Want to start getting my '07 LR3 a little dirty. Can anyone recommend a good series of maps / books that I can use to locate off-road / off-highway trails? I am in New York City (many, many Rover owners but 99.9 percent never see the dirt) and would love to start going north and west of the city to hit some decent trails (to compliment my fly fishing that I started last year which I love). Thanks in advance everyone. Patrick
MyTrails by FrogSparks in the android app store is what I use. Apps free, but trail content is available as in app purchase. Works offline and good trail library.
Thanks morsel but it's Android only. Uggh. I have an iPhone. Went to website and it looks like a great app. I will search the app store for others. Thanks again. Patrick
Thats a switch - something that is android only. I also use MAPLETS by Zaia. It is definitely also available on IOS. It has some of the places I ride places I wheel all mapped out (some maps cost extra $1).
DeLorme Gazetteer has your state and shows all trails. Abandoned rails, old lanes and abandoned roads. Pretty accurate. Even has the altitude lines for terrain. Use them ILL, MO, KY, Tn, etc.
A lot of people around here run Gaia GPS. Unfortunately, I don't really have much experience with it, but there seems to be a lot of support (lots of fans) for it.
Taking into account the way the question was asked, I'm assuming the OP has little if any off-road experience. I would suggest a couple things.
First, never go by yourself. If nothing else, you'll have a ride back for help if you get stuck or break, which happens quite frequently off road
Second, if it's more than gravel/dirt roads, someone needs to have a winch. You can get setups that will plug into a trailer hitch. Awkward, but better than nothing. And never try pulling anything using the reverse gear in your truck. It's not made to do that.
Third, be aware of whose property you're driving on. It's either government owned and subject to their rules on access and use, or it's private and requires permission. Trespass laws can be very serious- and expensive. Some years ago, I spent four days in a tiny, backwoods jail because I made a wrong turn onto the wrong guy's land. The tow and impound was more than the value of my old, rusty Jeep so that was the last I saw it.
Look around and see if there is a 4WD club in your region. The guys at the local 4WD parts store can probably hook you up on contact info and other tips on where to start. It's more fun with others (sometimes) and you can learn alot from other's mistakes.
If anyone is interested in some *current* good mapping software that's tablet-compatible, get yourself Backcountry Navigator Pro (Android for sure, not sure about iOS). You can download topos from a number of different sources including USGS quads, and import/export .kmls from Google Earth or other sources such as offroad sites, Trails.com, etc.
Also, if you get well outside of mobile phone range, a DeLorme/Garmin InReach is essential equipment. It's an Iridium satellite messenger - penetrates triple-canopy jungle and works to damn near the poles. The unit costs around $400 and monthly plans start around $12 for infinite peace of mind. Plus, if you're an attention whore, you can live-share your route via various social media sites. I have used the SOS feature to coordinate a helo rescue of someone suffering from HAPE, and now I take it even if I'm just road tripping through areas I know don't have good mobile coverage.
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