Google Earth adds hiking trails

Google Earth adds hiking trails - Lifehacker

Want to scout out some hikes before your next trip? Google Earth's new layer has hundreds of them.

Specifically, the Trimble Outdoors Trips layer features GPS-marked trails for activities including hiking, biking, backpacking and running. The info includes directions to trailheads, a difficulty ranking, and notes on interesting sights to see along the way. Some legs also include photos, audio and even video clips. But here's where it really gets interesting: One click sends the trip info straight to your phone--and if it's a GPS-enabled phone, you can get the actual coordinates as well (as opposed to just the map).

Users can, of course, submit their own hike routes as well. To see the new layer in action, fire up Google Earth and look under the Featured Content tree in the Layers pane. Then dig out your backpack. —Rick Broida
Google Earth [via Official Google Blog