longtrailsmap.net

Longtrailsmap.net FAQ

Q: Can I have a copy of the GPS file for a particular trail?

A: For routes where the license permits redistribution, download links are on the 'To Do' list. However, some GPS data has been made available to LongTrailsMap on the condition that it be made available only in map form, and not available for direct download. Note that most of the GPS info on LTM is crowdsourced (and so precision is unconfirmed), can be several years out of date, and, sometimes, is slightly adjusted for presentation purposes. For these and other reasons, it is not suitable for use in navigation, and should be used only for inspirational and entertainment purposes.

Q: How do you decide what trails to include on the map?

A: The following criteria are general guidelines, though there are some exceptions.

The trail...

...is at least 50 miles long.
...involves minimal road walks.
...is mostly completed.
...is mostly in wild areas with natural earth for trail surface.
...is primarily a hiking trail and is designed for foot traffic.
...can be completed without substantial mountaineering skills or pack rafting.
...is not under regulations that require hiking with guides.

Q: Where can I find more information about long trails?

A: Check out OpenLongTrails.org and the following sites:

American Long Distance Hiking Association - West
Caltopo.com.
Gaiagps.com
Hiking.waymarkedtrails.org
Hikingproject.com
Natural Atlas
NRTDatabase.org Be sure to use their awesome search feature. For example, here are the results for all backcountry and nature trails that are at least 100 miles long.
The individual sites of the agencies that steward the trails. Most long trails have their management agency listed on LongTrailsWiki.
Traildino
Wikiloc
Wikipedia articles such as Long Distance Trails in the United States, List of Long Distance Footpaths, and others.
Outdooractive.com (Europe)

A Google search for the name of a particular trail and one of these sites -- i.e., "pacific crest trail caltopo" -- will often provide helpful results.

Q: What technology do you use in developing the site?

A: LongTrailsMap uses Mapbox GL JS and a bit of jQuery, and consists of static pages served from S3. The map is hosted by Mapbox.com courtesy of the awesome Mapbox Community Program, and uses Mapbox's proprietary tilesets. QGIS, JOSM, Caltopo.com, and GPSVisualizer.com are the main tools used to process the GPS data for presentation.