Resources used to find/plan a trip

uintahiker

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Interested in finding out how a few of you guys go about find/decide on locations to see and trip to. I know it's most likely a mix of things, but I'd be interested in the details. Here's what I do:


1. Listen. I'm always interested in hearing about cool places. I've found a lot of amazing places just by picking up on a thread or hint dropped by other people and asking more questions about it. I'm constantly mentally filing things away to research more about later.

2. Gather flyers/pamphlets/maps etc. Whenever I'm at a visitor center or other area that has papers I look through and grab the ones that look interesting. Interesting isn't always related to good graphics. Othertimes, there is an amazing picture with nothing else to go on. Both offer a great place to start.

3. Read & look through lots of books. Hiking & outdoor books are great. Geology books can be an even better resource. Fishing & wildlife books can be good too.

4. Use the internet. Lots of interesting stuff out there, but it does take some weeding through. The vast majority of the TR's and data out there is for a small selected core of popular destinations (The Wave, Goblin Valley, The Subway, etc).

5. Look beyond the readily apparent popular tourist destinations. Some smaller areas can be vastly superior in quality.

6. Ask questions. A few well placed questions can unlock a goldmine.

6. Use maps to establish the location of end destination, then chart a route that can take in other points of interest.

7. Go and enjoy! Along the way, ask the locals for other spots, and be flexible enough to capitalize on them.
 
places like this forum are definitely not a good place to hang around. Because my bucket is growing and growing and it's so long right now, I can never see all those wonderful places in my life. :D:D:D

My primary sources are books, maps and trail reports. Now and then I discover something online while searching for something totally different and so I add it to my list.
 
I like to pick a certain area (example: South Slope of the Uintas) and make it my goal to find out as much as I can about the area. I research history, trail maps, trip reports if there are any etc.. Based on the info I get, if the place intrigues me then I add it to my list.
I love history, so if a place has something old and interesting to check out I would check it out even if it's not the prettiest place. Beautiful places are my favorite and solitude is also a plus when I consider places. Research is how I stumbled upon the original Backcountrypost and this place is a gold mine of great trip reports and info. I am greatful for everyone here sharing their info and experiences about places. I'm with Miss Buffalo on this place making my bucket list grow. :twothumbs:
 
Usually I see a photo of a place or hear of a place that others have been that makes me want to go there. Like Miss Buffalo said: "places like this forum are definitely not a good place to hang around. Because my bucket is growing and growing and it's so long right now, I can never see all those wonderful places in my life."

After finding a "cool place" that I want to visit I'll first jump on google earth and my topo software and see what's in the area. Then I'll do a bunch of "googling". If it peaks my interest enough to be added to the "bucket list", I'll check out buying a foldable topo/hiking map of the area. I like maps, a lot! I can spend hours pouring over maps, looking at trails, canyons, possible routes, etc. Occasionally I do buy books on an area too.
 
Of course reading about others trips on forums and blogs help me find new places to check out. I have friends that visit Utah maybe once a year and they seem to want to see places that I over look that are pretty neat, so I check them out from seeing what pictures they took. Also I like to just cruise through Google Earth and look at where pictures are posted to find new interesting areas then do a search on what I find.
 
Usually for me it begins with a picture I've seen of a pretty place. Then I do tons of research about the area to find out what it takes to get out there, where to camp, what else is in the area, etc. Books, trip reports, and Google searches usually provide some pretty good info. Looking beyond the first few hits on a Google search has led me to some awesome sites. When I find an awesome site, I look at the links they've provided. I occasionally ask friends for their input. Then I start putting together a list of what I want to do and looking at the calendar to figure out when I can fit the trip in. As I do more research I form a more solid plan and figure out my backups. In my experience it's always a good idea to have a backup plan. I can't tell you how many times I've had to adjust Plan A for one reason or another.
 
Honestly I generally have 2 ways of finding trips
1. Someone I know comes up with an idea on a place to go, if they have the route problem solved if not, google and break out the maps
2. I see some peak, hear a name of a place in passing (History geek so I read a lot of primary documents that refer to areas/places) or just decide to visit an area, google some ideas, then I get out the Topo maps and come up with my own route, I usually avoid trails when possible.
 
My trip planning is extensive and it consists of many different kind of research.
Without being able to head somewhere in Utah I'm restricted to 2, sometimes 3 trips a year. That means I have one longer one and one or two short ones, mostly a long weekend or something similar.

My trip planning begins way ahead a few months prior to a trip.
Normally I randomly have added interesting areas to my bucket list. Maybe I found a great picture, an article, a wonderful trip report about it. I then search online for more information, order maps and books, if I have nothing about a specific area.
Then I decide which parts I want to see in my next trip. Normally I have two or three main areas and plan around that place.
That means maybe 5 days for Moab, 6 days for Escalante etc.
As soon as I now where I want to go, I add trips to that specific area. Mostly it is a whole bunch of interesting stuff and at the end I finally decide on that specific day on my trip what to do. Depends on the weather, my mood, how exhausted I am.
I also have a plan B and a plan C, because you never know if the weather is coping. And if not I don't want to waste my valuable restricted time to figure out what I could do instead.
I always have big folders with tons of information about a particular place. From campsites to convenient stores and then to information for different hikes, backpacks and charts with sunset/sunrise times.
It's definitely a lot of work, but it's also really exciting. :)
 
I use the hell out of Gmap4, google and various blogs and personal websites. It's gotten to the point that my list is so long that every time I think "where should I go?", i just go to my list, pick something, and do it.
 
I use the hell out of Gmap4, google and various blogs and personal websites. It's gotten to the point that my list is so long that every time I think "where should I go?", i just go to my list, pick something, and do it.

I'm kind of the same way. My wife started this list categorized by areas all over the state (and some out of state). It keeps growing and growing, so there will always be something to do.

I still wonder what web sites, etc. that others like to use that has good information. I don't think there is one true "go-to" web site for information on EVERYTHING in this state, but I'd be interested in knowing what other sites people like to use for information.

I'm a big map reader. I love reading maps and information off maps. Before I do something that is off the beaten path I study an area of the map a lot (both physical and via on-line terrain/arial image maps). I have to know as much about the area as possible.

One thing I'd like to get is a good GPS that is user friendly for people that aren't very computer-savy (like me). I have a Magellan Explorist that is 5 or so years old, but I could never get it to load good maps, waypoints, etc. from the software on my computer. I would love to simply be able to map out my hike on some software, load it onto my GPS, and be able to use it. It's been like hell to do so I've basically been reduced to manually inputting the waypoints on my GPS unit and that's it. I know it's because it's a ID10T error on my behalf, but I'll never be able to figure it out until someone physically shows me what I'm doing wrong.

So, to add to this thread, anyone have any good mapping software and a GPS unit they like that is user friendly?
 
So, to add to this thread, anyone have any good mapping software and a GPS unit they like that is user friendly?
I have N.G. Topo 4.0, Garmin Mapsource Topo 2008, and Delorme Topo 9.0. My GPS is the Garmin Vista HCx. I wish I had one of those cool touch screen ones like ibenick has.

Delorme is probably the one I use the most because of how quickly you can route a trail (as long as the trail exists in the software). Sometimes you have to draw a trail so you can route it. You can also route roads, rivers, streams, etc. You pick your starting point/end point and it auto draws the route (if a trail or road exists). You can add Via points to go different ways. Unfortunately the trails aren't that accurate and the mileage is usually short, but close enough to give you a good idea of how many miles it is.

My 2nd favorite is N.G. Topo. It's great for it's detail. It doesn't have the quick routing feature of Delorme, but does have a free hand routing tool where you draw the route. You can trace the trail or go off trail and make your own. I find myself using N.G. Topo more and more. Unfortunately you have to buy the states individually. They're normally $100/state, same price as Delorme US Topo which has all 50 states and some of Canada and Mexico. All though I have seen them on sale for $50-60.

Mapsource I only use for updating and uploading maps to my GPS. The Mapsource topo 2008 topo maps suck. I don't know if the new ones are any better. I found some free 3rd party maps and I use those on my GPS. I'll have to dig up the link if anyone is interested.
 
Thanks for the info! I'm guessing I basically have to up the ante on a GPS unit.
 
Two good resources for GPS files are gpsfiledepot and miscjunk Google either and it'll bring you what you need.
Yep, those are the two sites I use! :twothumbs:
 
I totally missed this thread.

Two things I always do when planning a trip....

1. Google Earth

I spend a ridiculous amount of time on google earth scoping things out. Before you get started make sure you load the most recent panoramio KML so you can see all the user geo-tagged photos. I cant even count the times that my trip itinerary has changed due to me finding a cool shot not far off my pre-chosen path. I've also discovered that no matter where I go Lynn Sessions has been there and geo-tagged a photo.

2. Get the REAL weather.

Forecasts are fantastic but I like to know what I'm getting into... how cold was is last night? What was the high yesterday? My favorite site for checking near real time weather is the Utah Mesonet Observations page. There weather stations are placed all over the state and now that I frequent the site I notice them all the time.
 
I totally missed this thread.

Two things I always do when planning a trip....

1. Google Earth

I spend a ridiculous amount of time on google earth scoping things out. Before you get started make sure you load the most recent panoramio KML so you can see all the user geo-tagged photos. I cant even count the times that my trip itinerary has changed due to me finding a cool shot not far off my pre-chosen path. I've also discovered that no matter where I go Lynn Sessions has been there and geo-tagged a photo.

2. Get the REAL weather.

Forecasts are fantastic but I like to know what I'm getting into... how cold was is last night? What was the high yesterday? My favorite site for checking near real time weather is the Utah Mesonet Observations page. There weather stations are placed all over the state and now that I frequent the site I notice them all the time.

Lynn is the man!:twothumbs:
 

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