Backcountry Safety for Ultra Runners | Part I: Gaia GPS Mapping for Your Phone

by Chase Parnell — May 18, 2020

The Gaia GPS technology has been around for a long time so I don’t really have an excuse for why I’m just now getting to it. Well, that’s not true, my excuse is that I do enjoy the simplicity of running and usually opt for the “less is more” approach. I’m also a routine person, so I’m slow to change things up or throw a wrench into what I know. But after looking into this product, the tech is just way too convenient and frankly–exciting–to pass it up. It’s not all bad being a late-adopter of new technologies. I find comfort in the fact that the product has already progressed to an advanced iteration; the first users have already sussed out all the quirks and failure points.

In Layman’s Terms, What Does Gaia GPS Do For The Ultra Runner?

Okay, if you’ve already been using this product, you’re going to be like, duh Chase, this is old news, but if not—if you’re like me—this is going to blow your mind. Gaia GPS (and similar technologies on the market), in their most basic forms, allow you to follow a route on your phone when you don’t have cell service. And that’s HUGE. I cannot tell you the relief this has already provided me.

Here’s a real-life scenario. Just this last weekend, my friends from Alpine Running, Trevor and Janessa, asked if I wanted to join them on an epic run through an extremely remote area of Oregon, the eastern Ochocos. Before the run, Trevor said it would be about 38 miles on a “primitive trail” and that there might be some snow. For someone like me, this set off all sorts of alarm bells. First, we’ll be in the middle of nowhere on a really long run through mountainous terrain. Second, I raise a suspicious eyebrow at the term “primitive”. Does this essentially mean that we’ll be following a game trail or one that peters out every few meters? Or will we essentially be off-trail? Lastly, snow. The idea of crossing large snow fields gives me some PTSD from a prior experience when I got really turned around doing just that. And while there probably couldn’t be two better people to do this run with (Trevor and Janessa scout and plan races in remote areas all the time), I was still feeling uneasy about my own personal lack of familiarity with the area and the variables we were sure to encounter.

But instead of sitting with that fear and letting it steal my excitement from what would go on to be a really incredible outing, I decided to research the route and ease the tension through thorough preparation. It was during this search for ways to familiarize myself with the route that I found Gaia GPS.

I asked Trevor for a few simple pieces of information about the run and was able to plug the exact route into the Gaia GPS mapping system and develop a very useful visual for the run we were attempting. Then, because I ended up getting a subscription to the Gaia GPS service, I was able to download the customized map onto my phone so that I could access it from anywhere, regardless of whether or not I had cell service.

A bit more on that last point: you know how when you are on the road and you lose cell reception, your map on your phone gets all glitchy and then goes to that gray grid but you still see the blue dot that is you? Well, that’s because the GPS function on your phone is still working perfectly fine, but the map that shows all the informative features and locations, that loads via its connection to a cell tower, shuts down when your signal is weak or goes away altogether.

So what Gaia GPS allows you to do is utilize the GPS function on your phone and overlay it onto a map you download from their site. All the useful mapping features are right there on the screen and they orient to the direction you’re facing: there’s a creek there, it’s going to get really steep up ahead, here’s a shortcut back to the car if we need it, we’re almost to the Forest Service road that will take us back around the mountain, etc. etc. Having all this location confirmation really removed a ton of anxiety for me. I didn’t have any of those oh crap moments that I’ve come to dread over the years.

Key Gaia GPS Features for Trail and Ultra Runners

So now that you understand the concept behind the technology, let’s talk a bit about some of the features of the tool that are really useful for trail and ultra runners. First of all, Gaia GPS is free to play around with but if you want to download the maps to work offline, a subscription is required. There are two paid levels: member and premium. I’m going to argue that you might as well spring for the premium because the price difference isn’t all that big and there are some key features that really make the premium worth it.

Gaia GPS uses the term “overlay” for different features you can display on your map once you’ve created your route. Continuing with my example from above, I created the route in the Ochoco Mountains on the topographical map, but with the member level subscription, that’s kind of the extent of what you can view. With premium you have access to a ton of different types of maps and overlays. For example, National Geographic makes some awesome runner-friendly maps for many wilderness areas and most of the National Parks out there: Yellowstone, Glacier National Park, the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, etc. Many of you probably own a handful of these from different trips you’ve gone on. Well, Gaia GPS has all of them loaded into their program so that with a click of the button, you can see your live position on those maps! The National Geographic maps have a lot of extra details that your standard topographical maps don’t. For example, I always enjoy how they place the mileage between two points in small red text. That way you can quickly add up how many miles a route will be just by adding up the sections instead of trying to eyeball it using the scale. These maps also tell you about seasonal closures and special use zones.

Another incredible feature is the precipitation overlays. Gaia GPS is linked up with NOAA and allows you to select 24, 48, or 72 hour weather overlays so that you can see any precipitation in the forecast before your run. So what did I do? The night before my run with Trevor and Janessa, I went to the location of our run on the map, clicked the 24 hour weather overlay, and saw that no precipitation was forecasted. With that knowledge in hand, I decided to bring my lightweight waterproof jacket just to be safe but left behind my heavier shell.

You can also place a snow-depth overlay on your route so you can see how much snow you’ll have to contend with. It even provides projected depths. If you’re going to be postholing, you might want to wear those running tights instead of the shorts! Before this last weekend’s run, I placed this overlay over our route and saw two small patches of snow near the Spanish Peak summit so I knew it would only be really slow going for a mile or so. Great data to have!

Non-Running Related Maps & Features

I’d be remiss if I didn’t include some of the more quirky but very cool mapping features Gaia GPS has to offer. Here are a smattering of maps that you can lose yourself in for hours and hours:

Historic Maps: want to see topographical maps from 1900? See what your city looked like before the sprawl began? Have at it. Here’s Durango, Colorado.

International Maps: Care to plan each and every one of your Matterhorn hikes out of Zermatt, Switzerland before you arrive? Go for it! I’ve already started planning my routes in the UK’s Lake District when I attempt to tag all the Wainwrights this fall.

Indian Reservations: See the country with Indian reservations highlighted to determine if your route passes through tribal land. It’s possible that special permits or rules apply while on the reservation so be sure to contact the tribe if applicable.

Open Cycle Map: This overlay shows you all the ideal routes for cross country travel as well as safe road crossings, restrooms, bike shops, pubs, wi-fi locations, shelters, and bike parking. This is incredible!

Watercolor: Get this, they also have a watercolor map. Sounds strange but it’s actually pretty cool. The layers and complexity change as you zoom in and out and it highlights only the major landmarks and streets. I view this as a map of possibilities with the whole world as a canvas; a place to be inspired and get creative with your trip planning.

Miscellaneous: Finally, there are a whole slew of hunting, nautical, and aviation related maps to peak your interests. Mark my words, I will be returning to these nautical maps once I get my sailboat. #SailAroundTheWorld

Precautions: Research, Backup Paper Maps, and Extra Phone Battery

Okay, so now you’re on notice about this incredible tool if you weren’t already. I wanted to make sure, however, to communicate that this is not a fail-safe technology by any means. For example, say you’re out on your 30 mile epic run in the wilderness, you have your phone in the little sleeve of your running tights, when BAM, you slip and happen to fall directly on your phone and shatter the screen. Your wonderful little Gaia GPS map is now totally unreadable and therefore useless. It dawns on you that you didn’t bring a back up paper map and in fact, you didn’t even really pay that much attention to the route because, you know, it was supposed to be there on your phone! But now it’s not, and now you’re alone and you have no idea which turns and junctions to take to get you back to the car. Trust me, that’s not a fun feeling.

To drive this home, maybe you don’t fall on this day. Maybe you have your phone in the same sleeve in your tights but its cold out and you didn’t anticipate the temperature having such a dramatic effect on your cell phone battery. La-de-dah, there you are running along, you hit a trail head sign so you pull out your phone to see which way you’re supposed to go, and of course, it’s dead. It won’t turn on and you’re again certifiably screwed. [Side note: if this ever happens to you, place the phone next to your … gentle parts … for 5-10 minutes and that might be enough to get it turned on for a minute to get your bearings. But don’t count on that! I’ve had phones die that were 100% full battery but the cold totally zapped them in no time at all. Remember to keep your phone under a few layers and in a spot where you’re generating some body heat. Some runners will even use hand warmers to keep their phones warm enough for the battery to stay charged.

Depending on the length of your run, you might also want to bring a pre-charged battery power bank for your cell phone. If you’re not familiar with these, you essentially just charge up the power bank and plug it into your phone to give it a quick re-charge.

All that to say, you need to do two things in addition to simply having this GPS mapping tool on your phone: (1) study your route closely beforehand so that you could essentially run it without ever looking at your phone; and (2) bring a paper map and cell phone power bank! It’s always good to have backups.

Gaia GPS 20% Off Discount for Treeline Journal Readers!

I hope you enjoyed this primer and introduction to Gaia GPS. It’s totally blowing up my world and I’m so excited to continue using it on all our future outdoor adventures. If this is something you’re interested in, purchase through THIS LINK. It will save you 20% off any subscription and kick a couple bucks to the Treeline Journal crew. Win-win!

Next Up in the Wilderness Safety for Ultra Runners series

I’m hoping to make this a three-part series, but maybe more as I continue to dive into all this stuff myself. I figure I might as well share everything I’m learning with you all so we can all benefit. Part 2 in the series will be about emergency communication devices, specifically the Spot Tracker, because, well, I already own one and I just used it for the first time too! Part 3 will be an informational resource list of all the essentials to take in your pack when going out for big outings in the backcountry. Sign up for our Rise & Grind weekly newsletter to stay in the loop!

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