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Topo Maps

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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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.

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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.

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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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Overland rig drives on dirt road with mountains in the background.
AdventuresGaia GPSOffroading

Discover the Best Maps for Overlanding

by Chris Kracht
written by Chris Kracht

Overlanding lets you get off the beaten path — if you know where to look. That’s where Gaia GPS comes in. Taking the best maps along for the ride ensures that you enjoy optimal freedom as you explore the backroads and beyond. Plan ahead on gaiagps.com/map and use the Gaia GPS app for navigating while in the field.

Gaia GPS has over 18 maps useful for offroading and overlanding. You can even connect Gaia GPS with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto to bring the best outdoor maps directly to your vehicle’s dashboard navigation screen. Below, learn about the best maps for overlanding, including how and why you should use them.

Gaia Overland


Meet your new go-to map! Gaia Overland puts all the roads, trails, public land boundaries, and all the other info you need in one place. Designed in-house, Gaia Overland sources information from Open Street Map, US Forest Service Motor Vehicle Use Maps (MVUM), US Forest Service road and trail data, and BLM road and trail data to show you road surface type, vehicle constraints, closure info, road numbers, permitted vehicles, mileage markers, public land boundaries, and campsite info. Like our default base map Gaia Topo, Gaia Overland boasts an efficient download size. This means entire states can be downloaded for offline use, which is incredibly useful for overlanders who regularly travel long distances over the course of a trip.

USFS Roads and Trails

USFS Topo map of Lizard head Wilderness Area

pop up description of trail usage regulations for Black Mesa - 661

One of the best maps for offroading, the United States Forest Service (USFS) Roads and Trails layer indicates maintained routes, 4×4 trails, backroads, and little-known paths across U.S. national forests and grasslands.

USFS Roads and Trails often displays more roads and trails than any other map. Use this layer to find information on the road surface, maintenance level, and trail width. Click or tap on a road or trail for information on if it’s passenger vehicle-friendly and to find out the surface material. Additionally, color-coded trails indicate which activities, like hiking, biking, or motorized sports, are allowed on each trail. Just tap a trail to learn more.


MVUM – Motor Vehicle Use Maps

Motor Vehicle Use Map of Lizard Head Wilderness Area

pop up indicating vehicle use for Black Mesa - 611 road

The Motor Vehicle Use Maps (MVUM) layer uses data from the Forest Service to bring vehicle-accessible roads to maximum visibility on the map. As a supplement to the USFS Roads and Trails layer, MVUM maps indicate which type of vehicles are allowed on a road or trail. It also provides information on seasonality, usage, and the condition of various roads. Just tap or click on the route to learn more.

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

Public Land

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The Public Land layer helps you find places to camp on BLM land, and identify land ownership like national parks and forests across the US. Pair the public lands layer with USFS to find free campsites as you travel off the grid.

Private Land

Avoid trespassing and double-check that your camp spot is on legal ground with the Private Land map. Place this transparent overlay on top of any base map, like Gaia Overland or Satellite Imagery, to see land boundaries and ownership. View ownership information and parcel sizes by clicking on the map.

Satellite Imagery

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Seeing a photographic overview of an area provides key details that topo maps leave out. Our suite of satellite imagery maps help you discover potential camping spots and small secondary trails that lead to open areas. These map give a clear view of the landscape, making it easy to scout out clearings for dispersed, unmarked, and/or hard-to-find campsites. Choose from maps with or without labels.

Cell Phone Use Coverage

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The Cell Phone Use Coverage map provides insight into whether you can access internet or send texts while exploring the back roads. Track where you can find cell service anywhere in the United States including Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. Find out where your network provides 3G and LTE coverage for AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular, and Southern Linc carriers.


USFS 2016

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The USFS 2016 map contains full, detailed topographic coverage of all 172 national forests and grasslands in the US. Easy-to-read Forest Service road numbers make route planning simple. This up-to-date, rasterized map available from the US Forest Service includes labeled trails, roads, and vegetation shading. Also plan hiking, backpacking, camping, off-roading, hunting, or fishing trips.

USFS Recreation Sites

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If you’re not looking for dispersed camping, the USFS Recreation Sites layer provides easily identifiable established campsites, visitor centers, trailheads, and other points of interest on national forests and grasslands throughout the U.S. Tap or click on a site to learn about fees, access restrictions, and more. This layer is particularly useful if you are arriving in a new area late at night and need to quickly find a campsite, or just want to find some things to do during the day near your base camp.

Explore More Maps for Overlanding

Wildfires (current)
View current fire conditions before heading out on the trail by using the current Wildfires layer over any base map. It can be used whenever you have an internet connection and gets updated daily by the USGS. Reference the map before leaving home to check for actively burning wildfires.

National Geographic Trails Illustrated
The National Geographic Trails Illustrated layer displays offroad trails, hiking trails and trailheads, camping locations, picnic areas, and more. It’s especially useful for visiting national parks with off-road trail access like Death Valley National Park.

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

Precipitation Forecast – Available in 24, 48, and 72-hour views
Precipitation forecasts help determine general weather patterns. This layer is great for overlanding because the nature of a dirt road can change drastically when it becomes wet; what may have been an easy drive on the way to camp may quickly turn impassable after a storm.

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AdventuresGaia GPSHow-To

Natural Navigation Clues: How to Find Your Way Without a Compass

by Mary Cochenour
written by Mary Cochenour

Paper maps and compass have forever been the gold standard of backcountry navigation. Throw in a mapping app, like Gaia GPS, and your navigation kit is complete. But what keeps you from getting lost in the backcountry may not depend entirely on the tools in your backpack. Staying found starts with something you’re born with – the ability to pay attention to your surroundings.

Situational awareness, or paying attention to the natural world around you, is key to mastering backcountry navigation. After all, a compass bearing in the field only gives you direction. For direction to have any meaning, you’ll need to know how to expertly read topographic maps. And for topo maps to have context, you’ll need to be aware of landscape around you.

Learn these quick tips on how to use landscape awareness and natural navigation clues to find your way in the backcountry.  

Start with the Big Picture on the Map

Not getting lost in the backcountry starts with your trip planning at home. Before you get out in the wilderness, get to know a place by studying its features on a map. Small-scale maps that show a big area and less topographical detail can help you see how your planned route fits in the context of the broader landscape.  

You can do this for free on Gaia GPS. Start by pulling up the area you plan to visit on www.gaiagps.com/map. Use the planning tools on the left-hand side of the screen to create a route. If you don’t know how to create a route yet, you can learn by watching an 8-minute tutorial at the end of this article.

With your route drawn on the map, zoom way out to see how the route fits within the landscape of the broader region. Take note of prominent features on the map: large bodies of water, river valleys, the area’s tallest peaks, mountain crests or divides, land management details, trailheads, roads, towns, and ranger stations. This zoomed-out view of the map, doesn’t reveal much about the landscape. But consulting the map in broad scale is the beginning of the situational awareness that will help you navigate in the field.

In the map above, you’ll see a green-colored route through Desolation Wilderness, which sits at the southwestern edge of Lake Tahoe. The map shows that area is also wedged between two highways — one to the south and one to the east of the planned route. If the route starts at Lake Tahoe and heads south, the lake will generally be over and behind your left shoulder. Understanding where this big landmark sits in relation to your overall journey gives you a sense of general direction.

Zoom In on the Map to Identify Handrails

After you get the lay of the land, zoom in on the map to view your route in context of the land features within it. You can use a creek or a large mountain as a “handrail” to follow to make sure you stay on course. If your route follows a creek up to its headwaters, you can use the ribbon of water as a guide to its source. If your route takes you along a valley, you could rely on a prominent mountain at the end of the canyon as a beacon to keep in your site. The key to not getting lost is paying attention to the landscape as you move through it.  

Get a better look at the route in this area by clicking the interactive map above and zooming in on the details.

Let Water Be Your Guide in Backcountry Navigation

Rivers and creeks make predictable backcountry guides. No matter where you are in the world, you can always count on rivers to roll off the shoulders of mountains and rush toward a larger river, the sea, a lake, or a basin. Zoom in on the map to study the flow of the water in the area so that you have an understanding of where water leads if you decide to follow it.

Looking at the route in the map above, you can see a string of prominent peaks to the west: Dicks Peak, Jacks Peak, Mount Price, Agassiz Peak, and Pyramid Peak. Together, they make up a portion of the Sierra Crest, a 500-mile long ridgeline that runs in a general north-south direction along the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California. 

Notice that most of the route stays on the east side of the Sierra Crest and that all the water along the way, with the exception of Lake Aloha, rolls toward Lake Tahoe. In an emergency, you could follow any water drainage on the east side of the Sierra Crest and wind up at Lake Tahoe so long as the route is passable on foot. Understanding where water flows can be a welcome bit of information if you’re looking to get your bearings in the landscape. Plus, if you’re standing next to a river, you have a good point of reference on the map to find your exact location.

two hikers walking on a mountain side
I took my kids, ages 10 and 13, on an off-trail route in the Sierra this summer. We followed a creek to its headwaters, went over a 13,000-foot col, and then dropped into the next drainage to the west. This chain of lakes served as our handrail on the way down the canyon.
Photo by Mary Cochenour

Use Treeline to Pinpoint Your Elevation 

Elevation is another predictable navigation marker. Knowing your coordinates on the map only places you in the two-dimensional world. Elevation can help you pinpoint your location, adding a 3D context to your location. But without an altimeter, how will you know the elevation? Look for the treeline.  

Treeline is the elevation at which the environmental conditions can no longer sustain tree growth. It’s important to note that treeline is different for every region depending on the weather and landscape conditions. In some northern landscapes, the weather is so harsh that trees are unable to grow above 5,000 feet. In more gentle climates, like the Sierra Nevada, treeline sits closer to 9,000 to 10,000 feet. 

You’ll have to study the maps to find the treeline for the area you plan to visit. This is easily done on Gaia GPS’s flagship map, Gaia Topo, which includes tree shading to show you where vegetation grows around the world. Most paper topo maps from government sources, like USGS quadrangle maps which are included in a Gaia GPS Premium Membership, also include tree shading. 

When in the field, you can use tree shading on the map to target your location. For example, if you are climbing up a slope that is clearly tree shaded on the map and all of the sudden you emerge from under the tree canopy into a slope with no vegetation. you should be able to see on the map where you’ve crossed the treeline. But be aware, treeline is not always correct on the map. It’s best to use this as an estimate.

Ribbons of river can be as reliable as following a trail.
Photo by Mary Cochenour

Navigate with the Sun for Direction of Travel 

Paying attention to the way the sun moves across the sky can help you determine general east-west directions. Everywhere in the world, with the exception of the Arctic, the sun rises on the eastern horizon and sets in the west. During the day it moves across the sky in an east to west pattern. If you pay attention to the sun’s movement, it’s easy to tell the general east and west directions in the morning and evening hours when the sun lies low on the horizon.

But what about high noon when the sun is up in the sky? In midday, the sun can clue you in to north-south directions. In the northern hemisphere, the sun will be directly to the south of your position when it reaches its highest point in the sky. Reverse that order for the southern hemisphere, where the sun sits directly north at its highest point in the sky. However, don’t expect the sun to guide you at the equator or near the earth’s poles, these locations are the exception to the sun’s north-south rules.

Use Shadows For Clues on Cloudy Days

On cloudy days, look for shadows for clues on direction. Shadows will cast in the opposite direction of the sun’s location. This means if you are traveling in the northern hemisphere, the sun at its highest point will be directly south but all shadows will cast to the north. Reverse that order for the southern hemisphere: look for shadows to be cast to the south.

Sometimes, the sun is completely obscured. When this happens, you have to rely on other navigation clues in the backcountry.  

Use the Stars to Navigate North and South

Constellations can tell us a lot about direction in the backcountry. In the northern hemisphere, Polaris is known for showing us the direction of true north, hence its nickname — the North Star. The North Star lines up with the earth’s rotational axis above the north pole. From the vantage point in the northern hemisphere, the North Star remains almost motionless in the night sky. All the other stars seemingly rotate around it. Polaris’s relatively static position in the northern night sky has guided navigators for more than a millennia across landmasses and oceans alike. It remains a guiding star in modern navigation as well. 

Photo by James Wheeler 

How to Find the North Star

Finding the North Star on a clear night is easy. It’s the brightest star in the Ursa Minor constellation, also known as the Little Dipper. If you can find the Little Dipper in the sky, follow its tail to the bright star at the end and you will be looking at Polaris — and consequently in a northern direction.  

If you are having trouble finding the Little Dipper, look for the famed Big Dipper, which appears as the outline of an upside-down cup or pan in the night sky. Angulate from the stars on on the end of Big Dipper’s cup to lead you to the North Star at the tail of the Little Dipper.  

In the Southern Hemisphere, Use the Southern Cross to Navigate

The Southern Hemisphere lacks a bright beacon star to mark the south celestial pole. However, you can rely on the unmistakable Southern Cross to show you the way south. First, find the four stars that make up Southern Cross. Line up the star at the head of the Southern Cross with the star at the base of the Southern Cross. Now draw an imaginary line that extends out about four lengths of the cross to the south and you will be looking at southern celestial pole.

Navigate with the Prevailing Wind

Knowing the direction of the prevailing wind will help you keep track of your directions. If storms always blow in from the west, you can use that knowledge to guide you in the right direction. Hold a western course by keeping the western prevailing wind in your face. Turn away from it to travel to the east, and keep it to your left shoulder to hold a northernly direction. Turn around and let the wind lap at your right cheek to travel south.  

Wind can be a great tool to give you a general sense of direction, especially in a whiteout when you can’t see landscape. But be cautious and don’t rely on the wind direction too heavily. Use it only as a navigation aid and not a decisive guide. 

Wind is shifty. As storms pass, so does the wind’s prevailing direction. Confirm that the wind is actually coming from the prevailing direction by matching it up with clues on the ground. Wind-battered trees will often be leaning away from the prevailing wind or they will be missing branches on the windward side.  

Find North and South with Moss

In a pinch, moss can offer consistent directional clues in the backcountry. Generally speaking, moss cannot survive in direct sunlight without water. Because of its sensitivity to sunlight, moss will typically grow on the shaded northern side of trees and rocks in northern hemisphere and on the shaded southern side of trees and rock in the southern hemisphere.  

Photo by Dave Hoefler 

This is a general observation, though. Moss growth can be affected by the amount of moisture or humidity in the area. The story moss tells provides only a clue as opposed to the sun’s definitive directional patterns.  

Pay Attention To Your Surroundings 

Back before I used a compass, I relied on all these techniques to navigate through the backcountry. I think I was so terrified of getting lost that I became hyper-aware of my surroundings. My mind cataloged every turn in the landscape, the directions rivers flowed, and stand-out rock formations. Paying attention to natural navigation clues remains a key component to how I navigate today. The only difference is I also rely on a paper map and a compass as well as Gaia GPS Premium for a complete picture of where I stand in the backcountry.  

Watch this 8-minute Tutorial to Learn How to Create a Route in Gaia GPS

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Discover the Top 10 Most Popular Maps on Gaia GPS

by Mary Cochenour
written by Mary Cochenour

Whether you’re day-hiking to a waterfall, backpacking for hundreds of miles, or offroading across two states, Gaia GPS has loads of maps to help you plan and navigate on your next adventure. With so many maps at your fingertips, how do you choose one that is right for you?

To give you a start, we’ve compiled this list of the 10 most popular maps on Gaia GPS. Read on to learn why our community loves these maps, what each map has to offer, and how to access them on gaiagps.com and in the app.

1. Gaia Topo: Easy to Download, Worldwide Topo Map

Screenshot of Gaia Topo on desktop.

Beautifully styled and optimized for efficient downloads, Gaia GPS’s flagship map is the most visited and downloaded map in our extensive map catalog. Gaia Topo is the original worldwide topographic map, sourced from OpenStreetMap data and other trusted map creators like the US Forest Service. Get detailed info on public trails, roads, landmarks, recreation, and city amenities straight from the map. Updated constantly, a new version of Gaia Topo was released earlier this year to add 150,000+ miles of USFS roads and trails, plus point-to-point mileage markers. New relief shading makes features pop.

The map’s bedrock feature — downloading efficiency — is what makes this map so popular with the Gaia GPS community. Designed and curated in house, Gaia Topo has been optimized for quick and tiny downloads. You can download huge swaths of the map to your phone, including an entire national park or a designated wilderness area. Download your entire state’s topo map within a matter of minutes, and without taking up too much of your phone’s memory.

Gaia Topo is available to everyone. However, If you want to use the map offline in places without cell service, you’ll need a Premium Membership to download Gaia Topo.

2. Satellite with Labels: Get a Bird’s-eye View of the Landscape with Labeled Features

If you ever get lost looking at a satellite map, and you’re not sure if you’re looking at the right peak or trail, the Satellite with Labels map will solve the problem. This map gives you high-resolution global satellite imagery combined with roads and feature labels. Whether offroading across Death Valley or backpacking around Yosemite, Gaia GPS users love the Satellite with Labels map for its clear, aerial view of the terrain and its useful labels, so you’ll never lose your bearings or have to cross-reference landmarks on another map.

You can view the Satellite with Labels map for free on the web at www.gaiagps.com. Get a Premium Membership to access this layer in the app on your mobile device.

3. USGS Topo: The Classic and Trusted Topo Map for the U.S

The USGS Topo map displays all the United States Geological Survey’s quadrangle maps that highly experienced map users know and love. This quilt of digitized 1:24,000 USGS quadrangles covers the entire contiguous United States.

Gaia GPS’s backcountry users revere these large-scale maps and the high level of topographic detail they provide. These official USGS topo maps have been developed and used for over 130 years. For longtime map lovers, the familiarity of a USGS Topo map brings a sense of trust and comfort when scoping out new terrain and planning remote adventures.

You can view USGS Topo online at gaiagps.com. You’ll need a Premium Membership to access the maps in the app on your mobile device and to download for offline use.

4. National Geographic Trails Illustrated: Detailed Topo Maps for America’s Favorite Adventure Destinations

Phone screenshot of Nat Geo Trails Illustrated.

Whether overlanding through a new zone or backpacking in your favorite mountain range, National Geographic Trails Illustrated maps are hands-down one of the most cherished map sources in the Gaia GPS catalog. The Gaia GPS community has come to count on Nat Geo’s attention to detail, including clearly marked trails, campsites locations, water sources, and more. These maps are widely considered one of the most trusted and popular recreation maps available and cover the some of the most beautiful destination in the U.S., like Rocky Mountain National Park, Grand Canyon, Desolation Wilderness, and Zion National Park

Gaia GPS includes hundreds of digitized National Geographic Trails Illustrated maps. You can view and download National Geographic maps on the web in the app with a Gaia GPS Premium Membership.

5. Public Land (US): Discover Public Property

The Public Land (US) map is designed to lay on top of any of your favorite basemaps, such as Gaia Topo, USGS Topo, or USFS 2016, to show you public land ownership. People are searching for new places to explore off the grid more than ever. The Public Lands map lets you know where you can go without worrying about trespassing so you can explore offgrid freely.

The Public Land (US) map covers all 50 states. Access the Public Land (US) map with a Premium Membership on both the web and in the app.

6. Private Land (US): Avoid Trespassing

Get a complete picture of land ownership with the Private Land (US) map. The Private Land layer shows private property boundaries for the entire United States. The Private Land map is interactive in iOS, just click on any parcel to get more information about the property owner, parcel size, and address.

Hunters, conservation land managers, and anyone trying to thread their way through a private/public checkerboard on the map appreciates the added knowledge this layer brings. Use it to ensure your campsites or off-trail routes are on legal ground, or to ask permission from land owners to establish new hunting territories on private property. Pair this map with the Public Land (US) map and your favorite base map to get an in-depth look at land ownership within the U.S.

The Private Land (US) map covers all 50 states. Access the Private Lands map with a Premium Membership on both the web and in the app.

7. Satellite: Get a High-Resolution Look at the Ground

When you want a good look at the ground from above, check out the Satellite map. This high-resolution global satellite imagery gives you a crisp, clear picture of the terrain at high zoom levels. The Gaia GPS community uses this high resolution satellite layer to scout out campsites, water sources, and alpine ascents from anywhere in the world. This map does not include labels or contour lines, making it different from the Satellite with Labels and Satellite Topo maps.

If you’re craving an even more realistic view of your route, try viewing the Satellite map in 3D. Available on the web only, 3D mode allows you to visualize every mile of your route in a realistic way, especially with Satellite maps. Scope out new terrain, plan perfect routes, or dream the day away discovering all the world’s natural wonders in 3D mode on any map in Gaia GPS.

The Satellite map is available with a Gaia GPS Premium Membership at gaiagps.com and in the app.

8. MVUM: Offroad Trail Data from the USFS

The Motor Vehicle Use Maps uses data from the US Forest Service to highlight off-pavement routes. This map remains a favorite with the 4×4, offroad, and overland communities thanks to valuable details on the road surface and use-cases. MVUM can also help hikers, bikers, and climbers plan routes, find access to public land, and discover new places to explore.

The MVUM map lays on top of your favorite base map to show roads off the beaten path. The map is styled to indicate seasonality and accessibility. In iOS the layer is interactive: tap a road for details on vehicle type restrictions and access dates.

Get the MVUM map with a Premium Membership.

9. USFS 2016: The Most Up-to-Date Forest Service Map

USFS 2016 is a favorite map for anyone headed out to a national forest. A favorite with the Gaia GPS offroad community, this map provides full, detailed topographic coverage of all 172 national forests and grasslands in the U.S. The most up-to-date map available from the US Forest Service, the USFS 2016 map includes labeled trails, roads, and vegetation shading to help you plan hiking, backpacking, camping, off-roading, hunting, or fishing trips.

Access the USFS 2016 map with a Premium Membership.

10. Satellite Topo – All the Best Features of a Topo Map and Satellite Map Combined

If you can’t decide between a satellite map and a topographical map, then the Satellite Topo map is for you. This versatile base map shows trails, roads, contour lines, and other features from Gaia Topo and puts them on top of high-resolution satellite imagery. This seamless marriage of satellite imagery and clear contour lines gives backcountry skiers an accurate picture of avalanche slide paths, and lets backpackers and overlanders view tree cover and slope steepness for easier campsite scouting. Contour lines and peak elevations are measured in feet.

Satellite Topo is available with a Premium Membership.

Honorable Mentions: the Maps that Almost Made the Top 10 List

USFS Roads and Trails: Find the Best Trails to Offroad, Bike, Hike, or Horseback Ride

USFS Roads and Trails is an overlay of maintained routes, 4×4 trails, backroads, and little-known paths across U.S. national forests and grasslands. This map contains many routes which are unavailable in any other map in Gaia GPS, including water routes, winter-only routes, and canoe trails. All roads are labeled to indicate their level of maintenance and accessibility by passenger vehicles.

USFS Roads and Trails is available with a Premium Membership

Slope Angle Shading: Identify Potential Avalanche Terrain

The Slope Angle Shading map provides colorful slope shading designed with backcountry skiers in mind. Use this map in conjunction with contour lines or the Shaded Relief overlay to help you get a more precise idea of slope steepness and to identify subtle changes in terrain.

Slope Angle Shading is available with a Premium Membership.

Gaia Winter: World’s Best Topo Map in Winter Mode

Gaia Winter map showing Aspen.

Ride the lifts, tour the backcountry, and explore nordic, fat bike, and snowshoe trails with confidence thanks to the Gaia Winter topographic map. Our in-house cartographers designed this new base map specifically for your favorite winter activities. A stronger emphasis on terrain, tree cover, and contours make it easy to navigate in an endless world of white.

Gaia Winter is available with a Premium Membership.

How to Change Map Sources on Gaia GPS

Switching out maps on Gaia GPS is a snap. You can change maps with a click of a button on the web and in the iOS and Android apps. Simply tap the layers icon on your screen. This will unfurl the layers menu. Select the “Add Maps” button. Browse the maps menu and select any maps you want to add. With a Premium Membership, you can add multiple maps at once and layer them to customize the information on your screen.

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Gaia GPS Year in Review: Best New Maps and Features of 2021

by Mary Cochenour
written by Mary Cochenour

The pandemic roared on in 2021 but that didn’t stop the Gaia GPS community from exploring outside. Collectively, you all recorded more tracks and climbed more vertical than ever before. And it showed as the number of you navigating with Gaia GPS maps soared through the roof in 2021.  

Whether climbing Colorado’s lofty 14ers or day hiking on your neighborhood trails, your drive to get outside inspired the Gaia GPS team to create nifty new maps and innovative features this year. From our brand new Gaia Winter map to offline snap-to-trail route planning, we hope our newest updates have made your adventuring a little bit easier and a whole lot safer.

Read on to learn more about Gaia GPS’s development highlights from 2021.

Navigate in Winter Mode with the Brand New Gaia Winter Map 

This year, our in-house cartographers designed this frosty new base map specifically for your favorite winter activities. Ride the lifts, tour the backcountry, and explore nordic, fat bike, and snowshoe trails with confidence thanks to the all-new Gaia Winter topographic map.

The new Gaia Winter map is designed with a stronger emphasis on terrain, tree cover, and contours, making it easier than ever to navigate in an endless world of white. It’s special “winter” color palette pairs perfectly with other commonly used winter maps, such as the Avalanche Forecast and Slope Angle maps. Plus, see every run at the ski resort, along with nordic, snowshoe, fat bike, and uphill trails. 

Just like our flagship Gaia Topo map, our new Gaia Winter map comes with industry-leading download efficiency. A tiny file size and lightning-quick download speeds let you save your entire state so you can always have a map on hand, even when you lose cell service. Whether you’re riding the lifts, sliding into the side country, or touring untouched terrain, bring Gaia Winter along with you so that you can always find your location in the thickest of tree glades and whiteout conditions. Available with a Gaia GPS Premium or Outside+ Membership. 

Introducing Gaia GPS + Android Auto 

Our users wanted Android Auto, and we heard you loud and clear! Gaia GPS now connects with both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, bringing all of your favorite trail maps directly to your vehicle’s navigation screen. Now you can pull up MVUMs, satellite imagery, National Geographic Trails Illustrated, and more, all on the dash. View waypoints and follow turn-by-turn directions with any saved route on backcountry dirt roads and front-country pavement — worldwide. No cell service needed. 

CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity are available for free to anyone using the Gaia GPS app. However you will need a Gaia GPS Premium Membership or Outside+ Membership to access the entire map catalog and to download maps for offline navigation. 

Visualize the Landscape with 3D Maps on the Web

Scope out new terrain, plan perfect routes, or dream the day away discovering the world’s natural wonders in 3D mode on Gaia GPS. Every map in Gaia GPS can now be viewed in 3D mode on the web. Just click the 3D button on the bottom right side of the map screen, and watch the canyons plunge and the mountains pop into three dimensions that beg you to explore. Whether you’re backpacking, overlanding, or backcountry skiing, 3D maps will revolutionize the way you research and plan your next adventure. 

Everyone can view a limited number of maps in 3D mode on the Gaia GPS website. However if you want to view our entire map catalog in 3D mode, you’ll need a Gaia GPS Premium Membership or Outside+ Membership. Premium Members and Outside+ Members have access to hundreds of maps, including National Geographic Trails Illustrated maps, high resolution satellite imagery, USGS quadrangle maps, worldwide topo maps, and more — all of which can be viewed in 3D mode on the web.  

Discover Millions of New Routes with the New Public Tracks Overlay

Public tracks have long been visible on the Gaia GPS website. But this year, we added public tracks to the app, making it easier than ever to see if a route goes. The Public Tracks overlay shows the two million public tracks Gaia GPS users have recorded all over the world. Click on any green public track to see exactly where others have gone before you. Turn on this layer to discover new hiking routes, connect 4×4 roads, and plan backcountry trips with on-the-ground information.

Public Tracks also show you details of the trips recorded in this overlay. Discover who recorded the track, when they recorded it whether they were hiking, skiing, or driving in an offroad vehicle if they selected the activity type when they recorded the track. You can save any public track to your account and follow it on your own adventure.  

Anyone can access public tracks in the app and on the web. But you’ll need a Gaia GPS Premium Membership or an Outside+ Membership to download them for use in areas without cell service. Want to contribute to the database of public tracks? You can choose to make your tracks public and make them available for others to access, too. 

Send Thousands of Trails Offroad Routes to Gaia GPS 

Thanks to a brand new partnership with Trails Offroad you can now send thousands of detailed offroad trail guides directly to your Gaia GPS account. This integration brought to you in February of 2021 lets you reap all the benefits of Trails Offroad’s hand curated trail guides on Gaia GPS. On the Trails Offroad site, get difficulty ratings for each trail, campsite locations, and waypoints for those must-see viewpoints and attractions along the way. When you’ve found the perfect route, simply press a button to deliver the route in a neat little folder to your Gaia GPS account.  

All you need to make this happen is a $25 Trails Offroad Membership plus a Gaia GPS Premium Membership or Outside+ Membership. Join both platforms today and get the best trail guides for your car camping adventures in 2022.  

Plan Routes on the Fly with New Offline Snap-to-Trail Trip Planning Tool

Straight-line route creation is so 2020. Jump into 2021 with our brand new offline snap-to-trail route planning tool. This means you can now create accurate routes on the fly, modify your plans from the road, and see the exact distance to the end of the trip while on the trail — even when you don’t have cell service.  

The gold standard for route planning, snap-to-trail mapping does all the heavy lifting for you. Choose your activity type and let our intelligent planning tool build the route in a matter of seconds. If you want to build a snap-to-trail route without cell service, just make sure you’ve downloaded the map and the offline routing data ahead of time. To access offline snap-to-trail planning and other offline navigation tools and maps, you’ll need a Gaia GPS Premium Membership or an Outside+ Membership. 

Avoid Wildfire Smoke with these New Smoke Forecast Maps 

Nothing ruins an awesome weekend adventure like smoky, gray skies. Now you can steer clear of wildfire smoke with our new Smoke Forecast maps. Smoke Forecast (today), Smoke Forecast (24h), and Smoke Forecast (48h) give you a sense of smoke levels all over the continental US for today, tomorrow, and an entire weekend.  

Whether you’re backpacking near a wildfire-ravaged area or overlanding thousands of miles away, get a quick and accurate sense of how much smoke blows over so you can circumvent the bad air and enjoy clear views. Access the Smoke Forecast maps with a Gaia GPS Premium Membership or an Outside+ Membership.  

Navigate Trails with Gaia GPS on your Apple Watch

Record a track, drop waypoints, and get turn-by-turn directions using Gaia GPS on your Apple Watch. In 2021, we totally redesigned the Gaia GPS Apple Watch app. Now you can turn your watch into a convenient backcountry navigation tool that works offline and independently of your phone. Use your Apple Watch to experience Gaia GPS’s signature navigation features even when you’re off the grid and far beyond the reach of cell service.

With Gaia GPS on your Apple Watch you can also collect trip details and health stats without having to interact with your phone. The watch will record your moving speed, elevation gain, distance travelled, and more when you use Gaia GPS to record your track. Gaia GPS also integrates with Apple Health to keep tabs on your heart rate, steps, and how many calories you burned on your latest adventure.

Whether heading out on a long trek or squeezing in an afternoon trail run, use your Apple Watch to navigate and record your adventure with Gaia GPS conveniently on your wrist. You’ll need a Gaia GPS Premium Membership or an Outside+ Membership to navigate routes offline.  

Gaia Topo: The World’s Best Adventure Map Got Even Better

Our cartographers rolled out a whole new version of our flagship map Gaia Topo, chock-full of ground-breaking updates. Gaia Topo now includes more than 150,000 miles of additional National Forest 4×4 roads and trails, brand new worldwide tree cover and relief shading, and point-to-point mileage markers that show distances between trail segments. Dovetailed with a complete overhaul to the map’s style and design, these improvements make Gaia Topo the best map for planning and navigating on your next backcountry adventure.

Best of all, these updates won’t compromise Gaia Topo’s bedrock feature — downloading efficiency. You can expect the same industry-leading download speeds and tiny sizes that you’re used to seeing from Gaia Topo’s revolutionary design. Whether you’re overlanding across multiple states, sightseeing in a vast national park, or backpacking across hundreds of miles of wilderness, you can still download one huge section of the Gaia Topo map to cover your entire journey.

Everyone can access Gaia Topo on the web and in the app. But you’ll need a Gaia GPS Premium Membership or an Outside+ Membership to download Gaia Topo for offline navigation in areas without cell service.  

Discover Old Homesteads and Ghost Towns with our New Historical Topo Maps 

Unlock the mystery of the past with our suite of historical topo maps in Gaia GPS. In 2021, we added the official USGS topographic maps from 1895 through 1990 so you can scout for old homesteads and find little known ghost towns by studying these old , historic maps. You’ll need a Gaia GPS Premium Membership or an Outside+ Membership to access our entire collection of historic topo maps. 

You can also go deeper into the history of an area by viewing the Native Lands map. Available for free in the Gaia GPS app and web map, the Native Lands map marks traditional Indigenous territories across the Americas, Australia, New Zealand, and, increasingly, worldwide. Learn more about the past, present, and future of Indigenous territories while planning a trip to a new area or adventuring near your backyard.

Gaia GPS Joined Forces with Outside in 2021

Perhaps the biggest news of the year is that Gaia GPS joined the Outside family in February 2021! This match made in heaven combines Gaia GPS’s best backcountry navigation features with leading outdoor journalism from our award-winning titles like Outside magazine, BACKPACKER, Trail Runner, SKI, Climbing, and more. Plus, our Outside+ membership get you unlimited access to adventure films from Outside TV and the complete Warren Miller collection. 

What does this mean as a Gaia GPS user? You can continue to use Gaia GPS just as you are now. Or you can access all the benefits of Gaia GPS Premium and Outside+ in one membership. Compare membership plans to decide which one works best for you.

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Get Worldwide 3D Maps on the Web with Gaia GPS

by Mary Cochenour
written by Mary Cochenour

Global 3D maps are now live on the web! Scope out new terrain, plan perfect routes, or dream the day away discovering all the world’s natural wonders in 3D mode on any map in Gaia GPS. Topo maps, satellite imagery, weather, and activity-specific maps can all be viewed in 3D mode at www.gaiagps.com/map/.

3D maps allow you to visualize every mile of your route in a realistic way. Just click the 3D button on the map, and watch the canyons plunge and the mountains pop into 3D objects that beg you to explore. Whether you’re backpacking, overlanding, or backcountry skiing, 3D maps will revolutionize the way you research and plan your next adventure.

Research the Terrain, Create Routes, and View Your Tracks on 3D Maps

All of Gaia GPS’s signature navigation and route planning tools can be used in 3D mode. Scour high-resolution satellite 3D maps to discover new backcountry skiing routes. Explore the best maps for overlanding in 3D mode. Check out your next hiking destination in 3D on Gaia Topo. No matter which map you select, the 3D vantage point gives you a new perspective of the landscape, giving away all its little secrets like slope steepness, impassable cliffs, and low-angle terrain.


Create a route in 3D mode so you can see every swell and dip of the land that you’ll encounter on your journey. Drop waypoints in places you’ll need to remember: trail junctions, water sources, planned campsites, and bail-out points.

Pull up your recorded tracks and relive your adventures on Gaia GPS’s high-resolution 3D satellite map. See all the hills you climbed and how much ground you covered on your track, and show your friends at home all the beautiful scenery you passed through.

You can always import GPX, KLM, and other files and data to your Gaia GPS account. And now you can view these files in 3D mode on the web to get a realistic view of the landscape.

How to Use 3D Map Controls to See all Sides of the Mountain

Toggle on 3D Maps

On www.gaiagps.com, pull up any map in the Gaia GPS catalog. Turn on 3D mode by tapping the “3D” button on the lower right-hand corner of the screen. In 3D mode, use the vertical toggle switch to adjust the pitch of the map. Adjusting the pitch allows you to view the map straight down from a bird’s eye view or sprawled out before you as if you are standing on a mountain top.

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Use Your Mouse and Keyboard to View Different Aspects on the 3D Map

Rotate the map so you can see all aspects of the terrain in 3D mode by holding down “control” on your keyboard and left-clicking and dragging the mouse. Another way you can orient the map is by holding down the “shift“ key and using your arrow keys to view different aspects of the map. The 3D map will adjust the bearing accordingly. Also, use the mouse controls to zoom in on the map and pan out for a larger view of the area.

Press the 2D button to return to two-dimensional maps.

Try This: Use 3D Maps to Help Learn How to Read Topo Maps

3D maps make it so easy to read the landscape, but they can’t be downloaded for offline use and shouldn’t be a replacement for knowing how to read topographical maps. However, 3D maps provide a great tool for practicing to read contour lines.

Challenge yourself by first looking at Gaia Topo in 2D mode. Pick out a feature on the map, like a mountain or canyon. See how many landscape features you can point out on the topo map. Look for ridges, gullies, couloirs, saddles, and peaks. Drop waypoints on the features you identified. Now switch the map to view in 3D satellite imagery. Check your work. Did the features check out? Were the slopes the pitch you predicted after studying the contour lines on the map?

Going back and forth between 2D maps and 3D maps is a great way to practice reading contour lines on a topo map.

3D Maps are Available to Everyone

View a limited number of 3D maps for free by creating an account at www.gaiagps.com. View the entire Gaia GPS map catalog, that’s hundreds of maps, in 3D mode with a Premium Membership. With a premium membership, you can layer multiple maps on top of each other on the screen, and view them all at once in 3D mode with just a single click of the 3D button.

3D maps cannot be downloaded for offline use.

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Man looking at a map in Gaia GPS on his phone
Gaia GPSHow-ToNewsletter

How Learning Navigation Skills Can Make you More Confident Outdoors

by Corey Buhay
written by Corey Buhay

Forget learning how to start a fire or tie a bowline knot: The first step to feeling more confident outdoors is learning how to read a map.

When most of your outings are with a group, a designated trip leader, or your significant other, it’s easy to fall into step and let someone else take the lead on navigation. That can be great when you’re just starting out. But after a while, you might start to feel left out of some of the decision-making, or like you wouldn’t know what to do or where to go in case of an emergency. Self-doubt can creep in.

That lack of confidence can keep you from really getting the most out of your experiences outdoors. In time, it can hold you back from planning your own trips, or chiming in when you have an opinion about what direction the trip should take.

Next time you go out, take a deep breath, step forward, and ask to be the one to hold the map. It can be scary, but taking that one step will benefit you for the rest of your life. Trust me.

Learning outdoor navigation skills is the secret to unlocking all the empowering benefits hiking and backpacking have to offer, and to being more confident outdoors

Case Study: What Happens When a Beginner Takes the Lead

When I started backpacking, my biggest goal was to go unnoticed.

My first real trip was a short weekend loop in Grayson Highlands State Park, Virginia, with a couple of friends from my college chemistry class. I loved every minute of it—the sunshine, the stars, the wild ponies roaming the hills—but I spent most of the weekend my head down. I was too focused on keeping up with the boys to absorb much knowledge. Sure, I was in good shape, but they had more experience and sleeker gear. I felt out of my element.

That weekend, I learned about white-gas stoves, but I let someone else light them. I learned about topo lines, but definitely didn’t volunteer to try reading them. I didn’t want my friends to realize how little I knew. And I didn’t want to fail in front of all the people I looked up to. It took me a full year of backpacking—about a dozen more trips—before I realized that I didn’t know how to light a fire, and I’d never been the one holding the map.

Then one day our group’s usual leader bowed out of a trip. I found myself as the next-most experienced member. Suddenly, everyone was looking to me.

Leading the way across a chilly stream crossing in Shenandoah National Park. Photo courtesy of Lila Fleishman.

I spent a night poring over the maps, figuring out where the water sources and campsites were. And then, when we started hiking, I felt that everything had changed. For once wasn’t terrified of falling behind, because if I did, I’d know exactly where I was.

When bad weather started to roll in, I wasn’t worried. The map showed me where to find intermediate campsites in case we had to stop early. I knew whether the next road crossing would make a good bailout point, and whether I had enough water to skip a fill-up.

This time, I wasn’t hiking with my head down. I didn’t have time to worry about keeping up: I was too busy looking for mile markers and signposts, and the next good view.

The author and friends watch the sunset from an overlook in Shenandoah. Photo courtesy of Lila Fleishman.

Why You Should Be the One Holding the Map

1) Your input matters.

For safety reasons, it’s advisable for all members of the group—regardless of experience level—to know the plan. That way everyone can provide input and voice concerns equally. Putting too much trust in one person’s expertise—a phenomenon known as the “expert halo”—can be just as dangerous as putting a total beginner in charge. Never underestimate your own instincts.

2) Emergencies happen.

If the trip leader gets sick or injured, it might fall to you to find a way out. The best way to get a firm grasp of where you are and where you’re going is to take a turn with the map or GPS. There’s no better way to learn than by doing.

3) The outdoor world needs more kinds of leaders.

Outdoor leaders come in all shapes and sizes, but historically, in mixed-gender groups, the more experienced hiker or backpacker is often male. In mixed-ethnicity groups, that leader is often white.

If you’re a woman or another person from an underrepresented background, we need you. One way to fight the outdoors gender gap or diversity gap, get more diverse people educating diverse people, and make sure those around you are gaining the confidence they need, is to take the lead yourself. Step up and learn how to navigate, and you’ll be able to start planning your own trips and mentor others in the outdoors.

An all-ladies backpacking trip the author helped plan shortly after her successful trip to Shenandoah. Photo courtesy of Panayiota Boutis.

Navigation Tips for Beginner Backpackers

Navigation is the one skill every backpacker should know. It puts you in charge of your itinerary, and improves your peace of mind. Plus, it gives you confidence that you’ll always be able to find what you need—and find your way home.

1) Learn how to read a topo map and use a compass.

Ask someone you know to teach you. You can learn a lot online, but there’s no substitute for hands-on instruction. It can be helpful to ask your friend for a one-on-one lesson on a day hike so you don’t feel rushed or put on the spot.

Another good alternative is to look for a class near you. Gear shops, local outdoors clubs, and guiding services often offer inexpensive navigation classes.

2) Download a GPS navigation app.

Using a map and compass is a must-have skill, and it’s always smart to bring them as backup and know how to use them.

However, modern GPS technology, which you can find in your smartphone, can show you your exact location on a digital map. Even better: GPS navigation apps like Gaia GPS work even when you’re offline and out of service. They’re a great resource to have for everyday navigation. They can also be invaluable for finding your way in emergencies.

3) Plan your next trip.

It doesn’t matter if it’s a day hike or a week-long backpacking trip: You should be the one to plan it. Do some research, find a trail you’re excited about, and sit down to plan your route. Take charge of the whole trip, from your driveway, to the trailhead, and back again. You might mess up, but as long as you take proper safety precautions and an experienced buddy, it’s okay.

It’s okay to miss a turn, or get flustered, or take a really long time to decipher the map. Taking ownership of a trip is invaluable, both for your confidence and your skill development. And you’ll learn way more from trying and failing than from never trying at all.


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computer screen displaying Gaia Topo map
Gaia GPS

All New Gaia Topo: The Best Backcountry Map Just Got Even Better

by Mary Cochenour
written by Mary Cochenour

Gaia Topo, the world’s best backcountry navigation map, just got even better! Today, we rolled out a whole new version of our flagship map, chock-full of ground-breaking updates. Gaia Topo now includes more than 150,000 miles of additional National Forest 4×4 roads and trails, brand new worldwide tree cover and relief shading, and point-to-point mileage markers that show distances between trail segments. Dovetailed with a complete overhaul to the map’s style and design, these improvements make Gaia Topo the best map for planning and navigating on your next backcountry adventure.

Best of all, these updates won’t compromise Gaia Topo’s bedrock feature — downloading efficiency. You can expect the same industry-leading download speeds and tiny sizes that you’re used to seeing from Gaia Topo’s revolutionary design. Whether you’re overlanding across multiple states, sightseeing in a vast national park, or backpacking across hundreds of miles of wilderness, you can still download one huge section of the Gaia Topo map to cover your entire journey.

More than 150,000 Miles of Additional 4×4 Roads and Trails

Gaia Topo now has more 4×4 roads and trail networks than ever before. Create new hiking loops and link up endless miles of dirt roads with the addition of 150,000+ miles of USFS 4×4 roads and trails on the map. The new roads and trails connect seamlessly with existing ones on the map so you can build custom routes using Gaia GPS’s signature snap-to-trail planning tools. This update gives you a more complete picture of USFS roads and trails, letting you explore deeper into forest lands across the U.S.

Get Point-to-Point Mileage Markers on 4×4 Road and Trail Segments

No more guessing how far it is to the next trail junction. Gaia Topo now displays distances between all non-urban trails and 4×4 road segments to the nearest tenth of a mile or kilometer. These new point-to-point distance markers take the guesswork out of trip planning in the field. Simply glance at the map to get an accurate distance on 4×4 road and trail segments all around the world.

Use Gaia Topo (Meters) to get the same great mapping experience but with distances shown in kilometers and contours displayed in meters.

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See Landscape Details with Shaded Relief on the Map

Mountains, valleys, plateaus, and canyons come to life with our brand new shaded relief feature on Gaia Topo. Built in-house, the new shaded relief adds depth to landscape features, letting you get a quick read on the terrain with just a glance at the map. Get tons of useful information about the earth’s surface from this new version of Gaia Topo, so you’ll know what to expect on your next backcountry adventure.

Find the Alpine with New Tree Cover Shading

Whether you’re backcountry skiing, overlanding to new heights, or hiking over mountain passes, you’ll be able to quickly spot the alpine with Gaia Topo’s new tree cover shading. The new tree cover shading shows you areas on the map that lie above treeline. Use Gaia Topo to find protected campsites under the forest canopy and get a sense of where you’ll be exposed to the elements on your next adventure anywhere in the world.

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The new tree cover shading also distinguishes vegetation types. Subtle, verdant coloring on the map signifies mature forests, while a greenish-brown color depicts young, sparse forests and shrubs. Areas without shading indicate a lack of sizeable vegetation and could indicate grassy meadows, fields of talus, slick rock, sandy deserts, and more.

Trails, 4×4 Roads, Urban Streets, and Recreation Amenities Stand Out on the Map

New styling improvements give Gaia Topo a clean and crisp appearance that call attention to the map’s most important features. Find 4×4 roads and trails in a flash with a new emphasis on styling that makes these features pop on the map. The new updates also make transportation and recreational opportunities on public lands come into focus sooner so you won’t miss important stops along the way. Plus, new styling helps distinguish land ownership, making it easier to see if you’re on public or private lands.

The upgrades don’t stop at the city limits either. Urban areas now emphasize main thoroughfares and city streets, making it easier than ever to find your way from your driveway to the trailhead. The map showcases urban amenities, too. Gas stations and resupply spots stand out on the map as you roll into town after a long trip.

With style improvements to both road and trail features, Gaia Topo is the gold standard map for both urban and backcountry settings.

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Gaia Topo is Available to Everyone

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

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

The new version of Gaia Topo appears automatically on the map. However, if you’ve downloaded previous versions of Gaia Topo, you will need to download the map again to see the updates on your offline map. You’ll be reminded to download the latest version when you open the “Saved” tab in the Gaia GPS app. Look for a prompt at the bottom of the screen, letting you know that a new version of Gaia Topo is available.

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A screenshot of the Historic Topo 1900 map on gaiagps.com shows archival map footage of Leadville, Colorado. There are multiple train lines running into the downtown.
Gaia GPSNew Maps

See a Snapshot of the Past With Historical Topo Maps

by Abby Levene
written by Abby Levene

Go back in time with the newly updated Historic Topo maps. Join experts in using these maps to research areas steeped in history. See how your hometown has changed. Search for undiscovered historic sites. Or turn any hike into a walk through the past with this quilt of scanned archival maps. Enjoy higher image quality plus more coverage of the continental United States, Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico thanks to fresh updates to these layers.

Two map sources provide two different periods of history to examine: the Historic Topo 1900 shows digitized historic topographic maps from 1885 to 1915. The Historic Topo 1930 shows digitized USGS topo maps from around 1930.

Preserving the Past through Patented Digitization

Scientists, historians, environmentalists, genealogists, and others researching a particular area use these Historic Topo maps to aid in their work. Use these historic maps to see snapshots of the country’s physical and cultural features at a particular time. Or compare maps to see how an area has evolved.

These maps come from The National Map’s Historical Topographic Map Collection (HTMC). HTMC maps are published in Portable Document Format (PDF) with geospatial extensions (GeoPDF®), patented by TerraGo Technologies. In 2011, USGS released these high-resolution scans of more than 178,000 historical topographic maps of the United States. Now you can easily access them at home on gaiagps.com or in the field on your iOS or Android device.

Historic Topo 1900 shows the first telegraph line from Brest, France to Duxbury, MA.

Two Historic Topo Maps Document 1885-1930

Gaia GPS offers two topo map layers from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Historic Topo 1900 shows digitized historic topographic maps from the continental United States and Hawaii from 1885 to 1915. Use this layer to get a sense of the US from the time the Dakotas were ratified as states (1889) to Arizona (1912). You can now enjoy roughly 150 million acres in new coverage.

Historic Topo 1930 shows digitized USGS topo maps for the continental United States and Hawaii, circa 1930. See what the US looked like at the dawn of the Great Depression. Explore 190 million acres in new coverage with this updated map.

Map scales for both layers include 24k, 31,680, 48k, 62,500, 96k, 125k, 192k, and 250k. When multiple maps covers the same area, maps get stacked upon each other until you zoom further into a particular area.

Take a Walk Through Time

A gif shows maps from 1900, 1930, and present day of San Fransisco. Notably, the Golden Gate bridge is missing from the first two.
Historic maps show how San Fransisco has changed over the past century.

Use the historical maps to see bygone features, and get to know an area in a whole new way.

  • Download a map for your area to see old rail road lines, street names, town lines.
  • Pair Historic Topo maps with your favorite base layer, such as the Gaia Topo, to get your bearings.
  • Toggle between current maps like Gaia Topo and these historic map layers to quickly compare and contrast how an area has changed.
  • Find overgrown stone foundations and settlements.
  • Discover old bridle and carriage paths, which may still be passable.
  • See old telegraph lines running under the ocean.
  • Use these maps to help on treasure hunts.

Remember to be mindful of who’s land you are on. You can check land ownership using the Public Land (US) and Private Land (US) map layers. You can also learn more about the history of an area by viewing the Native Lands map.

How to Get the Historical Topo Maps

The Historical Topo maps are available with a Premium Membership. To add these maps to your Gaia GPS app, open the app, tap the layers icon, and select “Add map layers.” Go to “United States” and select the Historical Topo 1900 and/or Historical Topo 1930.

To add these maps to your Gaia GPS account on the web, go to gaiagps.com/map. Click the layers icon, and select “Add map layers.” Go to “United States” and select the Historical Topo 1900 and/or Historical Topo 1930.

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