Thinking Of Coming To The
Northern Pines For A
Training or Fun Run...
… but your a little concerned that you may get lost in all the back trails? What if you need a quick exit back to your vehicle and want to know the fastest return route?
Finding your way along the NPSDR trail system is now very easy with “Trail Maps” that show the entire trail system and your location on them. In the example below, we’ll discuss using the Avenza Maps App. This smartphone App will “load” your trail map(s) as a .pdf file into your phone. This eliminates the need for an internet connection. These maps will not only show you the roads/trails in your area, they will also pin-point your exact location and allow you to set a way-point and track (also called a bread crumb trail) that will allow you to return the same way you traveled or to save your favorite route to be followed at a later time.
Interested? What follows are the steps needed to:
- install the Avenza Maps App
- a base map of the trails in Iron River WI. and
- a previously saved track of the NPSDR trail system
Step 1
Click to download trails link shown above onto your smartphone. The file should read “NPSDR Trails.kml.”
After you have saved this file to your desired location. Install the Avenza Maps App on your smartphone.
Step 2
Tap the “Open” tab and continue to register and “Create a New Account.”
Open the App and look for the Map Library screen and tap on the “Store” icon. Enter “Bayfield County Off Highway" into the search field.
Scroll down to locate the “Off Highway Motorbike” map.
Step 3
Install this “Free” map.
Step 4
Once the base map is installed it will be placed in your Map Library. Tap on the map to open it.
Step 5
Pan around the map to locate the town of Iron River.
Tap on the “Map Layers” icon at the bottom of the screen.
Step 6
It will show that your library is empty. Within the Map Layers screen, tap on the layers icon (yours may look different) to “Import Layers.”
Step 7
Depending on where you saved the *.klm file, now select that location to start the import process and then select the saved NPSDR Trails.klm file.
Step 8
Once the import is completed, you will now have the gps referenced NPSDR trails on your phone. At the top of the screen, tap on the “Back Arrow.”
Tap on the “Location” icon (bottom left) to jump to your current position. Assuming you are now located within the map field, your exact position on the map will be represented by a blue dot.
>> FYI: The Avenza Maps App has hundreds of available maps to download for any specific area. Like most mapping programs, you can save place-marks and utilize the tracking functions to save your own tracks.
>> Follow the link provided for more detailed help to better utilize all the features of Avenza Maps, [here].