Mapping Upgrades on Modern Hiker

We’ve got some exciting mapping related upgrades to announce for the Modern Hiker site!

You may have noticed over the past few weeks we’ve been working to add some serious functionality to some of our mapping features.

First, we’ve given the Hike Finder map a serious overhaul. The previous map did a nice job of showing you what was near your location, but had some technical limitations that sometimes made it seem like we didn’t have as many trail guides in our library as we actually did.

Now, our friends at TOTAGO have done a full revamp of the Hike Finder interface, making it more in-line with the experience you have when you use the Modern Hiker app. The map displays a lot more trail options and will live update when you move the map around to explore. And you can still use built-in filters on to sift through the trail library to find exactly what you’re looking for.

The new Hike Finder interface

There are more updates on the way — but this is much, much more in line with what I had envisioned when building the site and I’m pretty psyched about it.

You may have also noticed some updates to the trail guides. First, for folks who just want to get a quick overview of the trail they’re looking at or head straight to a GPX map, you’ll now see a Hike Info button at the top of each post. Clicking this will take you right to the nuts and bolts of the hiking guide, as well as the option to download and save the guide if you’re using the mobile app.

The new ‘Hike Info’ shortcut

You’ll also see some new maps from our partners at Stay22, which will scan nearby accommodations in case you’re looking for a place to crash that isn’t in a campsite. This may not be of much use on your usual day hiking outings, but if you’re planning a bigger trip outside your usual weekend radius, it’s super helpful! Any bookings you make through these maps help us keep the lights on here at Modern Hiker HQ, so we appreciate it!

a Stay22 interface for a local hike

We hope you dig the new map features and are excited to share more upgrades as they roll out. As always, let us know what you think here in the comments or if there’s anything on your Modern Hiker Wish List you’d like to see us working on. Happy hiking! 

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