigate routes offline.” Hit next. Keep the app open while the maps download. If you have decent wifi, it should be quick.

Navigate with the App

The squad reviewed the routes overnight, and now it’s go time! Before I leave the house, I like to double check that my maps are downloaded for offline use and are set as active map layers. While I’m in the app, I can get driving directions to the parking lot. Just tap the route, hit the “More” button, and select “Driving Directions.” 

Upon arriving at the mountain, we meet up for a check in focusing on General headspace, Fitness, Willingness to suffer, Skiing ability and Avalanche risk tolerance. Once we completed the checks, the group agreed the mid-mountain lunch tour made the most sense.

Record Tracks

I like to record my adventures in Gaia GPS for a few reasons. One, recording your tracks leaves a breadcrumb trail of your progress in the app. That way if I need to retrace my steps, I can just turn around and follow the line on the map. Second, recording your tracks in the app lets you relive your adventure in 3D on the web once you get home.

So after I turn on my beacon and we do our checks, I start recording my tracks. Once again, tap the plus button. Select “Record a Track.”

Drop Waypoints

As we skin up the mountain, I drop waypoints to mark snow features, views, and to add notes about the snow pack and any other observations our team makes in the field. You can also drop a photo waypoint. Just tap the plus button and select “Take Picture.” Don’t forget to mark up the map with your memories.

Après 

The conditions were way too reminiscent of my ice-coast heritage, and side-hilling became the name of the game. For one member of our group, however, that was no issue. It definitely helps to have four paws with integrated crampons. We hit our top-out point, snacked a bit, and started the descent. While we didn’t have any deep pow lines to drop or slashes to throw, we sure did have a lot of fun. With Gaia GPS as our planning and adventuring tool, we were able to make a route directly back to the car without throwing our skins back on. A win in any backcountry enthusiast’s book! 

As snow keeps piling up in Bend and we watch the conditions, rest assured I’ll be counting down the minutes until I can get back into the mountains. Gaia GPS and Outside have elevated my ability to educate myself, plan, and execute some of my most fun adventures. I’m incredibly lucky to have found a place where I get to combine my passion for the outdoors with my love of working in tech. That lame joke has now become a dream come true–something I am grateful for. 

Cheers to Gaia GPS, Outside, and the outdoor community.

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Gaia GPSHow-ToOffroading

How to Get Started Overlanding

by Bryan Rogala
written by Bryan Rogala

Image Credit: 4X Overland Adventures

Overlanding has taken the outdoor industry by storm in the last few years. If you’re unfamiliar, it’s a term used to describe vehicle-based travel that typically involves dirt roads, four wheel drive, and getting as far off the beaten path as possible. Overland Journal, the longtime authority on the subject in the U.S., describes the pastime as “self-reliant adventure travel to remote destinations where the journey is the primary goal.”

Think of it as backpacking with a 4×4. Overlanding originated in Australia and Africa and can involve anything from driving the Pan American Highway in a Volkswagen Syncro, to circumnavigating Africa in a Jeep Wrangler, to an overnighter at a dispersed campsite on a local Forest Service road. While the method of transportation plays a role, more than anything overlanding is about the journey and the experience along the way. Anyone can do it with some basic knowledge, a mechanically sound vehicle, and a thirst for adventure.

In this article, we’ll cover what an overlanding route looks like, along with the type of vehicle and equipment you’ll need, and some tips for getting started. Here’s what you need to know to get into overlanding.

What an Overlanding Route Looks Like

Overlanding routes vary greatly in terrain and difficulty, a lot of which depends on where they are located. Routes in the Western U.S. tend to be longer and more remote, and can involve high mountain passes, vast swaths of empty desert, or long stretches of rough roads. Routes in the Eastern U.S. are typically shorter in length but can be tighter and trickier to navigate with a large vehicle.

An overlanding route planned using the Gaia Overland map in Gaia GPS.

If you’ve ever driven a vehicle off road, you likely already know what type of obstacles to expect. Rough dirt roads, washboard, deep ruts, stream crossings, sandy washes, mud, loose hill climbs, tight switchbacks, and even snow are all common road conditions you might encounter. That being said, overlanding differs from four wheeling, rock crawling, and other forms of off-roading because it takes place for an extended period of time, includes driving on pavement, and typically doesn’t involve “extreme” obstacles like you might see a Jeep Wrangler tackling in Moab.

Overlanding draws you to remote, uninhabited places to enjoy the scenery and solitude, and you’ll need maps to find your way. Gaia GPS offers a catalog of off road and 4×4 maps that show you what kind of terrain you’ll encounter and how difficult your route will be. You can download the maps for offline use with a premium subscription and use them out on the trail, which is far more useful than just a paper map. Toggling between Gaia’s proprietary Gaia Overland map, NatGeo Trails Illustrated map, the MVUM (USFS) (US Forest Service Motor Vehicle Use Map), the USFS Roads and Trails Map, and Gaia Topo layers gives you on-demand access to trail junctions, road conditions and closures, dispersed camping sites and terrain features. Using these at home on a desktop helps with route planning, and then using them offline on a phone helps with navigation in the field and allows you to deal with unexpected route changes, like deadfall across a road or another impassable obstacle.

Tread Lightly, Stay on Established Roads

The USFS MVUM and Roads and Trails Maps are indispensable because they also have notes on road closures and status, grade, road material, and even whether a road is passable in a passenger car or requires high-clearance and four-wheel drive. It’s also important to stay on legal roads—driving off-road doesn’t mean pointing your truck into the woods and creating your own path, it just means driving off pavement, on a dirt road. The key here is that you’re still driving on a legal road of some kind, and it’s important to follow Leave No Trace principles and guidelines for responsible 4×4 use from Tread Lightly.

Vehicle Considerations

The vehicle you drive plays the largest role in an overlanding trip. It will act as your home base, and needs to be comfortable both on and off pavement. While you can technically overland with whatever vehicle you’ve already got, there are some things most overland rigs have in common.

Four Wheel Drive Versus All Wheel Drive

First, you’re going to want four wheel drive, or at the very least, all wheel drive. Traditional four-wheel-drive vehicles have a transfer case that allows the driver to send power to both the front and rear wheels, and the power is typically split 50/50. Four-wheel-drive trucks and SUVs, like a Toyota Tacoma, let you select from a high or low range, the latter of which increases torque, helps you navigate steep hills, and generally puts more power to the wheels. Overlanders prefer true four wheel drive for a number of reasons, but mainly because it’s more capable off road than all wheel drive.

A Subaru Outback negotiates a stream running through a field.

All wheel drive, like what you find in a Subaru Outback, automatically sends power to whichever wheel has lost traction, and typically doesn’t split the power evenly between the front and rear wheels. This type of system works well on icy or wet pavement, and can certainly get you down a dirt road, but it’s not as robust and doesn’t work as well in the serious off-road situations many overlanders face. Learn more on the differences between four and all wheel drive.

Ground Clearance

Another important consideration is your vehicle’s ground clearance. Most passenger cars and some crossovers don’t have enough clearance to safely navigate rocks and ruts off road. Subaru’s Outback and Forester have 8.7 inches of ground clearance, which is plenty for most situations, while a Toyota Tacoma has 9.4 inches and a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon has 10.8 inches.

Storage Space

An SUV with a roof rack is parked on a beach at sunset.

Storage space and payload capacity are also particularly important for an overland rig since you’ll be camping and need to be fully self-sufficient for the duration of your trip. Smaller SUVs like a Jeep Wrangler are great for rock crawling and general trail riding, but their limited interior size and small payload doesn’t make them particularly well-suited to overlanding. A full-size truck, or a larger, truck-based SUV like a Toyota Land Cruiser often works better because you can load it up with gear and it is rated to carry heavier loads. It’s very easy to exceed your vehicle’s payload capacity once you include the weight of passengers, gear, and any accessories like roof racks, rooftop tents, or a winch, which can impact the vehicle’s drivability and safety. Longer trips also often require bringing spare parts since you’ll be far away from help, so having lots of storage space is always a good idea.

Accessories and How to Use the Rig You’ve Got

If you spend much time around the overlanding crowd you’ll quickly realize that outfitting your rig with aftermarket parts and accessories in order to make it more capable and comfortable is extremely popular. Things like heavy-duty off road bumpers, skid plates, winches, additional off-road lighting, as well as suspension lifts and locking differentials are all popular upgrades. If you already own a vehicle that would make a good candidate for an overlander, upgrades like that can be a good way to protect your vehicle from damage and ensure that you can make it further into the backcountry.

How to Upgrade the Vehicle You Already Own

You can make your vehicle more off-road worthy with a few simple upgrades, no matter what you drive. Tires are the most important modification you can make to a vehicle if you want to drive off road because they provide your vehicle’s traction. A tricked-out 4×4 won’t get very far if it’s rolling on street tires without an aggressive tread pattern. All-terrain tires are a good choice for most overlanders because they offer a mix of on-and-off road performance. The BFGoodrich T/A KO2 gives you great traction in dirt, mud, and snow, and is still quiet and comfortable on pavement. If you want to try overlanding in your crossover or smaller SUV, you should consider something like the Falken Wildpeak A/T Trail. This tire weighs less than the KO2, but still provides improved off-road traction and is a better fit for something smaller like a Subaru or Toyota Rav4.

A close-up of a vehicle with flat tire on a dirt road.

You can’t do anything to increase a vehicle’s payload capacity, but you can increase storage space by adding a roof rack. You don’t want to strap too much stuff on top of your vehicle because you’ll increase the center of gravity and have a greater rollover risk, but a good roof rack like Frontrunner’s Slimline II will allow you to easily carry gear you can’t fit inside the car. You can also bolt on accessories like bike, ski, or kayak carriers, mount a storage box on top, or carry a rooftop tent and an awning to protect you from the elements.

Two people sit outside a van parked at sunset.

The Equipment You’ll Need

It’s very easy to overthink what type of gear to bring and how much of it you’ll need on an overland trip. In this article, we’ll cover just the basics to get you started; just keep in mind that you can acquire a lot of this equipment over time as you learn what your needs are and how your vehicle performs.

Sleeping: Rooftop Tents

People stand around a bonfire at night with a flock of jeeps parked in the background.

Essentially an off-the-beaten-path road trip, overlanding brings you to dirt roads where you camp along the way. You’ll need to decide where you’ll sleep. The easiest and cheapest option is to simply use a tent. Many overlanders with larger SUV’s (or pickup trucks with a camper shell) choose to sleep inside their vehicle to keep things simple. This offers more weather protection than a tent, but you need a vehicle with a bed or seats that fold flat. Sleeping inside the vehicle becomes more complicated for two people traveling together since you’ll need to move all of your gear outside the vehicle to create enough space for sleeping at night.

A jeep with a roof tent is parked in the desert. Off to the side, two people sit in camp chairs around a fire, gazing at the sun setting behind the mountains in the distance.

Many people opt to sleep on top of their vehicles in rooftop tents. Rooftop tents (or RTTs) attach to your vehicle’s roof rack and either have hard sides that pop straight up, or soft sides that fold out into a traditional tent shape. RTTs have a couple of advantages: they eliminate the need for a flat piece of ground free of rocks and offer a comfortable memory foam mattress where you can store your sleeping bags. They’re also quicker to set up than a ground tent, which is something overlanders value because it allows you to spend less time setting up camp and more time exploring and enjoying time outside. The downside is they’re quite heavy (usually around 150lbs), and they can negatively impact your vehicle’s fuel economy.

Campers

A modified truck with a storage unit in the back and a rooftop tent is parked at a beach on a sunny day. Turquoise water laps behind and stratocumulus clouds cover the blue sky.

The next step up from a ground tent or rooftop tent is either a camper of some sort built into your vehicle, or pulling a camping trailer. There are pros and cons to every option, and ultimately you’ll have to weigh factors like convenience, comfort, and budget to determine the best solution for you. A self-contained camper performs better off road, and allows you to maneuver in tight spots more easily. It’s also easier to park and drive around town, but it’s easy to overload your vehicle and exceed it’s payload capacity if your build is too heavy, which can be dangerous.

Trailers

A truck with a covered back and a trailer hitch drives across dry, grassy plains with mountains in the distance.

A camping trailer, can store all of your camping equipment full-time, making it easier to hit the road since you won’t need to pack your vehicle each time. But it takes more skill to maneuver a trailer on technical trails. Some trailers, like Hiker Trailer’s Extreme Off Road Deluxe model, are overland-specific and have modified suspension systems that make them incredibly capable off-road. Trailers also allow you to unhitch and create a base camp, so you can use your tow vehicle to run into town for supplies, or drive to a trailhead without breaking down camp. Some trailers like Off Grid Trailers even include kitchen components, a shower, and ample sleeping space. However you choose to camp, the key is to keep your setup as simple as possible and make it easy to access your gear and break down camp to continue your trip.

Basic Camping Equipment

Chances are you already own all of the camping gear you’ll need. Overlanding doesn’t require any specialized camping gear, but the beauty of camping out of your rig is that you can afford to bring heavier stuff, like thick sleeping pads, blankets, and camp tables to make your experience more comfortable. Two things to consider are how you’ll be storing food and water. If you’re going out for a long weekend and won’t have access to more drinking water, you should bring at least seven gallons with you. That will ensure you and your trip mates have enough water to drink, do dishes, and rinse things off. Some people like to have access to a shower while overlanding, which can be easily done with something like a RoadShower. You can even make your own solar shower if you’re so inclined.

An overlander sits in a camping chair, tending to scrambled eggs in a skillet on a two-burner portable stove. Vegetables sauté in the a pan on the other skillet. A pack of sausages sit on a cooler in the foreground.

Food Storage

Someone stands with their back to the camera. They work on a laptop placed on a standing desk, which faces out of the back of a built-out van.

Coolers work perfectly fine to store food that needs to be refrigerated, but a popular upgrade for overlanders is an electric cooler. You can power one from your vehicle or a portable battery, and they’re particularly nice for overlanding because you won’t need to worry about melting ice and soggy food after several days of off-grid travel.

Recovery Gear

A close-up of vehicle shows a flat tire with a torque wrench wedged in the hub.

Recovery gear is also essential. Since you’ll be traveling on dirt roads, your vehicle may lose traction and get stuck in deep mud, sand or snow at some point. You should be prepared to get yourself or another vehicle unstuck. A winch on the front bumper is a great choice, but at the very least you’ll want to have a recovery kit with tow straps, and a set of MaxTrax. MaxTrax are traction boards you slide under your tires to give you more traction. It gives them something to grip onto when they’re spinning freely and not moving your vehicle anywhere. They work incredibly well thanks to the raised “teeth” that give your tires something to dig into, and they are built to last for decades without wearing out.

Trip Planning Tips

Once you get all of your gear sorted, it’s time for a trip. You can start with a day trip to ease into things, and then plan a two-day, one-night weekend trip after that, so you don’t have to worry about packing too many supplies and can instead focus on having fun. Pick an easy, well-known, and well-driven route for your first trip, like the Valley of the Gods road near Mexican Hat, Utah, or a trip to North Carolina’s South Core Banks. That way if you run into trouble or have some sort of mechanical problem, there’s a better chance of someone being able to help you.

Travel with another vehicle, especially on your first few trips so that if something happens to you or your vehicle you’ll have help and can avoid a long hike out. It’s also wise to check whether there will be cell service along your route in case you need to call for a tow or other assistance.

Start simple when it comes to route choice. If you don’t live near any famous overland routes, start by finding dispersed campsites on nearby public lands or by finding Forest Service roads in an area you’ve wanted to visit and create your own route. Make sure to pack light, keep it simple, and most importantly, bring plenty of good food. Finally, don’t stress too much about the gear; the beauty of overlanding is in the journey itself and the simple joy of having an adventure.

If you’re excited about overlanding and want to hear more, listen to our interview with Lifestyle Overland on the Out and Back podcast, sponsored by Gaia GPS.

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Gaia GPSNew FeaturesNew Maps

Our Favorite New Maps and Features

by Abby Levene
written by Abby Levene

As our community dreamed up more routes, downloaded more maps, and covered more miles than ever before, our team remained hard at work making Gaia GPS even better for your adventures. Here’s a look at our favorite maps, features, and updates we launched this year. We’re counting down, 12 days of Christmas style. 

12. Map Packs (Beta): A Totally New Way to Map

To put the best of our 300+ maps in your hands, right now, we’ve totally redesigned our mapping interface. Meet map packs.

Enable this new beta feature available on iOS and get the best map presets curated by the Gaia GPS team. Whether you’re visiting a national park with your family, backpacking a long trail, or skiing in the backcountry, just tap the map pack crafted specifically for your adventure to put the right maps on your screen

Or create your own map pack so you can always have your favorite map combinations at your fingertips. Explore map packs.

11. Gaia Classic: The Map That Never Goes Out of Style

Do you yearn for the classic topo maps of old? You know, the ones not busied up with excessive colors and silliness when all you really need to know is how to plot your path from that alpine lake to that mountain pass and down the other side?

Or maybe you’ve found yourself yelling at our cartographers, “why or why can’t I see the contour lines in this blazing sun!?”

Enter Gaia Classic, the map that just may answer that call of the wild. It’s inspired by a classic aesthetic, from the colors to the fonts to the very textures of the map itself. Maybe it’s totally pointless, or maybe, just maybe it’s the only map you’ll ever need.

Check out our new map, Gaia Classic.

10. Gaia GPS Master Classes: Map Like a Pro

We’re the first to admit there’s a bit of a learning curve to mastering the breadth and depth of gaiagps.com and our app. That’s why we teamed up with Outside Learn to bring you two master classes. Find the best of our 300+ maps for your adventures. Learn how to take your maps offline. Layer maps together to unlock more terrain detail. Reroute on the fly. Share your routes with friends and family. Discover our top hacks. It’s all here. Take these two courses to brush up on your mapping skills and to get the most of the app. 

Take Gaia GPS 101 and Gaia GPS Advanced. 

9. Wildfire Maps: Spot Fires Faster

This update is lit. You can now spot wildfires on the Wildfire map as soon as they appear on InciWeb, the government website that tracks wildfire information for the public. Our cartographers also added wildfire labels right onto wildfires themselves for easy viewing. Plus, we expanded our smoke forecast maps coverage to include Alaska and Canada.

Check out the enhanced Wildfire and Smoke Forecast maps.

8. Snowmobile Trails Map: Discover Global Sledding Trails

Planning snowmobile routes and navigating across the snow has never been easier. Find sledding trails across the US, Canada, Europe, and Australia with our new Snowmobile Trails map. We’ve pulled together trail data from local, state, and federal sources to bring you some of the most comprehensive sledding coverage in the world.

Easily spy trail networks to build routes and find your way in the field. When available, see key details like trail width, grooming status, restricted access areas, and difficulty ratings. Plus, find warming huts, gas stations, and snowmobile shops.

Try out the Snowmobile Trails map.

7. Android Auto: Navigate from the Dash

We’ve revamped Gaia GPS on Android Auto so you can manipulate the map, record tracks, and drop waypoints all from your dashboard. Just connect your phone to your car display and navigate with your favorite Gaia GPS maps like Gaia Overland, MVUMs, hi-res global satellite imagery, and National Geographic Trails Illustrated—all from the luxury of the wide screen.

From expanded map controls to clearer visibility, here are the major updates. And if you’re on iOS, check out Apple CarPlay.

6. Slope Angle: Stay Safer with Highest-Res Map

Scout avalanche terrain easier than ever before. We’ve updated our Slope Angle map with the latest highest resolution 1-meter LIDAR DEM data from the USGS. This data is the gold standard for slope angle shading, rendering our Slope Angle map crisper and clearer for your winter adventures.

Whatever your objective and mode of travel, you can now enjoy the highest resolution slope angle data, wherever it’s available. Check out the updated Slope Angle map.

5. Rec.Gov: Make Campsite Reservations from the Map

Find the perfect campsite in Gaia Topo, and then reserve it right from the map. The ultimate tool for reserving public campsites in the US is now accessible right from our app and gaiagps.com. In addition to reservations, recreation.gov gives you every detail you could possibly want about a campsite. View photos to see if the campsite has the spectacular mountain view. Find out how many cars are allowed, and if pets and campfires are permitted. Even see if there’s a fire ring or a grill.

Learn more about our rec.gov integration. 

4. Trailforks MTB Map: Discover the Best Bike Trails

Trailforks’ coveted mountain bike trail database is now in Gaia GPS! Discover brand new routes, get the beta on trail conditions, and easily spy trails based on type and difficulty level with this new map.

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 available. 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.   

Check out the Trailforks MTB map.

3. Planning Tools: Easily Dream Up Your Own Routes

Creating your own adventures in Gaia GPS got even easier—and more fun. Meet our new route editing tools, here to let you quickly fix any mistakes or changes of heart, automatically out-and-back any one-way route, send your route back to the start, and reverse your route direction.

You asked, and we listened. We added these route editing tools so that you can explore our maps with even more abandon, knowing you can painlessly erase any route-building mistakes and let our planning tools handle the tedious tasks. Enjoy these tools on Android and on the big screen at gaiagps.com. To put the cherry on top of this route creation cake, we’ve added keyboard shortcuts to the web so you can perform any of these tasks without even touching your mouse, making it even easier to carry on route building with our smart snap-to-trail planning tools.

Explore the new planning tools. 

2. OpenSnow Weather: Localized Forecasts at a Tap

While we can’t supply a crystal ball, we can supply the weather for exactly where you’re going, exactly where you need it—right on the map. We partnered with OpenSnow, the leading resource for backcountry weather, to bring you hyper-localized weather forecasts that you can access at a tap.

Just tap anywhere on the map, anywhere in the world, and get the current weather plus the forecast right in Gaia GPS. Learn more about weather at-a-tap.

1. Gaia Overland Map: World’s Best Offroading Map

Ditch the crowds with Gaia Overland, the best overlanding map you can put right on your vehicle’s dashboard. MVUM, USFS, public land boundaries—it’s all in here. Designed in-house for planning big routes, navigating tricky terrain, and rerouting on the fly, Gaia Overland is the definitive map for all of your overlanding, offroading, and motorized adventures. 

Modeled after our proprietary Gaia Topo map, Gaia Overland comes with the same crystal-clear resolution and download efficiency you know and love from Gaia GPS. But it puts everything for motorized travel first. Whether you’re embarking on a multi-day expedition or just heading to a remote trailhead, use Gaia Overland to get you there efficiently and (relatively) effortlessly.

Check out Gaia Overland.

It Wouldn’t Be the Holidays Without a Few Bonuses

Permitted Rivers Map

This map overlay shows you all the rivers that require a permit to raft or kayak. Tap to learn the river’s name, see permit information, and get the link to a permit application. Check out the Permitted Rivers map here.

Customized Waypoints

You can now change the color of waypoint borders. Use these colors of the rainbow to classify and categorize your waypoints to your heart’s desire. Learn more about all of the ways to use waypoints here. 

Ski Resort Reports Map

From Aspen to Zermatt, get conditions for ski resorts around the globe in Gaia GPS. Ski areas with fresh snow light up on our new Ski Resort Reports map. See snow totals and weather readings. Find out how many trails are open. Even read the resort’s daily report, all right within the app and on gaiagps.com. Explore the Ski Resort Reports map here.

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

Master the Fundamentals of Gaia GPS with Our New Course

by Abby Levene
written by Abby Levene

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

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

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

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

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

Gaia GPS 101 covers:

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

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

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