Product. Trail Updates Hiking Jasper Yoho Kananaskis Banff
Trail & Feature Updates
Mapitfirst automatically, once a month, will download a new file containing trail up-dates, new internet links and additions to the data set that we feel are required or simply add value to the product. If a web link no longer functions or if we find a better source of information, we'll change the link and you'll get the new information with the up-date. Follow the instructions in the FAQ section on how to load the new file. It's not hard so please take a minute to make sure you're using the latest information. We'll let you know what's new on this page so have a look here when you get the up-date message to see what's new.
July 21, 2010
We've added in about 80 new trail descriptions from HikeAlberta.com There's lots of good stuff to read in his trail descriptions.
Waterton Lakes National Park
Free when you own Mapitfirst the Canadian Rockies!
We've added a new map of Waterton Lakes National Park complete with trail system campgrounds and other usefull information. It also includes a portion of the Glacier Park in the US and associated trails. You'll need to get the update then refresh your map list to see the new map (Map > Map List >Refresh List) . To see the new trails, you'll need to choose the Overlay > Import and find the new file (Waterton Mapitfirst.mmo). Your up-date will take longer than it has in the past due to the larger files that are being downloaded.
There is no charge for this map and data if you already own Mapitfirst - The Canadian Rockies Edition!
May 12, 2010
Mountain Bike - Trail information
We've added some mountain bike data for the Banff area. Effectively we've used the available Parks Canada information where it was available.
We've added in some information on closed areas due to wild life concerns. Look for the Information symbol in selected areas in Banff. Thanks Greg for suggesting that information be included.
Waterton Lakes National Park free when you own Mapitfirst the Canadian Rockies!We've added a new map of Waterton Lakes National Park ,complete with trail system campgrounds and other usefull information. It also includes a portion of the Glacier Park in the US and associated trails. You'll need to get the up-date then refresh your map list to see the new map (Map > Map List >Refresh List). To see the new trails, you'll need to choose the Overlay > Import and find the new file (Waterton Mapitfirst.mmo).
There is no charge for this map and dataif you already own Mapitfirst - The Canadian Rockies Edition!
April 27, 2010Mountain Bike - Trail information
For the spring we're busy cleaning up the trail and campgrounds and other data that changes through the year. We'll be adding more mountain bike data where we can find it. It's a little sparce and finding consistant and well written information is a bit challenging.
There is no charge for this layer if you already own Mapitfirst - The Canadian Rockies Edition.
We'd like your ideas on data items you would like to see in the package. Mail your comments to support at mapitfirst.ca
January 18, 2010
Added Web Cams where available
Look for the Camera icon throughout the map for links to available Web Cams. Click on these before you leave the house (and check the road reports). You can also go to our Key Info Page for links to all these informative pages: http://www.mapitfirst.ca/default.asp?id=127
November 21, 2009
Cross Country Ski Trails
We've added over 100 trails and descriptions for Banff and Kananaskis. There are more to come so stay tuned.
Windows 7
Windows 7 was released recently and the Canadian Rockies cd's won't load onto the new operating system. We are working on a solution to this problem. Please stay tuned or email us for an update. The Rogers Pass edition will work fine in the new operating system.
Memory-Map upgrade
The Memory-Map software included in Mapitfirst - Canadian Rockies is several version out of date, Please download and install the newest version of Memory-Map. It has a few nice features we are taking advantage of.
June 23, 2009
Kananaskis Trails have now been up-dated. We've added over 70 trails throughout the park. Many of these are not noteworthy as they are minor additions but several significant trails have been added.
June 5, 2009
Siffleur and White Goat WIlderness Areas
We've added many trails to both these areas. These trails were digitized from the most recent maps from the Alberta government. We're still working on finding some trail descriptions for you. This is wild and less explored terrain. Many horse back riders frequent the area due to thier remote setting, backpacking and hiking is less popular. We're also trying to secure some data for the Willmore Wilderness area. Our maps don't cover this area very much but we'll do our best to get you as much information as we can find.
April 1, 2009
We've been looking forward to spring and it may get here someday. In anticipation of the snow melting we've added in a new layer containing nearly 350 scramble descriptions from three different authors. Look for a new symbol on your map when you download and install the newest file.
Garmin Topo Maps for your GPS
We have found a free source of Canadian topo maps that will load into your Garmin GPS. We have had a look at this and it works flawlessly. Download the file, run the .exe and viola! The maps are now list in your MapSource software. Have a look http://www.mapitfirst.ca/default.asp?id=223 or visit http://www.ibycus.com/
December 7, 2004
We discovered some excellent links to the weather stations through the parks. It would be great to have more of these but these show you up-to-date conditions by the hour. There are only six of them currently available but they are in key locations. Download and install the latest up-date and look for the new weather symbol.
If you have any suggestions on links that you would like to see, let us know.
November 24, 2008
Assiniboine data up-date: We've added and cleaned up the data in Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park. Data in this area is hard to get as the BC government does not give it up so readily. Thanks Ali for tracking down some of the missing bits. Of course, it's a good excuse for us to simply get out there and do some walking.
We've also added some information regarding winter activities provided through the University of Calgary. We have been working together on a few initiatives and if you would like to get out for a snow shoe, these are the folks to go with. We've added an icon that links to a site describing the trips.
We're currently working on a new product for Rogers Pass. Look for it in stores in the coming months. We'll also have a scrambles layer for the Mountain Parks for you by spring time. It looks promising as we have access to much more data than a simple book.
September 6, 2008
Wildlife data! We've added more bear paws through the package. Of course it would be impossible to list every animal you might encounter but we've added enough to wet your appetite. The goal is to give you some easy reading and link you to some websites that you might find interesting. Summer is winding down. We hope you've had a good season in the mountains.
July 29, 2008
A Volume of historical information was added to this up-date. Browse around and look for the 'h' in the red circle. Special thanks to the Interpretive Guides Association (IGA) for helping to contribute to this feature. We'll be adding more information late but we’ve got a good start. Please let us know what you think.
Minor fixes continue to the trail data. Most notably was the location of the Neil Colgan Hut. Lots of confusion as to the actual location of this cabin. I think we have it correct. The facilities director from the Alpine Club of Canada will be flying in there tomorrow to validate our findings. Thanks to Walter for finding the error.
June 24, 2008
Some un-official trails have been added in the Highwood Pass area. These trails are not maintained by trail crews.We've added dozens of more trail descriptions from Clubtread.com Some of these are interesting in that they offer a different perspective than the authors of the Canadian Rockies Trail Guide.We've up-dated some of the roads in the south end of Kananaskis that were in question. We've also added the newer roads in the Town of Canmore since there are some new trails being developed in that area. Once these new trails are complete, we'll have them on Mapitfirst.There are two new videos on the FAQ pages to help you up-date the data in Mapitfirst. Let us know what you think of these and we'll do more of them for other features and functions.
June 8, 2008
Campground clean up is now complete.We've added data outside of the parks that we officially maintain. The challenge with this data is determining the accuracy and integrity of the source. We will endeavour to find higher quality data for these areas. We have noted these with caution symbols.
May 7, 2008
We have been cleaning up some trail data in this issue. When you hover your mouse over a trail, the trail name is displayed. We had to do some clean up to many of the trails. Campgrounds are also being cleaned up. We are auditing the ones we have and the associatedwebsite for errors. This is a slow and meticulous job that is taking longer than expected. We should have Jasper and Banff completed in a week.
April 1, 2008.
1. We have added some data to the Mount Robson area. We have not been able to obtain proper data for this area to date. The data in this up-date is not GPS accurate and is not as complete as it should be. This data should only be used for planning purposes. We will endeavour to get some quality information for youin the coming months.
2. Minor errors and additions continue to be added throughout the package. Keep looking for the grizzly bear paw for more animal links.
March 4, 2008
1. Major Roads are now available with all the features and functions of the trail data. You can now click on a road and get an elevation profile. The roads are color coded in RED with gravel roads in dashed red. This is a great way to plan your road riding event!
2. Some minor data has been cleaned up throughout the package. Nothing of consequence, just the odd campground up-date and a few modifications to the trails. I am still waiting on some data to finish the campground detail as seen in Jasper and the east half of Banff.
January 3, 2008
1. We've been cleaning up a few errors that we've found in this up-date.
2. We've added some new items as well. Look for some historical links and a new icon (Grizzly Bear Paw). The Paw will be for wildlife specific information that we'll populate around the parks. We've only just begun this so expect a few icons every couple of months.
3. Some trail modification are on their way for the spring. Parks Canada is working hard to verify a couple of trails that we're unsure of. It's difficult in the winter so this might be a while.
4. Campground links are changing to be campground specific. Each campground will have its own details so that you know how many sites there are and what amenities are at the site. Feel free to send in photos of your favourite campground and I'll add them to the site for others to view. We've begun this but it will be a while to get all the campgrounds completed.
5. The Trail wiki from Clubtread.com is starting to get some more links on Mapitfirst. Expect to see more from Clubtread on your map by the spring time. Keep filling out those Trail wiki's! They have added a nice photo up-load feature.
6. Remember, once you've downloaded the file, you still need to delete the overlay and import the new one. See our FAQ page on how to do this.
November 28, 2007
Added wiki trail descriptionsin the Jasper vicinityAdded links to trail heads.
October 31, 2007
Avalanche information at trail heads! We've added some data from Parks Canada at specific locations regarding avalanche terrain. Look for the overlay layer "Winter Hazards' Mapitfirst will automatically check for up-dates to our trail and data point file once a month.
If you wish to manually check for up-dates follow these instructions:
- Click on 'Start', 'All Programs'
- Find the 'Mapitfirst' directory
- Choose the 'Check for New Updates' option This will download the most recent data files to your PC. You will need to delete the old data and import the new file.To delete the old data:
Overlay
Delete all
Overlay
Import
Mapitfirst.mmo
(this is in the c:\maps\mapitfirst directory)