If you would like to collect and submit your track data to the project, please follow these pointers so that your effort can be as useful as possible: This does not just mean major hiking trails, but any other data that you think would be helpful to our geocaching and hiking community: neighborhood paved trails, logging roads that don't appear on Garmin's maps, etc. Since data of this accuracy is hard to come by from government and other agencies, and I cannot possibly get out there and hike all of the trails of the Northwest (although I'd like ot try!), that's where you come in! Any track data you can supply is needed and most appreciated, and will be integrated into the Northwest Trails mapset for everyone to use.
![pacific northwest trail map pacific northwest trail map](https://167711ccl8c1h52gskq8wcd6-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Section-Maps-X-768x535.jpg)
The real heart of that data is tracks recorded out in the field with GPS. The core of Northwest Trails is the data. Installation and use of these maps is at your own risk! The author(s) are not responsible for any inaccuracies and no responsibility is assumed for damages or other liabilities due to the accuracy, availability, use or misuse of the data presented. Now I need to give the customary disclaimer: These maps are to be used for reference purposes only. In general, you should use the maps cautiously and expect that the data to be off for any given trail. In addition, in order to help "flesh out" the data, I incorporated GIS data from various sources including the National Forest Service, various county agencies, and even maps that I found online. Of course GPS reception can vary, collection methods can differ among individuals, etc. Areas close to where I live that I have spent months working on, such as Tiger Mountain, Cougar Mountain, Soaring Eagle Park, etc., are quite good. The accuracy of the data used to create Northwest Trails varies greatly. To switch between mapsets (if more than one has been loaded to your GPS) simply toggle the hide/show settings for the desired mapsets on your receiver. This means that if you want Northwest Trails to overlay City Navigator maps, for example, you will need to upload the chosen City Navigator maps along with Northwest Trails all at once. It is important to note that when you upload maps to your receiver, the existing mapset on the unit will be deleted. The Northwest Trails mapset should overlay any other mapset present on your GPS unit. Within MapSource a new mapset product entitled "Northwest Trails" will be available in the Product drop down selection list (or from the View | Switch to Product menu option).
#PACIFIC NORTHWEST TRAIL MAP INSTALL#
This program will install the map files and register the mapset with MapSource. Once you have downloaded it, unzip the file and then execute the mapset installer.
#PACIFIC NORTHWEST TRAIL MAP DOWNLOAD#
The intent is, over time, for the coverage to expand to include thorough coverage of all trails located in the Pacific Northwest.įirst, visit the Northwest Trails web page and download the latest version of the mapset from there. The mapset currently covers the states of Washington, Idaho, Oregon, Montana, Wyoming and Alaska along with some data for British Columbia.
![pacific northwest trail map pacific northwest trail map](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/45/5d/e3/455de3eada29b5643774886c9f628382.jpg)
![pacific northwest trail map pacific northwest trail map](https://i2.wp.com/www.pnt.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Pacific-Northwest-Trail-Overview-Map.jpg)
For one, no GPS can accommodate more than a few tracks at a time. I always would upload tracks to my GPS to help navigate the routes that I wanted to follow, but there are problems with using the data this way. In short, the Northwest Trails Project is a community effort to record and collect GPS data for trails in the Pacific Northwest and use that data to create a publicly-available custom mapset that can be uploaded to any map-enabled Garmin GPS.Ĭollecting and recording trail data for use on GPS is a labor of love that I have been working on for years.