After much ado, the latest map from GraniteMaps is now available. This map covers 2 distinct areas; The first is Soquel Demonstration Forest, well known in the mountain biking community as having miles of challenging, technical singletrack. The other is the Forest of Nisene Marks which shares a ridge with Demo and provides trail users of all types some of the most pristine redwood forest trails available in California. This new map is much improved over the last version for Santa Cruz by having a brand new base layer. Read more...

The goal of GraniteMaps is to provide accurate and educational maps for people participating in outdoor activities, so a large part of the project is creating maps that are pleasing to the eye.

The map displayed in granitemaps is actually two layers: the “base map” and the trail layer. The base map is is responsible for displaying the details of the map’s area such as land boundaries, rivers/lakes, major roads and elevation. The trail layer is an overlay of the actual trails and points of interest.

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Edit 11/27/2014: GraniteMaps Santa Cruz is now available on the iOS store! link

It took me a while, but over the weekend I officially submitted my first app into the Google Play Store:

GraniteMaps: Santa Cruz is a digital trail map for those looking to hike, ride or trot the trails in and around Santa Cruz, CA. GraniteMaps: Santa Cruz provides an easy to read topographical map, current location, trail list, and extra information on local wildlife.

So technically, how did all this come together? Using a bunch of awesome libraries held together by dirty hacks, of course!

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