Trail Maps
Trail Mapping Program
Mapping rail-trails and other shared use paths plays an important role in promoting
trail use and building healthy active communities. Every day, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy
(RTC) uses GIS mapping technology to work with local communities, our partners and
individuals to map trails.
RTC has taken GPS units in the field to collect line and important point information
along the route (restrooms, parking lots, etc). All spatial data received is processed
and improved by overlaying it with aerial photography to correct for varying levels
of accuracy. The refined data is saved in a geospatial database. These spatial representations
of trails are attached to a trail record containing basic trail facts, descriptions
and access information all available to the public for FREE on
www.TrailLink.com. TrailLink users can interact with the site and rate the
trail, submit photos and reviews or add a new trail to the site. Users can also
download a GPX file of the trail to use on their personal GPS device or PC.
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy Teams with Google
RTC's robust mapping work has not gone without notice. We are proud to announce
that RTC is an official content provider for Google™. Through this partnership
RTC is donating its entire trails spatial database to Google ensuring that trails
are available to millions of Google Maps users every month.
RTC's extensive trails data plays an important role in making Google's brand new
Biking Directions a reality. Their new Biking feature goes a long way to put RTC's
Active Transportation
(Learn More about Active Transportation) work on the map! RTC's trail data
will help to ensure that everyone will be able to find and locate safe routes to
everywhere using non-motorized and transit transportation.
Bike paths based on data from Rails-to-Trails Conservancy and waterways
(creeks) based on data from U.S. Geological Survey
Example above from
maps.google.com/help/maps/basemap
Mapping Trail Systems - RTC’s Mapping Future
To-date our mapping work has been focused on rail-trails. However, to fully demonstrate and support communities’ active transportation systems, we need to make trail mapping information available to the public for all multi-use trails. To that end, we are undertaking a massive effort to map multi-use trails across the country with a specific focus on trail systems in urban areas.
How You Can Help
Whether you are a local bike/ped coordinator, community planner, trail manager, or outdoor trail enthusiast, you can help RTC by providing spatial information for your trail. You can use our interactive Google Maps drawing tool or visit the trail with your GPS unit.
If the trail you are mapping isn’t already on TrailLink.com please tell us about it with our
Submit A New Trail feature on TrailLink.com.
Use our
interactive
Google Maps trail mapping tool to draw the trails that you have an intimate
knowledge of and send us the data.
Click here to read instructions on mapping your trail using our interactive
Google Maps trail mapping tool.
If you have your own GPS receiver, please feel free to use it. All that we ask is that your GPS receiver be capable of collecting the required data, and has the necessary software tools to download that data to a PC so it can be sent to us.
The specifics of what we require are covered in our
Trail Data Submission Standards for GPS document. In general, we need a GPS tracklog and specific waypoints for each trail. Waypoints include restroom, drinking fountain, and parking facility locations, as well as surface changes, bridges and start/finish points.
Submit your GPS
data.
Once you've submitted your GIS trail data, we will apply our stringent quality control standards and publish your trail on our trail finder site,
TrailLink.com. And, through our partnership with Google, RTC will also provide your trail information to Google in our regular updates.
Our Contact Info:
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy
GIS Specialist
2121 Ward Court, N.W.
5th Floor
Washington, DC 20037
P: (202) 331.9696
E: gpsadmin@railstotrails.org