Trail Construction:
- USDA Trail Construction and Maintenance Notebook (2007 Edition): Describes techniques used to construct and maintain trails. It is written for trail crew workers and is intended to be taken along on work projects.
- Pacific Crest Trail Association Trail Skills College Course Curriculum
- USDA Forest Service Standard Trail Plans and Specifications
- IMBA Trail Difficulty Rating System
- IMBA and BLM Guidelines for a Quality Trail Experience (PDF)
- Whistler Trail Standards (PDF): Environmental and Technical Trail Features
- Managing Mountain Biking: IMBA’s guide to overcoming user conflict, minimizing environmental impact, managing risk, and providing technically challenging riding for all levels. (Print Book)
- Trail Solutions – IMBA’s Guide to Building Sweet Singletrack: IMBA’s premier trailbuilding resource; combines cutting-edge trailbuilding techniques with proven fundamentals in a colorful, easy-to-read format. (Print Book)
Survey, Environmental, and Weather:
- NWS Soil Temperature Maps by Depth: See how far down the ground is frozen, good for keeping an eye on springtime thaw conditions.
- NWS Advanced Hydrological Prediction Services (Detroit/Pontiac): Observed precipitation, river depth and predictions, etc.
- NWS NOHRSC Interactive Snow Information: Snow depths, temperatures, etc.
- SoilWeb: Explore USDA-NCSS soil survey data across the US to find out soil composition at different locations. Good for understanding how well an area might drain or hold up to trail.
- topoView: Online viewer for USGS topographical maps.
- Macomb County Property Analyzer: Look up ownership and tax information for parcels in the county.
- Oakland County Property Gateway: Information on all parcels in county. Fee for ownership information and detailed maps.
Advocacy and Development:
- Headwaters Economics Trails Benefits Library: A collection of studies on the positive impacts of trails on businesses, public health, and quality of life.
Mapping / Navigating:
- OpenStreetMap Tagging for Mountain biking
- TopoFusion: Swiss army knife GPS mapping software for Windows.
- GPXSee: Simple GPX viewer which overlays data on OSM and other public background maps.
- JOSM: Thick client editor for OpenStreetMap data.
- GPSBabel: Near-universal GPS receiver data format converter.
- Gaia GPS: Offline mapping software for mobile devices.
- North Country Trail (Public): Online official maps of the North Country Trail. Shows which sections are open or closed to bikes.
- OsmAnd: Global Mobile Map Viewing and Navigation for Online and Offline OSM Maps
- GOTOES Utilities for Strava and Garmin Connect: Useful tools for combining files, including a utility to Add Time Stamps to GPX Files which is required if using a JOSM GPX export and wishing to use the file in many GPS devices.
- GPS Visualizer: Online tools for converting and displaying GPS data.
- State-Managed Non-Motorized Trails: Online map of non-motorized trails managed by the Michigan DNR.
- Strava Global Heatmap: Shows frequently traveled routes by cyclists and runners. Good for finding de facto routes. (Requires subscription.)
