TomTom Releases Archive of Secret ‘Off the Beaten Path’ Trails

By Jahla Seppanen April 13, 2017

tomtom off the beaten path — Image used with permission by copyright holder

National Park trails that nobody knew about.

It’s great that more people are going hiking in the U.S. National Parks, but the extra 24 million visitors in the last year alone have presented some… frustrations with those of us who flock to the outdoors for solace and to surround ourselves in nature.

No, you were not going crazy last summer when it felt like every trail was packed and the parking lot at the trailhead was a nightmare of no spaces and wait-and-seers.

The fitness wearables wizzes at TomTom also took notice and decided to team up with the National Park Foundation to create curated maps that go “Off the Beaten Path.”

So grab your flag and get ready to explore (nearly) untrammeled terrain this summer. TomTom’s Off the Beaten Path maps reveal hidden gem trails hiding in the great expanses of our National Parks.

Download from a slew of maps here. Determining your compatibility with the route, download the map, and save the zip file to upload to your GPX device or app. Yep, it’s that easy to go full-on Lewis and Clark.

Some of the maps take you off road at the Grand Canyon, to a horse-riding loop at Saguaro National Park, alongside an old volcano with wicked-difficult terrain in California, a secret hill hike kept by local San Francisco ecologists, face-to-face with pristine alpine lakes, and much, much more.

As of right now, TomTom offers 23 secret trails in “Off the Beaten Path.” The fitness wearables company has also solidified its commitment to working with our National Parks by donating $5 from every TomTom Adventure sold between April 10-23 (National Parks Week, y’all!) to the National Park Foundation.

Less talked about right now is that TomTom sees this “Off the Beaten Path” project as just beginning.

The company even enlisted a handful of social influencers like Kat Carney and Christine Donaldson to share their favorite “off the beaten path” trails, but these haven’t been added to the list yet. We have an inkling that pretty soon an entire world of new trails will be revealed.

Which is better than Christmas morning for us trail runners and outdoor explorers.

Because sure, it’s great more people are getting outdoors, but if we wanted crowds and lines, we’d have gone to Disney World.

Topics

National Parks

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Born and raised off-the-grid in New Mexico, Jahla Seppanen is currently a sports, fitness, spirits, and culture writer in…

Outdoors

We love this Tribit StormBox speaker for cookouts, beach days, more — $35 off

Tribit StormBox Flow Bluetooth speaker Prime Day deal

It's summertime, which means you may be spending more time outdoors. Maybe you'll be exploring the wilderness, visiting a beach, or doing some camping or fishing. Either way, wouldn't it be nice to have some tunes? You can certainly achieve that thanks to an Amazon Prime Day deal on the Tribit StormBox Flow. It's a fantastic option for cookouts, beach days, and camping because it's tough, waterproof, and built to take a beating. Oh, and it sounds awesome, too. Usually $80, the Tribit StormBox Flow is down to $64 for Prime Day, but you can clip an on-page coupon to get the price even lower, to $45, saving you $35. Get pulsating, punchy beats with 9dB of power, up to 30 hours of battery life and customized equalizer modes through the Tribit app.

Why we love the Tribit StormBox Flow for outdoor adventures
First, it's a Bluetooth speaker, and you can't have a decent speaker without good sound. Outperforming many comparable options, the Tribit StormBox Flow sounds incredible, and you don't even have to bother with the Tribit app. It sounds great out of the box. That's thanks to clear treble and pounding bass, which is surprisingly impressive for such a small device. That's made possible by Tribit's proprietary XBoss tuning DSP technology, which helps boost the bass to a 9dB power rating. If you know nothing about specifications, all you need to know is that it's powerful, pulse-pounding and has exceptional audio fidelity.

Outdoors

Best Blackstone Prime Day deals

A man using the Blackstone 36-inch Gas Griddle Cooking Station in a yard.

If you're going to grill the steak of your dreams you're going to need the perfect grill, and Blackstone grills are offering up some savings among all of the Prime Day deals going on. We've made our selection for the best Prime Day Blackstone grill deal, and we've tracked down some other selections that offer some great savings. Read onward for a look at the best Prime Day Blackstone deals going on right now, and make a purchase quickly if you see something you like. Prime Day deals are known to end abruptly and inventories are likely starting to run low.
Best Blackstone grill Prime Day deal
Blackstone Adventure Ready 2-Burner 22-inch Propane Griddle -- $124, was $147

If you’re keen to cook outdoors more but you’re also planning on traveling a lot, you need the Blackstone Adventure Ready 2-Burner 22-inch Propane Griddle. It’ll work well in your yard, but it’s also portable enough that you can take it with you while you camp and travel on many different adventures, hence the name "adventure ready."

Outdoors

Still Available: Jackery solar generator deal has two solar panels for $1,400 off

Jackery Solar Generator 2000 Plus early Prime Day deal with two solar panels

The Jackery Solar Generator 2000 Plus is essentially a 2,042-watt-hour portable power station with ultra-fast charging. However, typically, you have to buy the accessories separately when you buy the station. As part of a pretty crazy Prime Day deal, however, you can get the Jackery solar generator and two 200-watt solar panels in a bundle for a ridiculous price. Usually $3,299, the bundle is just $1,899 for a limited time, saving you $1,400. It's a fantastic option for home power backup to keep your necessities on during an outage, but you can also use it for off-grid living, travel if you're on the road, or even around your home -- like to power some electronics in your backyard. The solar panels make it even more versatile as you can charge it virtually anywhere with access to reliable sunlight.

Here's why you should buy the Jackery Solar Generator 2000 Plus bundle with solar panels
We know, we know, it's not officially Prime Day yet. That happens later this week, on July 16 and July 17. It usually makes sense to hold off on buying anything until the main event because you never know how good the deals will be. That said, in the past couple of years, most of the deals have remained the same; if not, many good deals were available early and went away. If you're interested in this Jackery bundle -- an incredible deal -- you might want to shop it soon before it's gone instead of waiting.