Northwest Trails, the Switchbacks.com blog, has moved!  Join us in our new location at http://www.switchbacks.com/blog.

It appears that Switchbacks.com was successfully moved to the new web host with no downtime.  Please let me know if you run into any issues that I may have missed.  Thanks!

The process of transferring Switchbacks.com to the new web host is underway.  Hopefully there will be minimal downtime.  I’ll post back here when the process is complete.

Switchbacks.com (including the pages for Northwest Trails et al.) will be going offline at some point during the next 24 hours while I migrate the site to a new web host.  Hopefully the process will be a relatively painless one.  I’ll post here when the process begins and then post again when the move has taken place.  Thanks for your patience!

Northwest Trails v1.40 has been posted!

Memorial Day arrives here in the states on Monday, and based on the number of submissions that I have received for the Northwest Trails Project in recent days, it looks like I’m not the only one itching for this traditional start of summer to arrive!  It’s as though people are dusting off their old tracks and waypoints in anticipation of getting out and enjoying them in the woods.  Lots of data came in from new and familiar faces alike in the past couple of weeks and I can only hope that the trend continues; nothing makes me happier than seeing new or updated trails popping up on the maps and in the GPS!

Now, if only we could get more involvement from people outside of Washington State!  It is the only state represented in updates this version, which is a trend I hope won’t continue.  Any ideas on how to get people from Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, et al. excited about this project?  Please post your suggestions and ideas in the comments.

Here is the list of the new stuff this round. Enjoy!

Version 1.40 (May 20, 2009)

• Removed “motorized” designation from the Esmeralda Basin and Country Line Trails near Teanaway, WA (error pointed out by Perry Burkhart)
• Added missing portions of the eastern section of the Tolt Pipeline Trail (pointed out by Lightning Jeff) using aerial imagery (near Duvall, WA)
• Data courtesy of Lightning Jeff:
  • Additional roads and trails in the Marckworth Forest (near Duvall, WA)
  • Extension of a trail at Moss Lake (near Duvall, WA)
• Data courtesy of Johnny Boy and DB Cooper:
  • Revamp of the data to Fragrance Lake (Chuckanut Mountain near Bow, WA)
  • Verification of Teddy Bear Cove (near Bellingham, WA)
  • Union Slough Salt Marsh (near Everett, WA)
  • Revisions of and additions to the Pine & Cedar Lakes Trail and adjoining trails on Chuckanut Mountain (near Bellingham, WA)
  • Revision of a portion of the Samish Overlook Trail on Blanchard Mountain (near Bow, WA)
  • A portion of the trails in Captain Whidbey State Park (near Oak Harbor, WA)
• Data courtesy of thebudman:
  • Additional trail on “The Bluff” (High Drive Parkway, Spokane, WA)
• Data courtesy of TotemLake:
  • Extension of a trail at Moss Lake (near Duvall, WA)
• Data courtesy of lucyandrickie:
  • Trail leading up toward Hard Scrabble Falls (near Clipper, WA)
  • Refinements to the Colin Creek Trail in the Redmond Watershed (Redmond, WA)
• Data courtesy of Shaggy, Scooby, and Velma:
  • Additional trail adjacent to Eglon Hansville Trail (near Hansville, WA)
• Data courtesy of EraSeek:
  • Additional trail along the Everett waterfront (Everett, WA)
  • Verification and extension of an unnamed trail on the eastern edge of Pilchuck Tree Farm (near Stanwood, WA)
  • Eagle Trail (Arlington, WA)
  • Verification of the John Wayne Trail from the Boylston Trailhead to Rye (WA)
• Data courtesy of samckernan:
  • Additional data in the Willows Fjords area (Redmond, WA)
  • Grass Lawn Park (Redmond, WA)
  • Kingsgate Park and beyond (near Kirkland, WA)
• Data courtesy of AndrewRJ:
  • Paved neighborhood trail in Monroe, WA
  • Minor trail in Fall City West Park (near Fall City, WA)
  • Trails near Lake Lenore (near Ephrata, WA)
  • Old remnant of NE 132nd St now overgrown and converted to a trail in Big Finn Hill Park (Kirkland, WA)
  • Additional data in the Willows Fjords area (Redmond, WA)
  • Extension of a trail at Moss Lake (near Duvall, WA)
  • Extension of a trail in Bob Heirman Wildlife Park (near Snohomish, WA)
  • Grass Lawn Park (Redmond, WA)
• Data courtesy of Raman Sarin:
  • Additional refinement of trails at Tokul West (near Fall City, WA)
  • Corrections and refinements to trails at Griffin Creek (near Fall City, WA)
  • Additional refinement of trails at Tolt River-John MacDonald Park (near Carnation, WA)
  • Additional trail and refinements at Soaring Eagle Regional Park (Sammamish, WA)
  • Additional trails and refinements at Saint Edward State Park and Big Finn Hill Park (Juanita, WA)
  • Additional trails and refinements at North SeaTac Park (SeaTac, WA)
  • Additional refinement of trails at South SeaTac Park (Des Moines, WA)
  • Verification of the Preston Railroad and Northwest Timber Trails on Tiger Mountain (near Issaquah, WA)
  • Corrections and refinements to the trails in the Paradise Valley Conservation Area (Woodinville, WA)
• Data courtesy of The Jester:
  • Gaines Park (Auburn, WA)
  • Additional trails and verification in Spring Lake/Lake Desire Park (Renton, WA)
  • Celebration Park (Federal Way, WA)
  • Mirror Lake Park (Federal Way, WA)
  • Corrections to the northern end of the BPA Trail (Federal Way, WA)
  • Complete trail system around Fisher’s Pond (Federal Way, WA)
  • A portion of the Maple Valley Lake Wilderness Trails (Maple Valley, WA)
  • A portion of the Danville Trail system (Maple Valley, WA)
  • Lake Killarney Park (Federal Way, WA)
• Data courtesy of mvkazit:
  • Dirty Face Trail (near Lake Wenatchee, WA)
  • Loop through the Enchantments, including the stuart Lake Trail, Colchuck Lake Trail, and Dragontail Peak (Alpine Lakes Wilderness, WA)
  • North Fork Sauk Trail (near Glacier Peak, WA)
  • Adjustments and revisions to some Grand Ridge trails (Issaquah, WA)
  • Adjustments and revisions to some Lord Hill trails (near Monroe, WA)
  • Little Mason Lake Trail (Alpine Lakes Wilderness, WA)
  • Adjustments to the Denny Creek, Melakwa Lake, and Pratt Lake Trails (Alpine Lakes Wilderness, WA)
  • South Climb Trail on Mount Adams (WA)
  • Adjustments to the Mount Si Trail (near North Bend, WA)
  • Rock Mountain Trail and a portion of the Nason Ridge Trail (near Stevens Pass, WA)
  • Trail up Umptanum Ridge from Umptanum Creek (near Yakima, WA)

EraSeek pointed out an issue with building footprints for Bellingham, and upon investigation I discovered that all of the footprints had been shifted over a significant distance in what looked suspiciously like a datum error.  I have corrected the issue and posted a new version of Building Footprints at the Building Footprints web page.

I just finished posting a new version of Northwest Trails (version 1.39) to the Northwest Trails web page.  Lots of really good stuff this time around, including complete coverage of the newly reopened Paradise Valley Conservation Area near Woodinville, WA.

Enjoy!

Version 1.39 (May 7, 2009)

• Added trails of Paradise Valley Conservation Area (Woodinville, WA) from GPS data, aerial imagery and PDF available at the Snohomish County Parks and Recreation web site
• Extended Whitehorse Trail from Johnny Boy and DB Cooper‘s track (see below) west to the Centennial Trail in Arlington, WA, using aerial imagery
• Added a small amount of trail data for Willows Fjords (Redmond, WA)
• Added a small section of trails in the Flaming Geyser Natural Area (near Auburn, WA)
• Data courtesy of caveyeti:
  • Box Canyon State Park (near Hagerman, ID)
• Data courtesy of The Jester:
  • Completion of the roads and trails at Weyerhaeuser Headquarters (Federal Way, WA)
  • Rockland Woodland Garden (Victoria, BC)
  • Unnamed park in Victoria, BC
  • Beacon Hill Park (Victoria, BC)
  • Harborside trail in Victoria, BC
  • Fort Rodd Hill and Fisgard Lighthouse (Victoria, BC)
  • Butchart Gardens (near Victoria, BC)
  • Additions and corrects to the southern end of the BPA Trail (Federal Way, WA)
• Data courtesy of lucyandrickie:
  • Verification of and adjustments to trails in Bob Heirman Wildlife Park (near Snohomish, WA)
  • Additional data for Elger Bay Preserve (Camano Island, WA)
• Data courtesy of Litho:
  • Verification of and additional data for portions of the Hansville Greenway around Buck Lake (near Hansville, WA)
• Data courtesy of savant9:
  • A portion of the Rock’n Horse Trail (Aldergrove Lake Regional Park, Aldergrove BC)
  • A portion of the Lake Loop Trail (Aldergrove Lake Regional Park, Aldergrove BC)
  • A portion of the South Langley Regional Trail (Langley, BC)
  • Most of the Irene Pearce Trail (Langley, BC)
• Data courtesy of monkey360:
  • Bottle Beach (near Ocosta, WA)
• Data courtesy of Johnny Boy and DB Cooper:
  • Unnamed trail on the eastern edge of Pilchuck Tree Farm (near Stanwood, WA)
  • Rotary Park (Anacortes, WA)
  • A portion of the Whitehorse Trail (near Arlington, WA)
  • Lily Lake and North Butte Trails on Chuckanut Mountain (near Bow, WA)
  • Verification of and adjustments to various trails in the Paradise Valley Conservation Area (Woodinville, WA)
  • Neighborhood trail near Silver Lake (Mill Creek, WA)
  • Adjustments to the trails at Squires Lake (near Alger, WA)
• Data courtesy of Highland Hounds:
  • Complete Cathedral Hills trail system (near Grants Pass, OR)
• Data courtesy of Prying Pandora:
  • Adjustment and extension of a trail in Gold Creek Park (Woodinville, WA)
• Data courtesy of Peter Jantz:
  • The Escalator Trail on Beacon Hill (Spokane, WA)
• Data courtesy of Shaggy, Scooby, and Velma:
  • Additions to and adjacent to Eglon Hansville Trail (near Hansville, WA)
• Data courtesy of FARM GIRL:
  • GPX data for most of the trails in the Pilchuck Tree Farm (near Stanwood, WA)
• Data courtesy of GO West:
  • Interurban Trail from Lynnwood Park and Ride to Ballinger Substation (Lynnwood, WA)
• Data courtesy of Lightning Jeff:
  • Verification of and adjustments to various trails in the Paradise Valley Conservation Area (Woodinville, WA)
• Data courtesy of OldBaldEagle:
  • Adjustments to the Kamikaze Falls route up Mount Teneriffe (near North Bend, WA)
• Data courtesy of MarcusArelius:
  • Verification of the Fuller Mountain Trail (near North Bend, WA)

Northwest Trails v1.38 is now available for download from the Northwest Trails page.   Spring seems to finally be here and there were a number of new submissions for this revision.  Enjoy!

Version 1.38 (April 24, 2009)

• Corrected the names of some of the roads on East Tiger Mountain (near Issaquah, WA) after errors pointed out by Bill Davis
• Added sections of the Columbia River Trail in Richland, WA from aerial imagery
• Added trail data for Indian Point (including Herman Bridge Trail, Nick Eaton Trail, and Gorton Creek Trail) near Bridge of the Gods, OR from data available at MotionBased.com
• Added Round Top Trail (Pullman, WA) from GPS data
• Added Palouse Falls State Park (near Washtucna, WA) from GPS data
• Made some corrections to the Bill Chipman Palouse Trail (Pullman, WA – Moscow, ID) and Paradise Trail (Moscow, ID)
• Data courtesy of Forty-n-Eight:
  • Trail up to Ship Peak on Turtle Mountain (Orcas Island, WA)
• Data courtesy of lucyandrickie:
  • Verification of some Jetty Island trails (near Everett, WA)
  • Juanita Beach Park (Juanita, WA)
  • Verification of some roads and trails in the Pilchuck Tree Farm (near Stanwood, WA)
  • Verification of and adjustment to some trails in the Redmond Watershed (Redmond, WA)
  • Verification of some trails in Juanita Bay Park (Kirkland, WA)
  • Beach access trail near Sequim, WA
  • New trailhead parking area at the north end of the East Lake Sammamish Trail (Redmond, WA)
  • Ebright Park (Sammamish, WA)
  • Verification of and adjustments to Grand Ridge trails (Issaquah, WA)
  • Verification of Issaquah Highlands trails (Issaquah, WA)
  • Trails in Miller Peninsula State Park (Miller Peninsula, WA)
  • Trails and roads near Lily Lake on Chuckanut Mountain (near Bow, WA)
  • Samish Bay beach access trail (Samish Island, WA)
  • Confirmation of some logging roads near Hansville, WA
  • Confirmation of some logging roads near Port Gamble, WA
  • Confirmation of and adjustments to the Buck Lake Trail (near Hansville, WA)
  • Confirmation of some trails at Fort Ebey State Park (Whidbey Island, WA)
  • Confirmation of and adjustments to trails in Kettles Park (Whidbey Island, WA)
  • Verification of the Nature Conservancy Trail (Kitsap Peninsula, WA)
  • Confirmation of the Point No Point Trail (near Hansville, WA)
  • Palouse Falls State Park (near Washtucna, WA)
  • Portions of the Columbia River Trail (Richland, WA)
  • Hells Gate State Park (Lewiston, ID)
• Data courtesy of The Jester:
  • Additional trails and roads at the southern edge of Dash Point State Park (Federal Way, WA)
  • Neighborhood trails near Dash Point (Federal Way, WA)
  • Gravel trail system by the Center at Norpoint (Federal Way, WA)
  • Alderwood Park (Tacoma, WA)
  • Paved trail in Othello, WA
  • Palouse Falls State Park (near Washtucna, WA)
  • Locomotive Park (Lewiston, ID)
  • Part of the trail system around Farr Cemetery (Pullman, WA)
  • Trail in UI Arboretum (Moscow, ID)
  • Trees of Stone Interpretive Trail at Gingko Petrified Forest State Park (near Vantage, WA)
  • Roads and trails at Weyerhaeuser Headquarters (Federal Way, WA)
  • Neighborhood trail near Weyerhaeuser Headquarters (Federal Way, WA)
• Data courtesy of dsvaughn:
  • Additional trails in the Buck Lake area (near Hansville, WA)
  • Neighborhood trail system near Cottage Lake (Woodinville, WA)
• Data courtesy of Kirt Runolfson:
  • Verification, correction, and addition of numerous trails in the Dishman Hills area (Spokane, WA), including those connecting with the Iller Creek Conservation Area, Tower Mountain, and Browne Mountain
• Data courtesy of Peter Janz:
  • Rabid Rabbit Trail on Beacon Hill (Spokane, WA)
• Data courtesy of savant9:
  • Pepin Brook Trail in Aldergrove Lake Regional Park (Abbotsford, BC)
• Data courtesy of Johnny Boy and DB Cooper:
  • Trails at Squires Lake, including the Pacific Northwest Trail (near Alger, WA)
  • Trails in the Montgomery-Duban Headlands (Fidalgo Island, WA)

There is some good stuff in this version of Northwest Trails: most of the roads and a large portion of the trails in the Pilchuck Tree Farm near Stanwood, WA; most of the road and trail network between Dishman Hills and Iller Creek Conservation Area near Spokane, WA; and complete coverage of Dash Point State Park in Federal Way, WA.  All this plus additional submissions from around the Northwest including Washington, British Columbia, Idaho and Oregon.

Enjoy!

Version 1.37 (April 9, 2009)

• Added some of the roads and trails in the expansive network between Dishman Hills and Tower Mountain from aerial imagery (near Spokane, WA)
• Updated and tweaked some trails in the Banner Forest (Banner, WA) from info posted at MTBR.com and to which B+L directed me
• Added roads and trails of Pilchuck Tree Farm (near Stanwood, WA) using aerial imagery, GPS data, and PDF and shapefiles provided by FARM GIRL
• Added a missing portion of the BPA Trail (Federal Way, WA) using aerial imagery
• Data courtesy of lucyandrickie:
  • Waterside trail in Washington Park (Anacortes, WA)
  • Future waterside trail in Anacortes, WA
  • Verification of and adjustment to several trails in Carkeek Park (Seattle, WA)
  • Verification of and adjustment to the Mt. Walker Trail (near Quilcene, WA)
  • Additional trails in the Pilchuck Tree Farm (near Arlington, WA)
• Data courtesy of The Jester:
  • Complete coverage of Dash Point State Park (Federal Way, WA)
  • Additional trails in Game Farm Park (Auburn, WA)
  • Confirmation of trails in Game Farm Wilderness Park (Auburn, WA)
  • Confirmation of and additional portions of road and trail along the White River (Auburn, WA)
  • Poverty Bay Park (Federal Way, WA)
  • Unnamed trail/road system near Poverty Bay (Federal Way, WA)
  • Petrovitsky Park (Renton, WA)
  • Dumas Bay Center (Federal Way, WA)
  • Dumas Bay Park (Federal Way, WA)
  • Adelaide Park (Federal Way, WA)
  • Palisades Park (Federal Way, WA)
  • A section of the BPA Trail (Federal Way, WA)
• Data courtesy of EraSeek:
  • Tolmie State Park (near Olympia, WA)
  • Portion of the Cross-Island Trail (Camano Island, WA)
• Data courtesy of Shaggy, Scooby, and Velma:
  • Verification of and additions to Hansville Greenway and Community Trails (Hansville, WA)
• Data courtesy of GeoBobC:
  • Dirt road on Tiger Mountain leading from SE 163rd Pl. to Hobart Gap (near Hobart, WA)
• Data courtesy of Team Yeti:
  • Backside Trail in Cathedral Hills Park (near Grants Pass, OR)
• Data courtesy of John Viveiros:
  • Additional data and adjustments to Dishman Hills trails (Spokane, WA)
• Data courtesy of caveyeti:
  • Additional trail and trailhead in Hagerman Fossil Beds (near Hagerman, ID)
• Data courtesy of MaliBooBoo:
  • Old Alexandria Bridge Trail (near Hope, BC)

Northwest Trails v1.36 is now available on the Northwest Trails Page.  Since I start my new job at Groundspeak tomorrow, I thought it best that I get out his release while I can!

Enjoy!

Jon

Version 1.36 (March 23, 2009)

• Removed non-existent trail paralleling George Washington Way in Richland, WA
• Corrected a trail juntion in Jenkins Creek Park from info supplied by Dwoodford (Covington, WA)
• Added dirt roads in the Lost Creek basin in the Priest Lake area (ID)
• Added paved trail around storm water retention pond (“Lake Landro”) in the Issaquah Highlands (WA)
• Adjusted several trails in Soaring Eagle Park (Sammamish, WA) using new GPS data
• Added junction markers for Soaring Eagle Park (Sammamish, WA) originally provided by dsvaughn
• Data courtesy of The Jester:
  • Confirmation of and adjustments to the Licorice Fern Trail on Cougar Mountain (near Bellevue, WA)
  • Confirmation of several other trails on Cougar Mountain
  • Confirmation of and corrections and additions to trails around Cedar Mountain/Lake Desire (Renton, WA)
  • Small neighborhood trail in Kent, WA
  • South Fork Snoqualmie River levee trail and adjoining trail system (North Bend, WA)
  • Olympic View Park (Federal Way, WA)
  • Gravel trail near Stonehaven Apartments (Federal Way, WA)
  • Verification of and additional trails in West Hylebos Wetlands Park (Federal Way, WA)
  • Trail system near the West Valley Highway off of 61st Ave S and 63rd Pl S (Federal Way, WA)
• Data courtesy of hydnsek:
  • Mirrormont Park (near Issaquah, WA)
• Data courtesy of Shaggy, Scooby, and Velma:
  • The Falls Park & Trails (adjacent to Willis D. Tucker Park near Cathcart, WA)
  • Verification of the Seattle City Light Power Line in Bridle Trails State Park (Kirkland, WA)
  • Additional portions of the Hansville Greenway Trail (Hansville, WA)
• Data courtesy of caveyeti:
  • Bruneau Dunes State Park (near Mountain Home, ID)
• Data courtesy of B+L:
  • A new trail and adjustments to others in Vashon Island Center Forest (WA)
• Data courtesy of FunnyNose:
  • Trail off Diagonal Ave. by Terminal 108 (Seattle, WA)
  • Interlaken Park (Seattle, WA)
  • Laurelhurst Park (Seattle, WA)
  • Queen Anne greenspace trail system (Seattle, WA)
  • Roanoke Park (Seattle, WA)
  • Paved trail/staircase near the Magnolia Bridge (Seattle, WA)
  • Paved trail to Terminal 105 viewpoint (Seattle, WA)
  • Trail near the juntion of Southcenter Pkwy and S 178th St (Tukwila, WA)
• Data courtesy of jholly:
  • Additional trails in the Buck Lake area (near Hansville, WA)
• Data courtesy of John Viveiros:
  • Additional trails in High Drive Parkway (Spokane, WA)
  • Trail 401 in Riverside State Park (Spokane, WA)
• Data courtesy of Ichabod:
  • Additional Powell Butte trails (near Portland, OR)
• Data courtesy of lucyandrickie:
  • Verification of and adjustment to various trails in Soaring Eagle Park (Sammamish, WA)
• Data courtesy of savant9:
  • Hogan Family Nature Park (Abbotsford, BC)