By JULIET BENNETT RYLAH / LAist
(Image via California Hiking Map)
Need a fresh hiking spot? There’s a new, gigantic map that will show you nearly every trail in the state of California.
The map comes via Jason Mandly, an air quality planner who funded the idea for his poster via Kickstarter, Curbed LA reports. According to his website, he and his wife are avid hikers who currently reside in Chico.
Mandly talked about the map with Backpackers.com back in January, when he had just four days left to go on the Kickstarter. He said he wanted a map of California he could mark with push pins as he completed each trail, but such a map did not exist. So, he decided to make one.
Mandly used information from the U.S. Forest Service, the National Park Service, the U.S. Geological Survey, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other organizations, plus his own research, to complete the map. Mandy told Chico News & Review that this took him about two years, as some areas lacked easily digestible online information, like California State Parks.
“I couldn’t get anything from them; I didn’t know if I was emailing the wrong person. So I had to go park-to-park, overlay the map on satellite imagery and just click, click, click,” he said.
Then, Mandly launched his Kickstarter campaign and received $11,631—well over his goal of $3,250.
The completed map now comes in at 40 inches wide and 60 inches tall, so pretty big. It contains trails that are open for public use, mostly free of cars and motorcycles, at least two miles long, and somewhat established. According to his website, this generally includes “hiking trails, Class 1 bike paths, and fire roads closed to vehicles.” Mandly invites other hikers to add any trails he may have missed for possible updated versions.
The California Hiking Map will cost you $20, plus a shipping charge of $7. Mandly warns that because the new map is in high demand, it may take up to two weeks or so to fulfill your order. Mandly is also “slowly” working on making a digital version of the map. Read more