Travel

from North 32nd News, January 2020

Getaway

GET A SNEAK PEEK OF ARIZONA’S STATE PARKS AND TRAILS WITH GOOGLE

Imagine seeing your favorite Arizona state park or the accessibility of the trail and the layout of the park. trail before you head out, giving you the chance The project also had the added value of identifying to perfectly plan your hike or view your campsite. any trails in need of maintenance or repair in the park Arizona State Parks and Trails partnered with Google system. in early 2019 to make that happen. Arizona State Parks and Trails staff used the Google data to the existing Earth and Maps databases for free R7 Trekker Camera to capture 360 views of all state use by the public. The information can also afford parks and more than 175 miles of trails in and con- people the opportunity to take a virtual tour of a trail necting to the state parks across Arizona. The data is without having to physically climb or travel. now live on Google Earth and Google Maps, enabling visitors to see trail conditions and plan the perfect hiking adventure or preview the beauty of a park before planning a weekend adventure. Use of the camera was free after Parks submitted a request and detailed information about which trails would be documented.

Over six weeks, staff hiked more than 200 miles carrying the Trekker, which weighs 45 pounds and includes 15 individual lenses to capture a 360-degree view of each trail and park. The data will help visitors understand the difficulty of trails, topography, and what to expect to see along the route, as well as Google has now processed and uploaded this park