GPS Coordinates of Road Crossings

[trippclark]

There have been numerous GPS discussions on WhiteBlaze with the consensus probably being that a GPS is not necessary for AT hiking but is a "fun toy" that some folks may want to carry. I agree with this. Some have also pointed out that a GPS can be most helpful in locating the trailhead. As a section hiker, I sometimes find that locating the trail and getting on and off the trail sometimes can be challenging. With that in mind, I am wondering if anyone is aware of an already prepared resource which provides GPS coordinates for A.T. road crossings? Coordinates of shelters are readily available from numerous sites, but I have not found a list with road crossings and/or parking areas and their coordinates. I would like to load this information into my TomTom One to make it easier to find the road crossings/trailheads.

This site
http://rohland.homedns.org/at/at_menu.aspx
is a very good resource for parking areas and road crossings along the trail, but unless I am overlooking it, GPS coordinates are not listed.

If such does not exist already, I can get the info manually using MapTech software, but if someone has already compiled the info, that would be great!

[Alligator]

I don't have what you want but it would be useful indeed.

I was thinking that it could be gotten through a GIS by intersecting the AT centerline with a good roads layer. The roads layer might be large though and hard to obtain.

[trippclark]

Well, I should be able to create this using the MapTech Appalachian Trail software, and pulling the points for each section that I do would only take a little while, but if something like this were already available for the whole AT, it would be really nice to have.

[oshkoshbjosh123]

I made a google map page on my website which has a fullscreen map of the AT as well as the PCT and CDT. You may find this helpful when looking for road crossings. This way, you can not only access road maps, but you can also view topo maps, satellite images, and more. While I can't guarantee you on the accuracy, I think it is a pretty good map over all. Let me know what you think and be sure to sign the guestbook.

My wife and I leave for Spring in 1 week! We are so very excited.

www.fivemillionsteps.com

Just click on the "Map of Long Trails" link. Let me know if I can add something that would make this map more useful.

-Josh

[oshkoshbjosh123]

not sure why the link messed up. here it is again:

http://www.fivemillionsteps.com

I made a google map page on my website which has a fullscreen map of the AT as well as the PCT and CDT. You may find this helpful when looking for road crossings. This way, you can not only access road maps, but you can also view topo maps, satellite images, and more. While I can't guarantee you on the accuracy, I think it is a pretty good map over all. Let me know what you think and be sure to sign the guestbook.

My wife and I leave for Spring in 1 week! We are so very excited.

www.fivemillionsteps.com

Just click on the "Map of Long Trails" link. Let me know if I can add something that would make this map more useful.

-Josh

[ChinMusic]

As a section hiker, I sometimes find that locating the trail and getting on and off the trail sometimes can be challenging. With that in mind, I am wondering if anyone is aware of an already prepared resource which provides GPS coordinates for A.T. road crossings?

I really like GPS coordinates for trailheads. If I have a waypoint, it is so easy to plug the waypoint into my Prius' navigation and take off. My wife's Honda CRV does not accept waypoints like the Prius.

My future plans for the AT involve my wife and I moving our RV every couple weeks as I hike north. Just as folks stop off at trail towns I would also be able to be picked up, have a meal, and sleep in my own bed once and awhile. Having waypoints preloaded in the car's (toad) navigation system would make things a LOT easier for her.

[Ruthless Cur]

I haven't explored the most efficient way to use these programs yet, but in Google Earth you can create "push pin" locations and name them for your road crossings/trailheads. Save the pushpin locations as a kmz file, and load them into Gps Utility program. GPS Utility is a great program that supports all kinds of formats (precisely for these kind of applications) and will upload the points into your gps unit. You may try the trail version to see if it suits you, but if you do this type of stuff on a regular basis, then the program is worth purchasing. The creator updates his program several times a month and will answer your emails if you have a request. Highly recommended. Google "GPSU" to find his program.

[Awol2003]

Topofusion, our partner in developing the elevation profile maps that
appear in Appalachian Pages, has formatted GPS data for the A.T. and
made it available on their website. Download GPS for Garmin devices,
GPX, or Google Earth (KML) format from:
http://www.topofusion.com/at-gps.php

[schmuttis]

trippclark,

I just wanted to let you know that the site that you are referring to, http://appalachiantrail.rohland.org, does have some GPS readings for AT access. This database relies on hikers to input info. If the hiker supplies GPS data it is displayed. The site also has the ability to display Google maps once again if the info has been submitted. I could really use this information too so I would encourage all to help fill in the missing GPS/Google map data.

An example of one of their pages with GPS readings and Google maps: http://rohland.homedns.org/at/state/...0&sectionID=27

[tina.anderson]

I almost never use my GPS for AT access because it's just too much of a hassle and it's not really necessary. They are good for Trailheads though.

[schmuttis]

We almost always take our GPS with us on hikes. It is definitely not needed. As said above - it's a fun toy. We usually have our destination marked so it's always nice to see how far we have to go. Even if we are hiking in and back to the car it's nice to have the "breadcrumbs" as reference of where we are.