New online national forest maps with trail mileages, road in

[Joseph]

Nope. Free.

The forest service has two kinds of data that they place on GIS servers. One kind has been approved and is called "authoritative". That data is free and can be displayed by anyone with the right software and tech savvy. Gmap4 can display any of that data.

The other kind of GIS data the forest service has I will call 'draft' for lack of a better word. This data has *not* yet been deemed "authoritative". The open/closed road data is in this 'draft' pile. Their trail data is also in the 'draft' pile.

Last year I found out about the draft data. At that time the draft data was on a GIS server in such a manner that anyone could access it. I downloaded trail data for WA, OR and CA. Then public access to the draft data was shut off. But since I already had the trail data for those three states I was able to produce the forest service maps that are the subject of this thread.

Originally my maps displayed the open/closed road data by accessing that data right from the forest service servers as you looked at the online map. In other words, I never downloaded the road data. At some point I am assuming the forest service will decide the road data is good enough to be promoted to "authoritative" and then I can tweak my maps to display it.

[maverick]

Thanks for the explaination into what goes on behind the scene Joshep, makes thing
much clearer.

[BSquared]

So, this may be hijacking the thread a bit (or at least off-topic), but what's the best way to get forest-service paper maps, preferably by online or mail/phone order? I'll be wandering about by myself for a couple of days in September in the eastern Sierra, and while I know the territory pretty well on foot, I'm totally clueless about roads. And, for that matter, I wouldn't mind having something with up-to-date trail information. I'll be in heavily traveled areas—Mammoth, South Lake and vicinity—but I'm not even sure quite what maps to ask for! I could certainly walk into a ranger station when I get out to California, but I'd much rather get a map while I'm still here on the east coast so I can plan a bit.

The Inyo National Forest website was hopeless. Many of the links are broken, and the one that did work—for the Eastern Sierra Interpretive Association—didn't seem to have actual Forest-Service maps of that region.

Suggestions?

[oldranger]

Bill

Try again. I went to their online store and found the inyo National Forest map for sale, $10.

Mike

[BSquared]

Bill

Try again. I went to their online store and found the inyo National Forest map for sale, $10.

Mike

Yah, works if you just Google "Forest Service Store." Thanks. I'll order the map right away.

Note added later: they were out of stock, but, of course Amazon has everything. Premium price from them, but at least I shouldn't get lost now.