Update: Discover New Routes & Maps with Shared Maps

Our users plan, explore, and document adventures all over the world. Along the way, many of those maps are shared publicly- creating a massive, community-driven collection of routes, tracks, waypoints, and local knowledge.

The Shared Maps layer makes that information visible directly on the map, turning the contributions of other users into a powerful resource for discovering new routes and exploring unfamiliar terrain.

And with our latest update, this layer just got a lot better.

What Are Shared Maps?

Shared Maps displays map objects from publicly available CalTopo maps, including:

• Routes and tracks
• Points of interest
• Trailheads and camps
• And more

Whether you’re looking for a potential line to a summit or an entire map someone built for a specific area, Shared Maps can provide valuable insight and inspiration for your own planning.

Even better: Shared Maps are now available in the mobile app! You can scout routes and add useful data to your map from anywhere—whether you’re planning at home or adjusting plans on the fly.

So What’s New?

Easier to Find

Shared Maps now lives in the Route Discovery overlays category, alongside other tools designed to help you scout terrain and find routes.

The layer options have also been simplified:

• All Data: view all shared objects
• Tracks Only: focus on recorded tracks

A Cleaner Layer

Shared objects used to blend together into a tangle of overlapping lines. The new styling makes them much easier to interpret.

• Drawn lines appear as solid lines
• Recorded tracks appear as dashed lines
• Objects are assigned random colors to make individual routes easier to distinguish
• At higher zoom levels, Markers appear with their original icon style and color

The result is a much clearer view when multiple routes overlap.

Richer Object Details

Click or tap any shared object to open the Object Details panel, which displays additional information about the object and where it came from.

Depending on the object type, you may see details like:

• Distance and recorded time for tracks
• Coordinates for markers
• The original map the object belongs to
• How many users have bookmarked (or saved) that map– a helpful indicator of popularity!

Easily Add Shared Data to Your Map

You can take action directly from the Object Details panel, including:

• Add to Map to bring the object directly into your own map
• Export to download the object as a file
• Profile for lines and tracks to view distance and elevation
• Point Info for markers

You can also open the original map to explore it in full and even bookmark it to your account if you want to return to it later.

What are Public CalTopo Maps?

Shared objects appear in this layer only when they come from public maps. Every CalTopo map has a base permission that determines who can access it and how it can be found.

By default, the base permission for CalTopo maps is set to URL for individual users and Secret for team accounts (which means they are not part of the Shared Maps layer). If you want your map to appear in the Shared Maps layer, simply change its base permission to Public.

More information on base permissions can be found in the Map Sharing section of the user guide. 

Check What You’re Sharing

Not sure what data you’ve shared publicly? 

Turn on the Your Maps layer (in the Your Data section of the Overlays menu) and select Shared Data from the dropdown. This shows any objects from your maps that are currently visible in the Shared Maps layer. To remove something, simply change the base permission of the original map away from Public.

More information on Your Maps can be found in the Your Maps overlay section of the user guide. 

Unlock a Powerful Resource

The Shared Maps layer turns thousands of public maps into a route discovery tool, planning resource, and community knowledge base—all directly inside the map. Whether you’re researching a new zone, looking for inspiration, or adding useful data to your own map, it’s one of the most powerful ways to learn from the experience of other CalTopo users. 

If you want to learn more about Shared Maps, visit the Shared Maps overlay section of our user guide. Got questions or comments? Let us know below or send us an email at help@caltopo.com. 

Thanks for using CalTopo & happy mapping!

Disclaimer: Shared Maps are user created publicly available maps and not vetted by CalTopo for accuracy. Always carefully evaluate data available through this layer and educate yourself on responsible backcountry travel practices and etiquette.