Best Overland Trail Map site or app?

[janders]

Seems like I’m not alone in thinking Gaia is the reigning champ.
Especially now with their partnership with TrailsOffroad

This was 100% true the date this was posted. Post-acquisition by Outside Online, maybe not so much. Whatever condition Gaia is in right now is likely the place it's going to be in for a long time. I'm guessing you won't see much change on that platform. Defects are going unfixed for months. Clunky user experiences are unchanged for years. It really sucks because I invested a lot of time building a dataset in Gaia.

If I was starting over today, I'd avoid Gaia and go with OnX or OB1. Both of those platforms feel like they will be growing over the next couple years. I don't get the sense they've caught up to Gaia yet but it won't take long for them to pass the reigning champ.

 

[Dusther210]

Seems like I’m not alone in thinking Gaia is the reigning champ.
Especially now with their partnership with TrailsOffroad

This was 100% true the date this was posted. Post-acquisition by Outside Online, maybe not so much. Whatever condition Gaia is in right now is likely the place it's going to be in for a long time. I'm guessing you won't see much change on that platform. Defects are going unfixed for months. Clunky user experiences are unchanged for years. It really sucks because I invested a lot of time building a dataset in Gaia.

If I was starting over today, I'd avoid Gaia and go with OnX or OB1. Both of those platforms feel like they will be growing over the next couple years. I don't get the sense they've caught up to Gaia yet but it won't take long for them to pass the reigning champ.

I agree 100%

 

[pcstockton]

My subscription lapsed about the time that Gaia introduced the new overlanding layer. My problem with Gaia and its layers is that one layer is always the most visible. So then I decrease its opacity and end up being able to see more layers at the cost of all visible layers being "washed out". IMO a single layer with lots of diverse data is better than multiple washed out layers. I know folks who disagree with that and that is ok, but I find that while driving I can only glance at the map and I want it to be vibrant, bright and crystal clear.

You do not HAVE to use multiple layers.

 

[Michael]

Hi you guys - yes, additional layers are planned in near term sprint - but the list below is by no means all we are doing - and we will be working closely with the community to add additional layers. Did I say we are developing rapidly? :D and with such a great community to give feedback- it's gonna be awesome.

The current push is for route planning - and its pretty polished now. I held it for Route sharing and offline-saving. I know for me personally - that is the next thing I will want! So when route planning comes out - you can save for offline use, and share in some fashion. Still working that out.

Curious about the Overland Layer, and specifically what is liked - ours should be better - after all, we are all about overlanding.

Thanks all!

Straight from the backlog:

 

[zgfiredude]

I am going out tomorrow locally for a few hours.....I intend to try multiple platforms and the CarPlay connectivity and see what my wife and I like/don't like....I have been informed that we need to have that displayed at all times!

 

[Ubiety]

You do not HAVE to use multiple layers.

Gaia‘s new overlanding map came out about the same time that my subscrIption lapsed so I cannot comment on that. But in my experience in order to get anything close to what OB1 or onX offers for maps then multiple layers are necessary. My opinion is that gaia‘s layering/opacity is a far cry from the unified map offered by OB1 or onX.

 

[Ragman]

For research I use trailsoffroad.com. I enjoy seeing videos and reading descriptions to gauge if its what I am looking for in a trip. I download the .gpx files and upload to GAIA on my laptop. Once uploaded, it syncs to my tablet which I use for offroad mapping.

I agree with Trailsoffroad.com if you are looking for information on specific trails by geography. Their descriptions and photos have been very helpful. Not competing with GAIA (or OB1/OnX) in my mind, complimentary would be a better word.

 

[sebm]

Thanks for that!
Current fires is something important to me too and a layer I consult during planning and pre-trip

I personally use Watch Duty to get updates on fires.
A layer for current fires and past fires (to know if an area is burnt-out and will smell smoke) would be handy in the app itself, I agree.

 

[AT4OB]

I’ve strictly used onX for all my route planning and tracking so far and it hasn’t let me down.

 

[P8trit]

I had onX for 2 years, switched to Gaia a year ago but as of a month ago I now have both. OnX is great for finding public/popular trails but Gaia is so much better for routing and finding those off grid routes.

 

[CampDads]

I have premium subscriptions for GaiaGPS, OnX, TrailsOffRoad and AllTrails. They each serve a different purpose for me, but overlap a lot.

For all route planning and in-motion tracking, I use GaiaGPS as it is the most feature packed. (That can be overwhelming for some) Also, the automatic route offline map feature is good for space saving on devices (I have it loaded and synced on all my vehicle head units, iPads and phones)

For trail discovery, I use TrailsOffRoad for the depth and detail of the trails by the Trail Team members. All Trails is good for finding trails that other recreational users may have logged.

For property lines and other info, I’ll use OnX. OnX has improved over the past couple years including the planning tools, but still has room for improvement.

 

[Ubiety]

I have premium subscriptions for GaiaGPS, OnX, TrailsOffRoad and AllTrails. They each serve a different purpose for me, but overlap a lot.

For all route planning and in-motion tracking, I use GaiaGPS as it is the most feature packed. (That can be overwhelming for some) Also, the automatic route offline map feature is good for space saving on devices (I have it loaded and synced on all my vehicle head units, iPads and phones)

For trail discovery, I use TrailsOffRoad for the depth and detail of the trails by the Trail Team members. All Trails is good for finding trails that other recreational users may have logged.

For property lines and other info, I’ll use OnX. OnX has improved over the past couple years including the planning tools, but still has room for improvement.

i'm in the same boat, in fact I usually am running OB1, onX and Gaia concurrently while out adventuring as each has their place for me. You did not mention OB1 and I think that it is worth a try; it has become my favorite app for following a pre-planned route. In fact I am looking forward to coming out of my long winter dormancy and playing with OB1 and experiencing firsthand the long list of fixes and improvements that occurred during my long winter hibernation. One of the things that OB1 has above all others is that @Michael and the dev team want to listen, want to make things better (and does so regularly) and are very responsive.

 

[CampDads]

i'm in the same boat, in fact I usually am running OB1, onX and Gaia concurrently while out adventuring as each has their place for me. You did not mention OB1 and I think that it is worth a try; it has become my favorite app for following a pre-planned route. In fact I am looking forward to coming out of my long winter dormancy and playing with OB1 and experiencing firsthand the long list of fixes and improvements. One of the things that OB1 has above all others is that @Michael and the dev team want to listen, want to make things better (and do so regularly) and are very responsive.

Noted - yeah, I just came back to using OB1 as an app, but there are other areas of the app and all around platform/integrations that could use more attention to keep the community using it regularly. I will give it a try, but for following routes or previous tracks, I have found GaiaGPS to be the best for that. OnX is a pain in that you can either view routes OR record tracks, no switching or simultaneous overlay.

One of the issues I guess I have is coming more from the off-road world, especially out west, here on OB1 trails/routes just seem more mild, but not sure if that's because of geography (I'm now out east) or just more 'overland' travel. Either way, I'll look more into it ;)

 

[Michael]

I have premium subscriptions for GaiaGPS, OnX, TrailsOffRoad and AllTrails. They each serve a different purpose for me, but overlap a lot.

For all route planning and in-motion tracking, I use GaiaGPS as it is the most feature packed. (That can be overwhelming for some) Also, the automatic route offline map feature is good for space saving on devices (I have it loaded and synced on all my vehicle head units, iPads and phones)

For trail discovery, I use TrailsOffRoad for the depth and detail of the trails by the Trail Team members. All Trails is good for finding trails that other recreational users may have logged.

For property lines and other info, I’ll use OnX. OnX has improved over the past couple years including the planning tools, but still has room for improvement.

i'm in the same boat, in fact I usually am running OB1, onX and Gaia concurrently while out adventuring as each has their place for me. You did not mention OB1 and I think that it is worth a try; it has become my favorite app for following a pre-planned route. In fact I am looking forward to coming out of my long winter dormancy and playing with OB1 and experiencing firsthand the long list of fixes and improvements that occurred during my long winter hibernation. One of the things that OB1 has above all others is that @Michael and the dev team want to listen, want to make things better (and does so regularly) and are very responsive.

Absolutely! It is our fuel! We’re building OB1 for this community! There are big chunks to do, but we’ll get there.

 

[Michael]

i'm in the same boat, in fact I usually am running OB1, onX and Gaia concurrently while out adventuring as each has their place for me. You did not mention OB1 and I think that it is worth a try; it has become my favorite app for following a pre-planned route. In fact I am looking forward to coming out of my long winter dormancy and playing with OB1 and experiencing firsthand the long list of fixes and improvements. One of the things that OB1 has above all others is that @Michael and the dev team want to listen, want to make things better (and do so regularly) and are very responsive.

Noted - yeah, I just came back to using OB1 as an app, but there are other areas of the app and all around platform/integrations that could use more attention to keep the community using it regularly. I will give it a try, but for following routes or previous tracks, I have found GaiaGPS to be the best for that. OnX is a pain in that you can either view routes OR record tracks, no switching or simultaneous overlay.

One of the issues I guess I have is coming more from the off-road world, especially out west, here on OB1 trails/routes just seem more mild, but not sure if that's because of geography (I'm now out east) or just more 'overland' travel. Either way, I'll look more into it ;)

Please let us know if big blockers specifically @Corrie, I and the dev team will be very responsive.