Aventura — Google Maps Launches New National Park Features

by Aventura on April 12, 2023

Google is rolling out new features on its Maps platform to enhance the experience of users exploring national parks. These updates are intended to provide visitors with useful information, such as finding their way around the park and discovering things to do.

One particular feature is that when users search for a trail, the entire route will be highlighted on the map, not just a pin, making it easier to identify where the trail starts and ends, and what it looks like. Additionally, reviews and photos from the Google Maps community will be visible, including information such as the trail's difficulty level and whether it is best for walking, running, or biking.

Google Maps will also help users to identify popular locations within a park, including campgrounds, trailheads, visitor centers, and attractions. Users can search for a park and view photo highlights of key locations from the Maps community, tapping on the images for further information, such as videos and reviews.

Moreover, Google Maps is introducing more accurate directions, showing park entrances on the map and directing users to trailheads when they request walking or cycling directions to a specific trail. The app is also launching a new feature for downloading offline maps of parks, allowing users to navigate without internet access.

All of these features will be available for all US national parks this April, and will be rolled out to parks worldwide in the coming months. These updates indicate Google Maps' expansion into the territory currently occupied by platforms such as AllTrails, which offers crowdsourced reviews and images for thousands of outdoor locations.

As part of the announcement, Google revealed that the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the top-rated national park in the US, followed by Bryce Canyon National Park, Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, Kenai Fjords National Park, Rocky Mountain National Park, Acadia National Park, Badlands National Park, Mount Rainier National Park, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, and Grand Teton National Park.

Full press release here: https://blog.google/products/maps/google-maps-update-national-parks-features/

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