Power Loop Hike

Hiker Red River Gorge Backpacking Map
Distance: 9.3 Miles loop
Difficulty: +++
Scenic Views: ++
Elevation Relief: 500ft ^^^^
Ownership: Daniel Boone National Forest, USFS

Red River Gorge Backpacking Map: $14

The Power Loop Hike…need more explanation? This favorite 9.25 mile loop has 4 ‘ups’ or creek-to-ridge ascents, which is 1800 feet of cumulative ‘up’ elevation change. If you finish it in 4 hours, you’re walking good; in 3 hours you’re marching; and in 2 hours you’re smokin’. About a 1/3 of the loop is on the Sheltowee Trace. This is one of the best loops in the Daniel Boone NF.
[Read more…]

Map Discovery Night!

This past Thursday evening Boyd ‘mapped-out!’ Lexington’s Living Arts and Science Center’s January Discovery Night. This two-hour monthly event brings in families to learn about topics in science and art and often has a collaborative element.

Boyd focused on making maps of course, but he also discussed some basic ideas of what maps do (e.g., they show where stuff is) and possibilities they give us (e.g., understanding why stuff is where it is). The kids enjoyed seeing early Kentucky maps from 1733 & 1811 and a map of the modern world illuminated at night. They were a wonderful bunch and had bright responses to geography questions. As a bonus, he gave them a bird’s eye view of the Red River Gorge with two great destinations there to visit.

We would like to thank the Center for this opportunity to see the wonder and happiness in children’s eyes as they explored maps! Visit the Center’s site to see more Discovery Night events.

Bike Lexington Map

Draft of the Bike Lex Map

We’ve updated our map of bike lanes and pedestrian paths in Lexington’s urban service area. It is a big map and we’re considering options for release.

Please share any feedback about how we can make this map better.

Visit the map:
bikelex.com/map/front

Sheltowee Trace Bird’s Eye View Map

Draft of the ST 3D

We have been working on our 3D map of the Sheltowee Trace. This Bird’s Eye View map shows the official forest service trails and recreation areas on a 3D map of the Pottsville Escarpment that separates the rugged Cumberland Plateau with the more rolling Bluegrass and Pennyrile regions.

We encourage you to explore this map give us any feedback. We will probably print portions of the map as insets in the Sheltowee Trace north map on which we are currently working.

Visit the map:
outrageGIS.com/sheltowee/3D

Animated map of Town Branch Trail

This animation was made to accompany a short video that describes Town Branch Trail in Lexington, Kentucky.

[Read more…]

New GPS and PDF maps for the Great Smokies

We are introducing our new map and GPS datapack series for the Great Smoky Mountains. We’ve created an easily printable map for every trail listed in the Great Smoky Mountains Association’s Hiking Trails of the Smokies, the brown book, also known as the “Hikers’ Brown Bible.”

Our maps show forest canopy cover, trail intersection elevations, and mileage between intersections & backcountry campsites, all at 1:50,000 scale. Our GPS data is the most detailed and current data available. We’ve structured the GPX file so you can easily select your hike and save it to your mobile device or GPS unit. Our maps are offered as a printable, 8×10 PDF file with each page centered on the listed hike. Print your maps and save them to your mobile device, but never worry about losing or damaging your map again!

Currently we are offering two regions, Cades Cove and Cosby & Greenbrier.

Trails in the Cades Cove region: Abrams Falls, Ace Gap, Anthony Creek, Appalachian Trail, Beard Cane, Bote Mountain, Cades Cove Nature, Cane Creek, Cooper Road, Crib Gap, Crooked Arm Ridge, Finley Cane, Goldmine, Gregory Bald, Gregory Ridge, Hannah Mountain, Hatcher Mountain, Indian Grave Gap, Lead Cove, Little Bottoms, Rabbit Creek, Rich Mountain, Rich Mountain Loop, Russell Field, Schoolhouse Gap, Scott Mountain, Turkeypen Ridge, West Prong, Wet Bottom.

Trails in the Cosby & Greenbrier regions: Albright Grove, Appalachian Trail, Brushy Mountain, Camel Gap, Cosby Nature, Gabes Mountain, Grapeyard Ridge, Low Gap, Lower Mt Cammerer, Maddron Bald, Mt Cammerer, Old Settlers, Porters Creek, Ramsey Cascades, Snake Den Ridge.

First snowfall in the Great Smokies

From the Purchase Knob webcam, we can see the first dusting on snow in the Great Smokies. Mark the date, October 20. Though not much is seen here, the intense storm, which is our first midlatitude cyclone of the season, might produce a little more snowfall overnight and more at higher elevations. We will check the gauge at Mt. LeConte tomorrow and see how much they got. Winter is here in the highlands. [Read more…]

Late Summer in the Red River Gorge

A hike down the Sheltowee Trace from Pinch ‘Em Tight Trailhead to the suspension bridge across the Red River. September saw more rain than usual and the river’s tributaries were decently full for late summer. Chimney Top Creek showed evidence of a recent flood. Intersections with smaller streams had freshly deposited sand and flattened vegetation a foot above the bank.
[Read more…]

Big South Fork in Early Fall

The first weekend of the October saw us in the Big South Fork country enjoying a dramatic change in weather. The first day was warm and sunny, but as evening set, the winds increased and rustled the treetops throughout the night. The morning was overcast, mild, and as we began our descent into the Big South Fork at Blue Heron, the sky thickened into sweeping rolls of stratocumulus clouds.
[Read more…]

Gray’s Arch in the Red River Gorge

A quiet afternoon hike visiting D. Boone Hut, Gray’s Arch, and Butterfly Hill. This short video adds an audio component that maybe helps a viewer appreciate the unique solitude.
[Read more…]

Woodland Art Fair!

It’s time of year when the morning glories bloom in full, locusts buzz softly with early sunsets, and the promise of drier, cooler days ahead stirs images of woodland travels. Come on down to the Woodland Art Fair this weekend to get some park trail maps and discuss our new projects. See you there, August 20-21. We’ll have lemonade, too!

[Read more…]

Archives of stuff

Visit our site from 2004

Visit our site from 2004

Gallery

Archive from 2011

Just for fun, we have added portions of our site from the old days of 2004 and 2011. Much of the content is duplicated, but it shows the evolution outrageGIS.com. If you want to go wayback, you need the wayback machine internet archive for our site. It should be noted that many links may be broken and contact forms will not work, since the emails have changed. If you need to contact us now, please use this link.

Road Closure Info for the Great Smokies

Planning a spring trip to the Great Smokies? We’ve collected and posted official updates on road closures on our weather page.

A day of weather in the Great Smokies

A somber late-winter day from Look Rock mountain overlook, March 5, 2011. [Read more…]

Town Branch Trail

A map of the 2.2 miles of trail, including the connector trails from surrounding neighborhoods. Visit Town Branch Trail (townbranch.org) to learn more about Lexington’s historic stream, Town Branch, and the greenway trail that is slowly building along it’s banks. [Read more…]

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