Summary:Trails.com is offering a 14-day free trial that let's you download a limited number of guidebook chapters and high-resolution maps. I forget what the limit is, but it's reasonable (10 or 15?) and definitely adequate for planning a trip to Yosemite, such as one long backpacking trip or a selection of day hikes. Click here to sign up.

If you do sign up, please come back here and add a comment on this page or drop me an email saying whether or not you think it's a good service and how the free trial worked out for you. I can't see where this could go wrong, but if anyone does have trouble, let me know so I can adjust the review.

My Opinion

Whenever someone offers a free trial, I always have reservations. I don't actually know the owner of this site, but he is a friend of a friend and from what I can see this is definitely a site by hikers and for hikers. The collection of resources they have is pretty amazing. For example, for the Mariposa Grove, they offer eight different guidebook extracts, plus maps and all that. If you do decide to subscribe, it comes out to $49.95/year ($4.16/month). So one Starbucks Frappucino a month gets you access to trail guides to pretty much every trail in the country as near as I can tell.

If it's so great, why didn't I subscribe in the end when my trial ran out? I do 99% of my hiking in Yosemite and I own all 7.5 minute maps for the area, about eight other trail maps (Trails Illustrated etc), six guidebooks, and most climbing guidebooks currently in print. Plus I know the area pretty well. It just isn't worth it for me to buy more maps or guidebooks either by subscription or otherwise. I just signed up because I wanted to check out the free trial and see what's there.

Who's it for?

I have a couple of answers to that.

• The free trial. Everyone might as well sign up. What's to lose? If you are planning a trip to a new area for which you don't own the books and maps, then it's a great way to keep costs down.
• The full subscription. Once your trial subscription runs out, will you want the full paid subscription in the end? If you're like me and you go to places for which you already own most of the good stuff in print, you probably won't subscribe. There are some cool features that you just don't get from print guides, such as "My Trails" which I believe sends you emails if there is new information on one of your saved trails or something like that. For me it wasn't enough to subscribe, though I still go back and forth on it. If you get around a bit more than I do, I think there is a good chance you'll stick with it. The subscription cost is only about like buying one guidebook and three maps per year, so if you typically purchase that much, you could definitely save some money with the subscription.

Still, I'm always leery of free trials, since I fear getting spammed or getting charged even if I cancel. With respect to these guys, here's what I found

• Will I get spammed? I don't think I've gotten a single "We want you back" or any mail like that. I did the free trial, decided in the end not to subscribe, and they respected that.
• Is it easy to cancel? You do give a credit card for the free trial, so you must remember to cancel your membership before the auto-renew kicks in on day 14, but it's quick and easy to do so and I never had a charge on my card (some free trials charge your card and then if you cancel, they'll give you a credit; I just refuse to do those). What I did is set up my Yahoo! calendar to send me a reminder on day 10 and day 12 so that I could cancel if I decided I didn't want it. That way you don't forget and end up with a charge for something you've decided you're not going to use that much.
• Is it worth subscribing? Well, the point of the free trial is to let you decide yourself without having to cough up for a subscription. The free trial gives you access to all the resources on the site so you can see for yourself. That said, here are some thoughts on who the subscription works for and who it doesn't.
  • You're planning a trip to a new place. Definitely sign up for the free trial and plan your trip, download your maps and so forth before the free trial runs out. At that point you'll know whether or not it's worth it.
  • You hike in a lot of different places or you're new to an area. I think these are the folks this really works for. The subscription is only $4.15 per month
  • You hike in the same places all the time and already have the guidebooks and maps. No, the paid subscription is probably not worth it for you and you will probably cancel after the free trial. Like I said, that's my situation and that's why I didn't sign up in the end.

Full Disclosure

Trails.com does give me a referral fee if you sign up for the free trial by clicking on one of my links. Enjoy!!

Free Trial Offer Guidebook Chapter Downloads Shaded Relief Topo Maps & Aerial Photos We are excited for you to try the Trails.com subscription service - for FREE! Trails.com is the most complete outdoor & travel planning resource available. This 14-day trial includes the following features. 30,000 trails from 1,000 guidebooks 30 outdoor & travel activities Unlimited topo maps & aerial photos Guidebook chapter downloads Hi-resolution map downloads Activate your free trial today! - Team Trails.com Award Winning Service