When setting out on a hike, you should remember the motto “Know before you go”, but even the best-laid plans go awry.
“I’m already confused,” CBS reporter Karen Morfitt said as she tried out COTREX, the national trail explorer app.
My guide was Mike Thompson, who lives and plays in northern Colorado.
“I’ve been coming here since 2008 and I really love the outdoors and love going out trail running, hiking, climbing and mountain biking,” he said.
His past includes a career as a software engineer with 20 years working in geographic information systems, also known as GIS.
“Essentially, it’s tools, technology and software to store, visualize and analyze data about the planet,” Thompson said.
His passions collided when he was introduced to COTREX for navigating the backcountry.
“I realized there were a lot of good things about it, like beautiful terrain, good basic map information, and a parking lot trailhead, but with my trail experience, I quickly realized there were a lot of things wrong with the trail.” ” Thompson said.
He showed me some of the issues he’s identified, from trails being mislocated and named incorrectly to being completely missing and not actually existing on the app.
His anxiety increased as he walked the Fox Creek Trail in Larimer County, where he became the focus of a search for lost hikers.
“I tried to climb it years ago, but at one point I gave up because there was too much debris from the 2013 flood, so I found it on COTREX and right-clicked to warn it, but of course nothing happened.” Then I heard that someone had gotten lost in that area and unfortunately passed away, so I contacted them again,” Thompson said.
Shortly thereafter, I received an email from the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Department, which operates the app, informing me that the trail would be removed.
This decision was made despite prior notice that changes could only come from official sources.
CPW says it relies on land managers such as the Forest Service, national parks or individual counties for all trail information.
“Get verified trail information from COTREX,” the app’s ad touts.
This is different from commercial apps that rely on crowdsourcing for information.
“In other words, people can provide information to residents and trail visitors, but often that information is questionable and distance restrictions can be difficult,” Jefferson County said Mary Ann Bonell, park ranger.
She says her team regularly sends out updates about the trail, and there are rarely any delays in the information coming to the app.
“Our GIS team is amazing and very proactive. We work directly with the field team. So when our trail team says we’ve decided to change the route, our trail team walks the trail and analyzes the GIS data. We provide the set to the GIS team, or they might do it themselves because they love being out and about,” she added.
They are one of eight county, state and federal public land agencies supporting NOCO sites and how to address the challenges facing our mountains and foothills due to increased visitor numbers and population growth. This is a group that collaborates on
COTREX is their favorite app.
“If you compare it to crowdsourcing, you’re going to see a lot less of an issue with a crowdsourcing app where someone is really looking for an error,” Bohnell said.
CBS News Colorado commissioned a review of feedback from app users from January to August and found that several concerns had been raised, from concerns about private property to rerouting trails.
“We changed it to downhill only, bike only. It’s at least a safety risk not to update,” one commenter said, while another asked for more information. “Can someone recommend a more reliable source of information about trail conditions?”
The Colorado Parks and Wildlife Department declined to be interviewed, but said the frequency of map updates is done on a case-by-case basis.
“In some cases, agencies may require staff to go on-site to verify reported discrepancies on-site to ensure data is updated accurately and does not refer to user-created trails. We are leaving the final decision to our land management partners, and it may take additional time to make these amendments,” CPW spokesperson Travis Duncan responded.
For Thompson, the point is not that one app is better than the other, but that it’s important to have the right information.
“If we’re going to provide an app to help people reproduce safely in the outback, I think it should be as accurate as possible.”
In general, backcountry experts say it’s best to have multiple options for navigation.
Most trailheads provide paper maps, but you can also take a photo of the map there. Another suggestion is to find a hiking group or go with someone who is familiar with the area.