I found a new site that is free and no-ads that allows you to browse topo maps. I've started the process of adding a "Topo Map" link to all of the trail pages where the trail appears on the map. For the pages that already had a topo map of the trail, I've left that as well, since they typically had a GPS route on them as well. I figure more info is better, but having a topo map for all the trails is a nice addition I think. They did a nice job with the site. Here is a PDF file explaining how it works. There are a lot of options.
Just need to add that they have used old data and there will be inaccuracies. Riverside, for instance, shows the ghost trail on the other side of the river.
Peoples GPS tracks are generally more accurate than the Topos, new and old.
Donovan
It is a good reminder about the maps not being correct. I find it interesting how some of them are WAY off, and some are very accurate.
A cool feature of this new service is that if you have the GPS track available on a web server somewhere, you can overlay it in those maps. Over time, hopefully we can overlay the actual trail track on the maps, making them even more useful. And hopefully we can get GPS tracks for the trails that are not on the current topo maps. I think I've counted 7 or 8 trails that are not on the current topo maps. I've got GPS tracks for some of them, but some (like Fish Creek Mtn), I haven't done since I've had my GPS.
I'm thinking it would be a nice thing to add at some point a respository of GPS tracks. Maybe we could add that as a link on the trail pages as well. Just thinking out loud....
As an addition to this, I have a favor to ask anyone who has a GPS - If you have a GPS track of any of the trails listed here, could you send it to webmaster@trailadvocate.org? Even if it is not a complete track of the trail, it would be helpful.
The idea is to have a library of GPS tracks for each of the trails that could be downloaded and also overlaid on maps to get an accurate representation of where the trails actually go. It will also help for the few trails that do not appear on current maps.
I've completed uploading and linking all of the GPS tracks that I have found. As of today, there are 25 GPS tracks, almost all of them complete for a given trail. A couple are only partials, but better a partial than nothing.
Here is a list of the GPS tracks that have been uploaded. For these, the Topo maps will show the track overlaid on the map and a link will be provided to download the .GPX track file.
- BattleAxCreekTrail
- BatyButteComplete
- BuckLakeTrail
- CacheMeadowTrail
- ClackamasRiverTrail
- CottonwoodMeadowsTrail
- CrippleCreekTrail
- DickeyCreekTrail-Partial
- DoublePeaksTrail1
- DryRidgeTrail
- ElkLakeCreekTrail
- FantonTrail
- GeronimoTrail
- GrousePointTrail-Partial
- MemalooseLakeSouthForkMtnTrail
- MotherLodeTrail
- PotatoButteTrail
- PyramidLakeTrail
- RedLakeTrail-Partial
- TimberLakeTrail
- TopLakeTrail
- TwinLakesTrail
- WelcomeLakesTrail-Partial
- WestLakeWayTrail
- WhetstoneMountainTrail
Again, if anyone has any GPS tracks for trails not listed, please email them to webmaster@trailadvocate.org and we will post them here for others to use.