The suite of Google Maps, Google My Maps, and Google Earth provides a great visual way to plan and document a hike.
The intent of this site is to give users an access to the presented .kmz files. Each .kmz file may be downloaded to use as a template to start planning a hike in Google Earth. With a post-hike edit in Google Earth, a user may add his/her hiking adventure and stories for documentation and sharing.
Presented here is a collection of the Google Earth generated KML .kmz files of the trails which I had taken on. Each .kmz file contains a trail route map and a recorded Google Earth flyover tour and was a result of the applications of Google Maps, Google My Maps, and Google Earth. The .kmz files can be opened with Google My Maps for a 2D view and with Google Earth for a 3D view and edit.
The trail route in each .kmz file was sticky-pinned with a series of landmarks/junctions (JCT's), each being labeled with a mileage and a distance to its succeeding landmark/JCT.
The recorded flyover tour in each .kmz file can be played back in Google Earth to give users a quick feel of the route considered. During a flyover tour on Google Earth, the label accompanying with a stickypin will appear as it is being approached. If not, simply pause and restart the tour. In general, this action will resolve the problem which may be due to the time lag of the system setup initialization of the tour.
Assume that you have Google Earth installed on your device. On a PC/desktop, click or double click the downloaded .kmz file to open it with Google Earth. To play a tour, go to the left-hand panel under "Places -> Temporary Places" to double click the name of the tour marked with a recorder icon.
On a mobile device, tap or double tap the downloaded .kmz file to select "Open With" or tap "Share" icon. Then, select Google Earth. Or, when downloading, if "DOWNLOAD" asks for "OPEN IN...," tap "OPEN IN..." Then, select Google Earth. In either case, the flyover tour will be automatically started.
Google Earth on a PC/desktop can display the elevations of a path. To display the elevations of a trail route, right click the name of the path and select "Show Elevation Profile" from the drop-down menu.
To Get to the Trailhead: A hike plan cannot be complete without a driving direction to the trailhead. In our present .kmz visual way approach, the key to getting a driving direction is to locate the set of the GPS latitude and longitude coordinates of the trailhead. Download and open the .kmz file of interest in Google Earth on a PC/desktop. Locate the first stickypin/placemark of the trail route shown on Google Earth. Right click the stickpin/placemark and select "Get Info" from the drop-down menu. A "Google Earth - Edit Placemark" panel will appear. Copy each of the Latitude and Longitude coordinates on the panel and paste in the search box of Google Maps, separating the two coordinates with a comma or a space (one or more spaces) or both. Click the search icon on Google Maps. Now, the trailhead location should appear with a placemark on Google Maps. Click the Directions icon and enter your starting place to complete the process of getting a driving direction to the trailhead. Alternatively, the trailhead GPS coordinates may also be found as the start coordinates under the .kmz file links in the website.
In the above description, the latitude and longitude coordinates may be typed in the search box of Google Maps with each of the symbols degree (°), minute ('), and second (") being substituted by a space. The trailing or leading letter "N", "W", "S", or "E" must be kept and included in the coordinates.
It is noted that any downloaded .kmz file from this website or a Google Earth saved .kmz or .kml file may be converted to a .gpx file for GPS navigation applications. So, take along a pedometer and a GPS app or device in your next hike. A pedometer gives you the needed walking distance to identify the right landmark/JCT to use on the route map. A set of GPS coordinates allows you to add a Placemark with text and images to Google Earth to document your hiking adventure and stories. If necessary, edit, fine-tune, and update the trail map.
It is also noted that once you step on a trail, each your step leads to your next step. The actual path, turns, and miles to take are all part of your hiking adventure.
Happy Trails!!!
Update:
08-03-2017 - The newly updated Google Earth Version 9 ('9.0.79.6') for iOS app doesn't have the feature of .kmz flyover tour. However, the new features of 2-D/3-D button and Pegman can give users a quick and easy way to look at the trail routes.