Trail Forks Trail Mapping program

knucklebuster

knucklebuster

Well-Known Member
Any of you all use this ap to seek out new trails? I had checked it out a year ago or so, and there was just not much there. Then I looked at it a few days ago when @Daddy Dirtbag posted his ride report of Wildhorse near Big Bear, and it's getting fleshed out pretty good, showing Wildhorse and many trails I've ridden and/or know about. User updated database is cool too.

This is the link, but it is affiliated with PB so you can find it on the menu on that site too.
http://www.trailforks.com/trails/map/?lat=34.06440239109293&lon=-117.77730791015624&z=8&m=trailforks
Trail forks screen grab.png




I also found the trail difficulty ratings from red (double black), black, blue, green, seem to be reasonable with my experience on the ones I've ridden.

I believe there is phone app too for Trailforks, but have not checked that out yet. Just FYI, if you know of another good app/website please chime in!
 
Trailforks is pretty good, but I'm finding each one has its own advantages over the "competition" - e.g. MTB Project, Singletracks.com, all have features the others don't, or, more fleshed out features. I wish they'd just combine in to one mega searchable web site... might make life easier (well, for me anyway)
 
I recently downloaded Trailforks on my phone and have looked at it a few times on Pinkbike. It seems fairly legit for the area we are in, but I just haven't really gone exploring that much by myself and haven't had a good reason to research trails as of late. When I did go to CO in April, I hadn't yet found Trailforks and used mtbproject (website) which was pretty decent and led me to riding at White Ranch in Golden, CO.
 
I like Trailforks a lot better than MTB Project. It is easier to navigate and maps have much cleaner presentation.

MTB Project puts too many overlapping routes on the map rather than just individual segments. This makes it harder to find info on specific segments when you don't want to ride the routes posted. That is important because some of the routes people post on MTB Project are garbage - not at all what I would ever recommend someone go and ride. This leads me to believe MTB project is not moderated by locals who know the area - or, perhaps they just care more about legality of routes than quality.

Trailforks moderates submissions as well, but relies on knowledgeable locals with common sense rather than land managers to decide what to display. Of trails that are not legal, more sensitive ones are usually excluded, widely known/accepted ones are more likely to be displayed. Not a perfect system, but I like it better than omitting parts of trail networks completely. If these apps would display more non-legal trails but identify them as such, people might become more educated and willing to get involved in advocacy when they see how much of what we ride is not legal. Lots of riders are totally oblivious.

There are some areas where MTB Project has good coverage that Trailforks does not, so I have both installed. The routes on MTB project can be useful at times. I tend to use Trailforks most unless it has few trails for an area.

If you load the Trailforks app on your phone make sure to download the specific regions you will use it in. Otherwise you cannot zoom in very far or get info on trails.
 
Very nice find. Thanks for sharing.

I loaded the app on my iphone as it could come in very handy.
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FYI: Then, I went to the link posted in the OP, and looked up the Wildhorse trail. They do show the proper Wildhorse Trail, but the route they show leading up to Wildhorse was not the one we took. They are showing the Sugarloaf Trail being a route up, and I am not disputing that, but that isn't the route I would take. The route they show as Sugarloaf (marked in yellow dots in the pic below) is a singletrack, and appears to be very steep. It also climbs even higher than it needs to to drop into the Wildhorse Meadow area. I'd like to scout it out as a downhill route, but I don't think I'd climb that. I'm sure that will entice certain types of riders, I'm just not currently one of them :~)

The route we took from BB City, is shown on the pic below in red dots, and it is a fire road. It is a pretty steady grade, and is not super steep, but the road surface makes it more difficult than if would be otherwise. With that said, it was worth it!

Sugarloaf - Wildhorse_Map_001.jpg
 
Daddy Dirtbag said:
Very nice find. Thanks for sharing.

I loaded the app on my iphone as it could come in very handy.
==========================
FYI: Then, I went to the link posted in the OP, and looked up the Wildhorse trail. They do show the proper Wildhorse Trail, but the route they show leading up to Wildhorse was not the one we took. They are showing the Sugarloaf Trail being a route up, and I am not disputing that, but that isn't the route I would take. The route they show as Sugarloaf (marked in yellow dots in the pic below) is a singletrack, and appears to be very steep. It also climbs even higher than it needs to to drop into the Wildhorse Meadow area. I'd like to scout it out as a downhill route, but I don't think I'd climb that. I'm sure that will entice certain types of riders, I'm just not currently one of them :~)

The route we took from BB City, is shown on the pic below in red dots, and it is a fire road. It is a pretty steady grade, and is not super steep, but the road surface makes it more difficult than if would be otherwise. With that said, it was worth it!

View attachment 18740
Click to expand...
Thanks for that, I'd definitely prefer the route you took, going around the big climb to sugarloaf ridge. Gonna try this sometime this year!
 
I've descended the Sugarloaf trail shown in yellow. Correct, it is quite steep and mostly not rideable uphill. It is possible to push up it of course. Sometimes I prefer some HAB over numbing fire road climbs.
 
I'm all analog, but one thing I'd like these apps to do is list official and unofficial (or past) names for trails. Hopefully this is already the case. But if not, it'd be of great benefit both for users as well as rescue operations. For instance, 911 call for assistance on user name trail "A." Rescue personnel type in "A" and come up with current official trail name "B." Coordinates instantly identify and bird is in the air.
 
evdog said:
I've descended the Sugarloaf trail shown in yellow. Correct, it is quite steep and mostly not rideable uphill. It is possible to push up it of course. Sometimes I prefer some HAB over numbing fire road climbs.
Click to expand...

I am certainly not opposed to a bit of mountain b'hiking :)

Is the start of the Sugarloaf Trail (from the top) at the upper end of the meadow area? Right at about the highest point, there is a spur that has a gate about 100 feet in, and an unmarked trailhead (an opening in the fence with two wooden upright posts, and a crosspost a foot or so off the ground).

There is also a place further down, after the road veers left and the option to the right becomes a trail where there is a trail that the sign that says is the way to Sugarloaf.
 
Is it possible to get a "sattelite" view instead? One of the reasons I like MTB Project as it has the satellite "real time" view..
 
kioti said:
I'm all analog, but one thing I'd like these apps to do is list official and unofficial (or past) names for trails. Hopefully this is already the case. But if not, it'd be of great benefit both for users as well as rescue operations. For instance, 911 call for assistance on user name trail "A." Rescue personnel type in "A" and come up with current official trail name "B." Coordinates instantly identify and bird is in the air.
Click to expand...


You give them the GPS coordinates. Good mapping software will display coordinates where you touch the screen.
 
7Mary3 said:
Is it possible to get a "sattelite" view instead? One of the reasons I like MTB Project as it has the satellite "real time" view..
Click to expand...
Trailforks has three different base maps - normal map with some terrain relief, topo map or satellite imagery.
 
dstepper said:
You give them the GPS coordinates. Good mapping software will display coordinates where you touch the screen.
Click to expand...
I'm thinking of a situation where a rider/trail user doesn't have a mapping program, just has an emergency and calls 911 with a trail name. The user's trail name, like the Luge or STT, doesn't match the official trail name-- in this case Hamilton Trail or Joplin (as appears on USFS maps). But the rescuers can look up "the Luge" and know where the rider is.

Also, saw confusion in El Moro recently with "Mach One," and even boundary issues between LCWP and CCSP. So I think an index may be helpful for rescuers so they can reference common and historic trail names with official trail names.
 
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