Trying out the app Gaia GPS

 By Keith and Heather Nicol
We have just come across an app called Gaia GPS which looks like it might offer some very useful features for anyone wanting to explore the out of doors. We like to hike, bike, sea kayak and cross country ski and have used some other navigation apps on our phone which measure the distance of a bike ride or a cross country ski outing but sometimes you are left wanting more out of these apps. In particular you might want to mark a waypoint so we could come back to a location later..this is useful if you are hiking in a place where there are a maze of trails and you want to mark where the car is parked or where you found an interesting plant or viewpoint that you might want to come back to another time.

 

 Behind that wall of trees are various trails within Stanley Park and Beaver Lake is in there as well

On a recent trip to Vancouver I decided to test it out on some trails I had never been on in Stanley Park. These trails are well established but it gave us a chance to test Gaia GPS out. On one trip my destination was Beaver Lake and I was on a bike. The trails in Stanley Park are generally well marked but Gaia GPS will confirm where you are. From my location on the seawall I used it to find an access trail which led to Bridle Path. To reach Beaver Lake I took a side trail called Lake Trail. All the trail names are listed within Gaia GPS although you have to zoom in read some of the smaller ones. We will be testing Gaia GPS in other settings and will let readers know what we think of it as we discover more aspects to it. For more information see: https://www.gaiagps.com/map/

                                     Beaver Lake in Stanley Park is being overtaken by Lily Pads and other marsh plants