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sixgun 
Group: Members
Posts: 262
Joined: May 2008
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Posted on: Feb. 16 2013, 8:00 pm |
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So I have been hiking the backpacking for many years in Michigan and all this time I have never found a campsite on anything other than a basic drawn park map that you get at the park office or trail head.
I would like to learn to find my camp sites at home while planning the trip rather than waiting until I get the little crappy park maps.
Do you folks know any way to get this information?
I feel like Michigan is the only place in the US that does not show backpacking campsites on the topos, even a lat and long. would be better than nothing.
Seems like I start every trip ill prepared.
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The more you know the less you need.
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| Post Number: 2
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QCHIKER
Group: Members
Posts: 1728
Joined: Oct. 2009
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Posted on: Feb. 17 2013, 11:19 am |
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I've found some campsites thru using google earth or acmemapper and using the satellite view and seeing where they are at. Usually the drawn maps give you a general idea and then I look at the aerial view and can, if there is no tree or leaf cover, see the campfire scars or a clearing of the campsite. Plus looking the topo map gives me clues too as they usually put it on a flat area.
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| Post Number: 3
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wildlifenate
Group: Members
Posts: 5834
Joined: Jul. 2004
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Posted on: Feb. 17 2013, 12:54 pm |
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do you have a copy of the Trail Atlas of Michigan? it's quite a tome. I have one, but my copy is packed away right now.
you are also assuming that there will always be a developed, marked campsite, which was an error you made in your earlier thread. a LOT of backpacking trails have no such thing. camping is dispersed, so you have to find a suitable camping spot on your own. sometimes many people have chosen the same spot for many years and you'll find existing fire rings and relatively flat spots to put a tent, but these are not marked or maintained by anyone. you can hope that someone who previously hiked that trail has noted the coordinates and shared them, or is willing to do so. but that is usually not the case.
when I am planning a trip, I scour topo maps and Google Earth imagery of the area. I have been known to take whatever crappy park maps, internet maps, trail guides, and stuff are available, and make a rough sketch of the trail in Google Earth for reference purposes. If I'm lucky, I might find a map someone made with a GPS, but did not provide the gps data. I can actually trace something like that. less commonly I will find actual GPS data of a particular trail.
I will look for areas that are relatively flat, not terribly far from water, and sheltered from the weather. I know what distance is comfortable for me to hike, and how far I can go if I have to push it. I use that information to narrow down where I should search for a site. I will make notes on the paper maps I carry on my person of multiple potential campsite areas for a night. I have marked areas in the past that turn out to have way too many jagged rocks, or are muddy from a seep, or other issues not apparent from topo maps and satellite imagery. come across something like that and you just have to push on.
and FWIW, I have never seen backpacking campsites on USGS topo maps. not even when I backpacked Mammoth Cave, NP and I had to visit the backcountry ranger to reserve my campsites for each night. trail guides often include this information. if there is a group that maintains the trails, publishes their own guide, and keeps it updated, these are the people to see for the best information, but you usually have to pay for it. I have such guides for a few places. places I've been. places I would like to visit.
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The GPS Geek
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| Post Number: 4
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sixgun
Group: Members
Posts: 262
Joined: May 2008
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Posted on: Feb. 18 2013, 1:28 am |
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(wildlifenate @ Feb. 17 2013, 12:54 pm)
QUOTE do you have a copy of the Trail Atlas of Michigan? it's quite a tome. I have one, but my copy is packed away right now. you are also assuming that there will always be a developed, marked campsite, which was an error you made in your earlier thread. a LOT of backpacking trails have no such thing. camping is dispersed, so you have to find a suitable camping spot on your own. sometimes many people have chosen the same spot for many years and you'll find existing fire rings and relatively flat spots to put a tent, but these are not marked or maintained by anyone. you can hope that someone who previously hiked that trail has noted the coordinates and shared them, or is willing to do so. but that is usually not the case. when I am planning a trip, I scour topo maps and Google Earth imagery of the area. I have been known to take whatever crappy park maps, internet maps, trail guides, and stuff are available, and make a rough sketch of the trail in Google Earth for reference purposes. If I'm lucky, I might find a map someone made with a GPS, but did not provide the gps data. I can actually trace something like that. less commonly I will find actual GPS data of a particular trail. I will look for areas that are relatively flat, not terribly far from water, and sheltered from the weather. I know what distance is comfortable for me to hike, and how far I can go if I have to push it. I use that information to narrow down where I should search for a site. I will make notes on the paper maps I carry on my person of multiple potential campsite areas for a night. I have marked areas in the past that turn out to have way too many jagged rocks, or are muddy from a seep, or other issues not apparent from topo maps and satellite imagery. come across something like that and you just have to push on. and FWIW, I have never seen backpacking campsites on USGS topo maps. not even when I backpacked Mammoth Cave, NP and I had to visit the backcountry ranger to reserve my campsites for each night. trail guides often include this information. if there is a group that maintains the trails, publishes their own guide, and keeps it updated, these are the people to see for the best information, but you usually have to pay for it. I have such guides for a few places. places I've been. places I would like to visit.
Thanks for the suggestions on searching maps for flat spots, drawing out the trails seen on google earth is a good idea, along with choosing more than one potential site just in case and as well.
I would not really say I'm assuming, most of the actual backpacking trails in MI have dedicated campsites as can been seen in this book and others.
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The more you know the less you need.
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hikerJoe2
HikerJoe2
Group: Members
Posts: 112
Joined: Oct. 2010
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Posted on: Apr. 08 2013, 9:59 am |
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We have the same pproblem in Indiana, the trail maps are not topographical, so I sketch the trails and campsite info on USGS toppos downloaded from their website, following the contours it is usually easy to determine where to plot the trails.
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HikerJoe2
Plymouth, IN
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