WhiteBlaze Pages 2024
A Complete Appalachian Trail Guidebook.
AVAILABLE NOW. $4 for interactive PDF(smartphone version)
Read more here WhiteBlaze Pages Store

Results 1 to 16 of 16
  1. #1
    GSMNP 900 Miler
    Join Date
    02-25-2007
    Location
    Birmingham, AL
    Age
    57
    Posts
    4,861
    Journal Entries
    1
    Images
    5

    Default Some GSMNP Trails in Street View

    Many years ago, Google ridged up a set of "Street View" cameras for back packs and loaded some of the Grand Canyon National Park trails into Street View (starting with South Kiabab Trail and Bright Angel Trail).

    I didn't realize they had used that technology in GSMNP.

    The trail to Clingmans Dome has been added to street view. They went all the way up to and circled the observation tower:
    https://www.google.com/maps/@35.5629...7i13312!8i6656

    Other places I can find Street View:
    • Deep Creek Trail - Where the tubers walk
    • Oconaluftee River Trail
    • Parts of Little Cataloochee Trail - Mt Sterling Road to Cook Log Cabin


    I've now just "discovered" something "new" in Google Maps... Photo Sphere.
    When you drag the Street View man onto the map, the imaged roads and trails are outlined in blue.
    But there are also lots of blue circles (called Photo Sphere) where Street View has loaded a 360º view from that spot. Spots include some of the popular day-hike destinations, such as Charlies Bunion. Some are back country camp sites, and others seem to be random spots along the trails in GSMNP.

    Some of these

  2. #2
    Registered User Hikes in Rain's Avatar
    Join Date
    10-14-2005
    Location
    Georgia Mountains
    Age
    69
    Posts
    2,196
    Images
    23

    Default

    Well, there goes my day!

  3. #3

    Default

    This past summer I met a SOBO in the hundred mile hiking with a helmet and 360 view camera on his head. He was thru hiking for Google. It took pics every 30 seconds. He could only hike on good weather days and planned to zero in all bad weather.

    So it’s coming. As a tech. geek and hiker I have mixed feelings on this stuff.

  4. #4
    GSMNP 900 Miler
    Join Date
    02-25-2007
    Location
    Birmingham, AL
    Age
    57
    Posts
    4,861
    Journal Entries
    1
    Images
    5

    Default

    Here's one of the original news stories when they photographed the Grand Canyon.
    https://www.google.com/intl/en-GB/ma.../grand-canyon/

    I noticed my Google Pixel Camera App has a "Photo Sphere" mode. I'm thinking not all these Photo Sphere images in the park were done by Google... but instead were images submitted to Google.

  5. #5
    Registered User
    Join Date
    04-04-2016
    Location
    Atlanta, Georgia
    Posts
    116

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by HooKooDooKu View Post
    I noticed my Google Pixel Camera App has a "Photo Sphere" mode. I'm thinking not all these Photo Sphere images in the park were done by Google... but instead were images submitted to Google.
    They are. Here's one of mine from Gregory Bald.

    When you are in Maps on a laptop / desktop, the picture bar that pops up at the bottom is populated from images shared by users of the Google Photos app.

    When viewing a photo in Google photos on your phone, click sharing and "Add to Maps" should appear as an option.

  6. #6
    GSMNP 900 Miler
    Join Date
    02-25-2007
    Location
    Birmingham, AL
    Age
    57
    Posts
    4,861
    Journal Entries
    1
    Images
    5

    Default

    Already saw that picture...
    Gregory Bald is one of my favorite places in GSMNP, and campsite #13 is my favorite campsite... So looking for a picture from Gregory Bald was one of the first places I looked once I realized these Photo Spheres were in the park.

  7. #7
    Registered User Wheezy's Avatar
    Join Date
    09-30-2015
    Location
    Creedmoor, North Carolina
    Posts
    44

    Default

    I’ve added several pics of the backcountry sites to Google Maps. I like being able to look at a campsite and figure out if I want to use that site for a particular trip and figured others might as well. So when I pass one of the sites I’ll do a quick 360 photo with the street view app. It only takes a minute to do. As for other areas I generally leave those alone as I like to keep them secret.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  8. #8
    GSMNP 900 Miler
    Join Date
    02-25-2007
    Location
    Birmingham, AL
    Age
    57
    Posts
    4,861
    Journal Entries
    1
    Images
    5

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Wheezy View Post
    I’ve added several pics of the backcountry sites to Google Maps. I like being able to look at a campsite and figure out if I want to use that site for a particular trip and figured others might as well. So when I pass one of the sites I’ll do a quick 360 photo with the street view app. It only takes a minute to do. As for other areas I generally leave those alone as I like to keep them secret.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    I noticed that several (but not all) campsites were on the map... pretty cool idea, because yeah, the one shot you see in the GSMNP website to reserve campsites don't give you a clue what the site is really like.

  9. #9
    Registered User
    Join Date
    12-19-2005
    Location
    Knoxville, TN
    Posts
    3,715
    Images
    3

    Default

    pretty cool idea, because yeah, the one shot you see in the GSMNP website to reserve campsites don't give you a clue what the site is really like.



    that was my one regret after hiking all the trails and staying in each backcountry site----not taking photos of them and gathering various info (water sources, cables, etc) and making some sort of database.......

    because the average backpacker, using just the brown book, has no idea what the campsite will be like based on the limited info in the brown book....

  10. #10
    Registered User Wheezy's Avatar
    Join Date
    09-30-2015
    Location
    Creedmoor, North Carolina
    Posts
    44

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by TNhiker View Post
    that was my one regret after hiking all the trails and staying in each backcountry site----not taking photos of them and gathering various info (water sources, cables, etc) and making some sort of database.......

    because the average backpacker, using just the brown book, has no idea what the campsite will be like based on the limited info in the brown book....
    Exactly. My group size varies from one or two up to eight at times and it’s hard to tell if you can fit at the sites from the single pic on the reservation page.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  11. #11
    GSMNP 900 Miler
    Join Date
    02-25-2007
    Location
    Birmingham, AL
    Age
    57
    Posts
    4,861
    Journal Entries
    1
    Images
    5

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Wheezy View Post
    Exactly. My group size varies from one or two up to eight at times and it’s hard to tell if you can fit at the sites from the single pic on the reservation page.
    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    The reservation page limits the number of campers allowed at a camp site based on the size of the campsite.
    I'm not sure what their criteria is for setting those limits, but based on what I've seen, the limits seems to be relatively generous.

    So unless your group is maxing the sites capacity AND each person is in their own tent, I wouldn't think you would have a problem.
    Now I can't guarantee you how level the available sites might be...

  12. #12
    Registered User
    Join Date
    12-19-2005
    Location
    Knoxville, TN
    Posts
    3,715
    Images
    3

    Default

    So unless your group is maxing the sites capacity AND each person is in their own tent, I wouldn't think you would have a problem.


    that would be correct for a vast majority of the sites........besides a couple of the island sites (which are limited on space), off the top of my head, i can only think of one CS which is extremely tight on space......

    and that's 47 down at enloe creek...

    the way that CS is set up, it can get cramped and depending upon size of group, can be tents within inches of each other..

    when i stayed there, our group had the whole campsite reserved for ourselves-----however, when i got there, there were already about 8 other tents set up...

    i knew how many tents we would be having and knew it would be an issue...


    and the group that had all the tents set up-----clearly they didnt have a permit to camp there and we made them move along....

    for the rest of the backcountry sites-----some are nice and wide open and have a ton of space (like 23) and some like number 9 have just enough space to fit the limit.....

  13. #13
    Registered User Wheezy's Avatar
    Join Date
    09-30-2015
    Location
    Creedmoor, North Carolina
    Posts
    44

    Default

    Our main issue is we have several hammock campers and like to know if possible ahead of time what the hammock options are. You’d be surprised sometimes how difficult it is to find good hammock sites in a park full of trees.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  14. #14

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by TNhiker View Post
    that would be correct for a vast majority of the sites........besides a couple of the island sites (which are limited on space), off the top of my head, i can only think of one CS which is extremely tight on space......

    and that's 47 down at enloe creek...

    the way that CS is set up, it can get cramped and depending upon size of group, can be tents within inches of each other..

    when i stayed there, our group had the whole campsite reserved for ourselves-----however, when i got there, there were already about 8 other tents set up...

    i knew how many tents we would be having and knew it would be an issue...


    and the group that had all the tents set up-----clearly they didnt have a permit to camp there and we made them move along....

    for the rest of the backcountry sites-----some are nice and wide open and have a ton of space (like 23) and some like number 9 have just enough space to fit the limit.....
    Yeah man, Enloe camp is beautiful but kind of grosses me out. I mean, you have to really put some effort in to finding a good place to dig a cathole and I worry that many don't do the work.

  15. #15
    Registered User
    Join Date
    12-19-2005
    Location
    Knoxville, TN
    Posts
    3,715
    Images
    3

    Default

    Yeah man, Enloe camp is beautiful but kind of grosses me out. I mean, you have to really put some effort in to finding a good place to dig a cathole and I worry that many don't do the work.


    never really thought of that----but yeah...........i think the key would be going up hughes ridge trail a bit then going up the hill to the right....

    it still aint gonna be easy....


    and since the group i was with enjoys large fires-----it was almost a struggle to find fire wood in that area...

  16. #16
    GSMNP 900 Miler
    Join Date
    02-25-2007
    Location
    Birmingham, AL
    Age
    57
    Posts
    4,861
    Journal Entries
    1
    Images
    5

    Default

    Fortunately the night I stayed at Enloe camp, I didn't need to dig a cat hole, and it was a hot 4th of July week and didn't have much need of a fire.

    But that was also the 1st campsite that I just happened to see the mice running around in daylight (other than at a shelter).
    I did find mouse droppings on top of the trash bag we had covering the back packs and food hanging from the bear cables on the bridge. I might have seen some teeth marks on the bag too (don't recall) but at least that night, our food remained safe.

++ New Posts ++

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •