There are so many websites, apps and other tools these days to help us plan our adventures….As I get ready to hit the road again I wanted to be a bit better of a planner for the Oregon and California coast. I wanted to map out the places I wanted to visit, the hikes and sites I wanted to see, and then hopefully find inexpensive camping around those areas as well. And not being a good planner, this sorta stresses me out!

After going some research I cam across this article taking about “My Maps” on Google

http://www.kevinandamanda.com/create-a-custom-travel-map-with-google-maps/

It’s a simple but cool tool to use. If you have a Google account you can just login go to this link and get started.

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/?pli=1

You can name your map, do multiple maps too. If you have spots which you already know you want to camp or visit, you can type it in the search bar, then add a pin and label that pin. You can even color coat your pins….I colored all my “camping” pins in green. You can also create pins if you know your map coordinates as well.

Once you create a pin, there is a list of pins on the left side which you can click and the map will go to that pin. If you are a visual person like me its great to look over an area on a map and see a hike a really want to take, then see the campsite I want to stay at or realize I need to find a campsite in the area.

From there you can create directions, find distance from pin to pin, draw lines and even create layers on the map.

I’m really just diving in so I’m sure there are many other features to use but I wanted to pass this tool along….

Do you have a site or app you use to plan your trip? I would love to hear about it.