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Google + GIS National Forest Recreation Map


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Home Forums General Forums General Lightweight Backpacking Discussion Google + GIS National Forest Recreation Map

Viewing 6 posts - 1 through 6 (of 6 total)
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  • #3500487
    Joseph Elfelt
    BPL Member

    @jelff

    Below is a link for a Google + GIS map that I produced as a public service and part of my way to “pay it forward”. The map can display 20+ overlay layers that show trails, campgrounds, open roads, closed roads and other recreation-related features in the national forests.

    The data for the trails and other overlays is hosted on federal GIS (Geographical Information System) servers and is the most authoritative data available.

    You will automatically see a touch interface on mobile devices and a mouse interface on non-mobile devices.

    To see the map legend, learn how to turn the overlay layers on/off and get other information to help you get the most benefit from the map, please click “Map Tips” in the upper left corner of the map.

    If you click the top layer then you will see a display with all the attribute data the GIS server has for thing that you clicked. Don’t know what “top layer” means? Please read the map tips.

    When the map opens the trail data is the top layer and therefore can be clicked. The trail attributes include mileage data. A good way to change the map to your location is to click Menu ==> Search. A search bar will open above the map.

    To change the basemap to high resolution topos, change the basemap to “t4 CalTopo Hi-res”.

    Even if you do not read anything else, you will understand the trail data a whole lot better if you click the “Map Tips” link, scroll to the bottom of that page and then click the button titled “About trail data”.

    Map link: https://mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4.php?ll=47.423543,-121.550976&z=14&t=h,Trail_yellow,Trail_class&q=https://mappingsupport.com/p/special_maps/recreation/USFS_recreation.txt

    Map link short version: https://goo.gl/nxiP8u

    #3500617
    Alex Wallace
    BPL Member

    @feetfirst

    Locale: Sierra Nevada North

    Cool – thanks!

    #3500861
    Stinson 108
    BPL Member

    @stinson108

    WOW! Thanks for this.

    #3500903
    Mario Caceres
    BPL Member

    @mariocaceres

    Locale: San Francisco

    Thank you.  I have been using Caltopo for several years.  Something that your maps have and caltopo doesn’t is the layer with Snow Depth / Water Content.  I’ll definitely will be following that as winter comes in and I start to plan my snowshoeing outings.  Thank you again.

    #3502009
    Jacob
    BPL Member

    @jakeyjohn1

    Wow! Thank you so much!

    Would it be possible to add links on your donation page to help support the public government servers that are hosting this data?

    #3502022
    Joseph Elfelt
    BPL Member

    @jelff

    Nice idea.

    I would suggest a donation to the National Forest Foundation

    https://www.nationalforests.org/donate/give

    You could include a note expressing gratitude to the USFS for providing this open data.

Viewing 6 posts - 1 through 6 (of 6 total)
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