TransAmerica Trail Digital Data Now Available

Adventure Cycling is excited to announce its release of enhanced GPX data for the TransAmerica Trail, just in time for cyclists to launch their trips across the country on our 40th anniversary, device in hand. This data may be purchased by individual map section or the entire route.

We have long been on the road to offering a way for traveling cyclists to navigate our route network via electronic devices, as a supplement to our top-notch paper maps. In May 2015, after a round of testing with users, we released our first GPX data for devices: Bicycle Route 66 (BR66) and Idaho Hot Springs Mountain Bike Route (IHSMBR).

Like the BR66 and IHSMBR data launch before it, the TransAm data includes a high-resolution GPX track of the main route and any alternates or options shown on the printed map which can be displayed and followed on your GPS or mobile device.

Screenshot of Locus Pro 3.16.0 displaying the GPX track for TransAmerica Trail Section 3 on an Android device.

The data also includes a GPX file of all the services shown on the map including our Cyclists Only Camping and Lodging listings found on no other maps.

Screenshot of Easy Trails v9.8 (build 178) displaying a GPX track and services on an iOS device.

Screenshot of EasyTrails v9.8 (build 178) displaying the detailed service information available in the service points GPX file on an iOS device.

Support for our digital offerings is available in the enhanced GPX data Tracks and Service Points section of our website. This includes directions on what to do with the data once you've downloaded it, how to set up some of the more common Garmin devices, and how to use it on both iOS and Android operating systems.

We will continue to roll out GPX data tracks for the rest of our Adventure Cycling Route Network, a few routes at a time and as new routes are published. With this development and the momentum building, it is an exciting time in the Routes & Mapping Department.

Carla Majernik, routes & mapping director, sums it up this way, “I think the GPX data brings the navigation possibilities into the present, making it easier for anyone to follow the route, and make off-route side trips to historical destinations, etc. Overall, using the GPX data can enhance the experience of bicycle travel. All that being said, nothing beats relaxing with your paper map at the end of the day to get an overview of what is coming up, or revisiting where you've been.”

Device screenshot images courtesy of Rami Haddad.

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