Mapping Haspin

[WrenchMonkey]

(I debated putting this in the TrailRun or Tech forums, but decided that if the Places to Wheel thread can go here, so can this. PTB can move it if they want...)

I was always ashamed to admit just how completely lost I got at Haspin, even after years of wheeling out there. Too many twists n turns, too many crisscrossing trails, and too much really similar-looking terrain. I had looked for a decent map online and came up empty.

So I've been playing around with my new offroading GPS app, BackCountry Navigator (www.backcountrynavigator.com). The trial was free, the "PRO" version was only $10-15. I've been THRILLED with it...

Anyway, this isn't plug for BCN.

We covered a lot of ground following Jimmy (Runoveru2) on the club trip on the 10th, and I used the track recording to generate a very simple map:



It's loosely color-coded so that:
Blue - Fire Roads, tow-rig passable
Purple - Basic Trails, open-diff passable
Red - Moderate Hills, lockers helpful
Red Diamonds - Challenging Hills, lockers almost required.

Again, it was very basic, and I didn't bother to trace more than a quarter of the trails we ran. I figured (A) if you plot every trail at Haspin, it'll look like a bowl of spaghetti. And (B) this was enough to get a feel for the layout of the park, and help you get around. Especially in a "We gotta get a busted rig out of here as easily as possible" situation. (Which, coincidentally, we did...)

[WrenchMonkey]

We went back on the 24th, and Nick (CopperTop) intentionally led us on different trails from the previous trip. This let me map some of the fencelines, and a pretty nice creekbed that cuts right across the heart of the park:

[Image lost to photobucket]

(For some reason the screenshot messes with the transparency, so the red washes out to pink, and the purple becomes lavender. The colors are much better/bolder on my phone.)

[WrenchMonkey]

It's still a long way from complete, but it's enough to give my sense of direction a fighting chance. I'll continue to update it (and update here) as we cover more ground...

I've got this version saved as a GPX file that I can't attach here, but I can email it as an attachment. I know that BCN will reopen it without a problem, I would assume most gps programs would, but can't say from experience...


Robert

[monkeystrong]

Nice work!

[Runoveru2]

Lookin good, were gonna have to make another good run out there and find a few more obstacles, I know they are out there, I found them over the years but just like you I can't remember where they are cause trails turn every which way & everthing looks the same.

[jlynch]

I've got this version saved as a GPX file

Can you email this to me please?
Jlynch5297@gmail.com

[Jonesy]

Nice job....Don't have a gps, but just printing out the map above is better than nothing.

[WrenchMonkey]

Originally Posted by jlynch

Can you email this to me please?

Sent!

Originally Posted by Jonesy

Don't have a gps...

Got a smart phone?

To be clear, once the maps are loaded onto the phone, the GPS operates on a different signal from your cell service. So while the cell coverage may drop out in the woods, the GPS should (theoretically) still work anywhere on the planet.

It will use up the battery, so you might have trouble using it for hiking. But plugged into the lighter in the Jeep, it works great.

Robert

[xj joey]

I downloaded the free trial and mapped the gorge on our trip. Pretty slick app. Got to buy the full version so I can have more features. It actually helped us find our way out because cause it showed all the marked roads and forest service roads just like a navigation unit.