{"id":773933,"date":"2026-08-04T06:49:44","date_gmt":"2026-08-04T13:49:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/?post_type=blog&p=773933"},"modified":"2026-08-04T11:09:33","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T18:09:33","slug":"one-us-forest-service-map-app","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/blog\/one-us-forest-service-map-app","title":{"rendered":"One US Forest Service Map App, Every National Forest and Grassland"},"author":671,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"sync_status":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","transcript_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","castos_file_data":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"industry":[],"esri-blog-category":[483332],"esri_blog_department":[478222,478182],"class_list":["post-773933","blog","type-blog","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","esri-blog-category-parks-and-recreation","esri_blog_department-conservation-and-environment","esri_blog_department-natural-resources"],"acf":{"video_source":"","video_start":"","video_stop":"","short_description":"The US Forest Service manages more trails than any organization on earth. Now there\u2019s one place to find them.","pdf":{"host_remotely":false,"file":"","file_url":""},"flexible_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"sidebar","layout":"standard","image_reference":null,"image_reference_figure":"","spotlight_image":null,"section_title":"","spotlight_name":"","position":"Right","content":"The US Forest Service manages more trails than any organization on earth. Now there\u2019s one place to find these public lands.\r\n\r\nKey Takeaways<\/strong>\r\n\u25cf The Forest Service built one mapping app to help visitors explore public lands and give staff a single mobile channel for communicating conditions.\r\n\u25cf The data powering the app is the same data the agency already maintains\u2014no new workload.\r\n\u25cf The National Forests and Grasslands app is designed to work offline. Download it before you leave cell service behind.","snippet":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

Gordie Blum has spent his career in America\u2019s national forests. Now Acting Associate Deputy Chief, he knows what those lands hold\u2014165,000 miles of trails and 193 million acres of mountains, grasslands, wild rivers, and high country. These public lands draw more than 164 million visits a year for fishing, hunting, hiking, camping, and the kind of off-road vehicle riding that national parks don\u2019t offer. With interest in access to nature growing, the agency has been working toward creating a single map-based guide that helps visitors navigate and make the most of what\u2019s out there.<\/p>\r\n

The Forest Service has needed this for a long time, Blum said. Visitors want to know where to go, how to get there, what to consider. Are there closures? Fire hazards? The questions are basic. The answers were scattered.<\/p>\r\n

The National Forests and Grasslands app<\/a> changes that: one application, authoritative Forest Service data, every national forest and grassland in the country. Offline maps that work where cell service ends. Real-time conditions from live agency feeds. A design built around how visitors plan a trip.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

From Many to One<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n

The Forest Service had built digital capability over the years: regional apps, forest-level tools, an interactive visitor map, a tour platform. Each served a purpose. But maintaining separate applications across a system this large was costly, and the experience depended on which forest a visitor was headed to and which tool they happened to find.<\/p>\r\n

Chase Martin, the app\u2019s product owner and a digital communications specialist with the Forest Service, describes the goal: take what was working, understand what visitors expected, and build one application that delivers it consistently.<\/p>\r\n

The team studied the National Park Service app, which had earned strong reviews, and used it as a baseline for what visitors expect from a federal recreation app. The Forest Service\u2019s own ambitions and data assets shaped the ArcGIS mobile approach.<\/p>\r\n

Commercial trail apps are useful. But their data is often user generated. \u201cThis is the authoritative data for where this trail, where this site, is positioned on national forest lands,\u201d Martin said. \u201cThis is the up-to-date data about uses, amenities, and conditions. That\u2019s what we\u2019re providing.\u201d<\/p>"},{"acf_fc_layout":"gallery","gallery_images":[773945,773935,773944,773934]},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

Data That Already Exists<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n

The app draws from two sources that are already part of the agency\u2019s daily operations\u2014no new data entry required.<\/p>\r\n

The first is the Enterprise Data Warehouse\u2014the EDW public data site\u2014which holds the agency\u2019s full inventory of recreation resources: trails, rec sites, wilderness areas, roads, motor vehicle use data. Aaron Dueck, the app\u2019s lead developer, has worked with this data for years. A geographic information system (GIS) specialist since the late 1990s, he ran mobile GIS programs for the Bureau of Land Management for 17 years before joining the Forest Service. Dueck indicated that trails and rec sites are the primary layers now, with more data in the works.<\/p>\r\n

And the second source is the agency\u2019s web content\u2014alerts, conditions, closures, and seasonal access changes that local public affairs officers update daily. That content flows into the app automatically.<\/p>\r\n

\u201cThere is no third spot to update information,\u201d Martin said. \u201cIt\u2019s consistent across the entire nation.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

The app is designed to make data updates easier for staff, with no added workload. Beyond internal feeds, the app pulls National Weather Service reports, authoritative fire data, and select information about other nearby public lands. The app road map includes location-aware alerts and closure orders.<\/p>\r\n

\u201cWe\u2019re drawing from multiple authoritative sources, and the app brings it all together,\u201d Dueck said.<\/p>"},{"acf_fc_layout":"gallery","gallery_images":[773942,773936,773938,773943,773939]},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

Offline, by Design<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n

The Forest Service manages the world\u2019s largest trail system\u2014165,000 miles, motorized and nonmotorized, connecting rural communities to economic activity and urban populations to landscapes many don\u2019t know they can reach. About 70 percent of Americans live within two hours of a national forest. National forests offer things many national parks don\u2019t\u2014off-road vehicle riding, equestrian trails, and wild and scenic river access. Large portions have limited or no cell coverage, which makes an offline-capable map more than a convenience.<\/p>\r\n

The FS Base Map\u2014the Forest Service\u2019s authoritative cartographic product\u2014can be downloaded for each individual national forest. The app adds map packages with recreation sites and trails data, delivered through ArcGIS Online infrastructure for offline use. GPS on the device handles location when there\u2019s no network. The blue dot keeps you oriented.<\/p>\r\n

\u201cThe app fits our goal to do a better job spreading the word about what we do and what we provide,\u201d Blum said.<\/p>\r\n

Search a forest and photographs appear, terrain becomes navigable, sites that lacked any digital presence become findable. \u201cAll of our national forests have places that are just great to get out and enjoy,\u201d Blum said. \u201cYou can have a really special day out there, no matter where you go.\u201d<\/p>"},{"acf_fc_layout":"gallery","gallery_images":[773940,773941,773937]},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

Real-time fire information, local public notices, and emergency closures are available when connected. These alerts help visitors plan before they head out and stay aware when they have a signal.<\/p>\r\n

\u201cWe hope to reach as many people as we possibly can with this app,\u201d Dueck said. \u201cHaving a solid cloud-based infrastructure has been helpful to get this app out the door.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Built to Grow<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n

The app launched in June 2026 during Great Outdoors Month, timed to appear on National Trails Day. Version 1.0 was designed to set the foundation. The approach as Blum said was to \u201ccover the basics, get it out there, and grow from there.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

Version 1.2 will add wilderness areas, wild and scenic rivers, and expanded motor vehicle use data. Version 2.0 will add tour guide functionality, giving visitors a curated sense of what makes each forest worth the trip. Reservations already connect to rec.gov: Find a campground, tap a button, and the reservation system opens in context.<\/p>\r\n

For visitors heading into areas with no signal, the map in their pocket reflects the same data the agency uses\u2014current, authoritative, and specific to where they are.<\/p>\r\n

\u201cPut the phone down, listen to nature, recharge,\u201d Blum said. \u201cYou can stay connected to the degree you need to.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

Download the app. Download the map. The public forests and grasslands await your visit.<\/p>\r\n \r\n

Explore how GIS supports outdoor recreation and public lands access<\/a>.<\/p>"}],"references":null},"yoast_head":"\nOne US Forest Service Map App, Every National Forest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The US Forest Service manages more trails than any organization on earth. Now there\u2019s one place to find them.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/blog\/one-us-forest-service-map-app\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"One US Forest Service Map App, Every National Forest and Grassland\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The US Forest Service manages more trails than any organization on earth. 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