Using GAIA GPS for Scouting

From Handheld GPS to Smartphone Simplicity

Until recently I had been using GAIA GPS only to help find and follow off-road routes to photographic locations or to find new hiking routes I was interested in exploring and used a handheld Garmin GPS for location scouting. GAIA is excellent for finding routes, you simply use the map and zoom into the area you are interested in. Once on the map click the overlays dropdown and add public trips to show all of the routes other users have created and published from this area. When you first bring the public trips overlay it can be a bit overwhelming but zooming in greatly narrows the clutter.

The Garmin was a good way to mark locations but it was time-consuming to enter enough relevant information through the joystick input. The saving grace was that once I was back at home I could download the data from the hand-held device into the Garmin app on my laptop for further work. This worked well for me for many years but after a while, I would forget what was at a location because the name I gave wasn't descriptive enough.

The Power of Photo Waypoints

When you find a good location you can also open the GAIA app on your phone and click the ⨁ symbol at the top and select "take picture". This will bring up the camera of your phone and allow you to take a photo. Once you click Use Photo a waypoint will automatically be created for your on that location with a time and date stamp along with your photo attached to it. Now when you go back through your waypoints you will have a photo to remind you of exactly how the scene looked.

GAIA GPS interface showing the photo waypoint feature and mapping capabilities

Simplified Equipment and Enhanced Features

Since I always have my phone on me anyway using the GAIA app simplified what I need to carry. I no longer need to carry my Garmin handheld GPS, or worry about buying expensive maps, nor do I have to worry about having extra AA batteries. All of this and GAIA actually has more features and works better for my needs.

Additional Resources

For a much more thorough write-up check out Sarah Marino's post on Nature Photo Guides, which provides comprehensive insights into using GAIA GPS for landscape photography.

Conclusion

The transition from traditional handheld GPS units to smartphone-based GAIA GPS has dramatically improved my scouting workflow. The ability to instantly capture and geotag reference photos has solved the problem of forgetting location details, while the comprehensive mapping features and user-contributed routes have opened up new possibilities for discovering photographic locations. For landscape photographers looking to streamline their scouting process, GAIA GPS offers a powerful, all-in-one solution that eliminates the need for multiple devices while providing enhanced functionality.