Guide to Bikemap.net

This page is a quick overview of some of the basic function in Bikemap.net.  It is an external website, integrated into this one in order to provide a richer route finding and navigation experience.

The banner picture above is a screen image taken from a Bikemap.net view of part of the Frontenac Arch Biosphere region, showing a cluster of bike routes starting in Brockville, with one of those routes highlighted.

• Bikemap overlays on each route page
• Bikemap detail for each route
• Downloading GPS files from Bikemap
• Printing routes from Bikemap
• Finding routes in Bikemap

Bikemap overlays on each route page

In the right sidebar of each route page is a map picture and under it a link labelled "View Bike Map". Clicking on this link pops up an overlay with a framed view into Bikemap.net.  Inside that frame, you can:

• zoom in or out by clicking on the +/- icon in the upper left, or using your mouse scroll wheel
• click and drag on the map to change which portion of the underlying map is visible
• using the controls in the upper right of the frame:
• clicking on more will drop down a menu of Google Maps options.  A key one of interest here is "Panoramio"; clicking on it will open a layer in the frame showing photos that have been submitted and published in Google Maps.  Using this photo layer allows you to see what countryside is like at that spot.  Click on "more" again to roll up the drop down menu.
• Map, Hybrid and Terrain will render the map view in, respectively, road map, combined satellite or terrain mode.  Clicking on Terrain will show a drop down list for Open Street and Satellite (without roads) views.

Bikemap detail for each route

In the right sidebar of each route page is a map picture and under it a link labelled "View Bike Map Detail (via Bikemap.net)". Clicking on this link will open a new browser window in Bikemap.net, showing the route.  Working with Bikemap.net, you have the same function as within the overlay window, plus the following:

• Descriptive information along the right side of the map.
• An elevation profile of the route, shown near the bottom.  Placing the mouse cursor inside this profile and slowing moving it horizontally will show a trace on the route line, allowing you to see where the climbs and descents are on the map. 
• A diagonal arrow in the upper right hand corner of the map frame allows you to zoom the map frame to full window size, hiding all the other information.
• In the right-hand sidebar, you'll find icon links to Gps export, allowing you to download a gpx or kml file for use in a GPS unit.  There's also a Print icon link which allows you to request a print-out of the route.

Downloading GPS files from Bikemap

The right hand sidebar of the bikemap.net detail page shows a "GPS Export" icon and link.  Clicking on this opens a dialog box asking you to choose the format of the file to be downloaded -- either Google Eath (.kml) or GPS (.gpx).

Printing routes from Bikemap

The right hand sidebar of the bikemap.net detail page shows a "Print" icon and link.  Clicking on this opens a diablog box that will allow you to create hard-copy prints of the route in varying levels of detail.

Finding routes in Bikemap

On the Cycle the Arch primary page is a link to the entire collection of routes. 

In the map frame of that Bikemap.net overview page, you'll see each of the routes' starting locations indicated by a blue icon. As you hover the mouse over a location icon, the route will be displayed. Clicking on that location icon will open the detail page for that route.

You'll also see, in the right-hand sidebar, a listing of all the routes.  Page through this list to see the full variety of routes available, and click on on to show its detail page.

Where several routes start in the same vicinity and the starting location icons obscure ach others, simply zoom in unti they're separately viewable.

Where several routes start at the same location, hovering the mouse over the icon will cause Bikemap.net to display a spoked wheel of icons, and then hovering the mouse over each icon in turn will display the various routes. There's an example of this in the picture at the top of this page, in which the mouse is hovering over one of several routes starting in Brockville.

To open the route overview page now, in a separate window, click on: Bikemap.net collection