Just realized my trail maps were wrong after a ranger pointed it out

I was using a 2019 map for the Lost Creek Loop in Colorado and a ranger said it missed 3 reroutes from the 2022 flood damage. I had been leading my group up a closed washout for 2 miles that was marked as clear. Now I always check the USFS site before I print anything. Anyone else ever get caught with outdated route info?

2 comments

2 Comments

diana_moore7512d ago

Yeah totally, I got caught with an old map once and ended up bushwhacking for an extra hour on a trail that was supposedly a mile long, lol. Now I always cross-reference with Gaia or AllTrails comments right before I go.

piper_thompson3112d ago

Have you checked the USFS site for the date on the actual file though? Not trying to be picky, but the 2022 flood damage reroutes were done by the fall of 2022, so a 2019 map would definitely be out of date by then. I run into the same thing with old CalTopo maps I've saved locally - theyll show a trail that's been closed for years after a fire or washout. The ranger probably saved you a rough hike up that washout, which is lucky for your group. I always check the date on the file name now, not just the title or the map itself, because a 2019 map might have been updated in 2023 and still say 2019 in the corner.