Nehaveigur

When preparing for backcountry trips, it’s helpful to know what to expect.

• Google maps isn’t great for hiking. It doesn’t have contour lines and doesn’t show smaller trails. Instead, I like to use OpenStreetMap. My preferred mapping app that uses OpenStreetMap data is the free Maps.me app. Importantly, Maps.me works very well without an internet connection as long as you download your maps in advance. For trip planning, I also use Caltopo, but since there’s no free app, I don’t use it on the go.
• What will temperatures and other weather conditions be like? Weather forecasts are only reliable for a few days into the future. For longer trips, it’s helpful to know the range of conditions typically seen for the time of the year. Weatherbase or Weather Spark provide this information.
• Will I have to hike over snow? In the Sierra Nevada, trails in higher altitudes can be covered by snow into the early summer. This Google Earth app has up-to-date snowpack information.
• Will I have to cross recently burned areas? This doesn’t affect my gear choices, but because spending hours or even days hiking through blackened tree stumps isn’t my idea of fun, it affects my route planning. This map keeps track of recent California fires (also see here).