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SITE news archive

Mar.12   VWA website down today
Mar.8     GPX file "with trail conditions/ratings" for smartphones
Mar.2     Providing river crossing reports vs. Big Sur river flow
on 'More Info' page of 'River heights high' alert box
Jan.23   Fixed PDF-format "no trail conditions" file download problem
Jan.16   Fixed PDF-format "with trail conditions" file download problem
Jan.4     Added page-printable PDF map option to route metrics webpage
Jan.2     Added page-printable PDF maps to backpack suggestions webpage

2023
Nov.29   Added 'Avg. Trail Condition' to routes in backpack suggestions webpage
Nov.26   Added Lost Valley backpack suggestion
Nov.17   Created 'I Was There' on-line camp register
to see if anyone uses out-of-the-way camps
Oct.11   Report USFS trails total "Clear" mileage on home page
with percent of total network mileage frown
Sep.29   Fixed Ratings "Search" result for trails
now highlights entire trail
Sep.19   Moved Turner Creek Camp
from usecamp location to historic location
Sep.15   Fixed 'Big Sur River Height' button
had been giving out-dated info
Sep.14   Fixed 'Route Metrics' missing map
thanks to Jim Gonzales (forum report)
Sep.13   Added "Trail Conditions" option to Geopdf map
Jul.26   Fixed route map display buttons
thanks to George J (forum report)
Jul.2     "Places to Visit" webpage enhanced & updated:
maps now display trail conditions and are clickable
Jun.22   Fixed broken photomaps
Jun.20   Added backpack suggestion and photomap:
Ventana Double Cone via Long Ridge Road
Jun.15   Mount Manuel Trail from Vado Camp south no longer "Lost"
following successful completion (using GPS) and report by 5 backpackers
Jun.4     Added 'Wilderness photo challenge' webpage
May 31   Added hazard criterion to Big Sur River conditions webpage
Apr.15   Fixed GoogleEarth page broken download links
Mar.22   Faster metrics calcs
for multiple intersection routes
Mar.16   Fixed metrics calc
infinite-loop problem
Mar.14   Revised many trail condition ratings downward
for storm damage based on reports received
Jan.14   Added 'Notable Routes' webpages
Jan.13   Print,Geopdf,Garmin maps not updated during NF closure
so print, GeoPDF, Garmin maps will not include forest-wide closure

2022
Dec.11   Ten-day small-area weather forecast available
using right-click menu on interactive map
Dec.10   Please report any newly broken webpages
Many pages changed last week, please report problems at Big Sur Trailmap Forum
Nov.19   Broken clicks fixed
for last week, some clickable links were broken due to botched replacement
Jan.13   One PDF map for entire Big Sur region
replacing 3 regional maps
Jan.13   USFS Trail ID search
interactive map "Search" gives official name and location

2021
Dec.24   Up-to-the-minute Route 1 closure info available
Dec.21   Print maps optionally show trail conditions
as border color on rated trails
Dec.3     Search again working
Apparently has been broken since Nov.5  (no one said anything)
Nov.29   Geopdf background map change
From classic USGS to National Map shaded terrain background
Nov.29   Printed maps 'display closures' option added
Added option to display/ignore current closures
Jul.25   Garmin-format maps
Added "Lost Trails" & "Lost Camps" & new contour lines
Jul.16   Google Earth overlay
Updated to also work in smartphone and browser GE versions, in addition to desktop
Jun.14   Garmin contours updated
Wider spaced lines makes map more readable
May 4   New Pine Ridge Trail Photomap
PRT opening gives more backpacking opportunities
Apr.29   Garmin map routing changes
Garmin changes force altering Garmin map's routing properties (for the worse).  If you use trail routing or display along-trail distances in the Garmin-format Trailmap, see this "Routing Changes" discussion.
Apr.24   Garmin GPS files updated
fixed problem preventing these from being updated (since last April!) 

2020
Aug.11   Print/Garmin/PDF map updating change
will only show long-term closures, e.g. not COVID-related closures. 
Mar.10   Gaia "Layer" users
Gaia update breaks old "layer" installation - new install required. 
Mar.3     "Shaded" print maps
you now get a choice of printed map backgrounds
Feb.26   Roads closed to vehicles
now turquoise on "Trail Conditions" map (ala gated roads), pink means closed to hikers
Feb.25   Tiled map failures
if your GPS app uses them,
Feb.21   Gaia Big Sur Trailmap "Layer" users
see this forum post regarding lost access after http→https change
Feb.18   "Trail condition" road type+color change
now public & gated (was paved & dirt)
Jan.29   Ft. Ord NM
georeferenced multi-scale KMZ trail map now available (GoogleEarth,Garmin,etc)
Jan.15   Bordered lines
now used on interactive Big Sur Trailmap

2019
Nov.10   New blog post
Oct.19   New wilderness backpack suggestion
Aug.21   Switch to https
BigSurTrailmap has been converted to the secure "https" protocol.  All seems well - but 
Aug.20   Slow loads fixed
Found an error made a week ago giving very slow page loading
May 1   Backpack Suggestions
routes updated based on current trail conditions