The Trail is well marked with thousands of trail markers like those shown below. The reality is that over time these markers are. going to disappear. They will get vandalised, burnt, bent or just obscured by bushes. Missing one where there is a branch off point can be critical so it is essential to have some other form of navigation. This can be either map or electronic, preferably both. Electronic devices are great, but with batteries that can run out or a touch screen that does not like water one still needs a paper map.
Maps
There are a series of 9 Maps produced and supplied by the Department of Environment and Conservation. They can be ordered direct on (08) 9334 0333. They are also available from various Bike Shops and Visitor Centres at the towns on the route. It can be easiest to get them on line from the Munda Biddi Foundation Web Site . They are printed on special plasticied paper so they can be used in the rain and are pretty well essential for anyone wanting to ride a significant section.
When I walked the Bibbulmun Hiking Trail I found that it was quite easy to follow. With this experience I left the first Town on my bike with the map in my pannier and headed out along the Munda Biddi trail. Quite confidant that I could just follow the track signs and just use the map if I got really lost. On 3 occasions I managed to miss crucial signs and I did ride a few extra kilometers before I realised that things were not quite right.
I now attach the map to my handlebars so I can refer to it constantly. Having the map stuck in my back panniers was a recipe for disaster. Not wanting to constantly stop to fish it out I tended to ride on hoping I could find my way using the Markers only. It did not work.
GPS Devices
Thanks to the US military system of GPS salellites we have this marvelous system of getting our position with wondrous accuracy through the array of electronic devices that have sprung up in the last few years.
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| Bent Trail Marker with Likely Culprit in Background |
There are a series of 9 Maps produced and supplied by the Department of Environment and Conservation. They can be ordered direct on (08) 9334 0333. They are also available from various Bike Shops and Visitor Centres at the towns on the route. It can be easiest to get them on line from the Munda Biddi Foundation Web Site . They are printed on special plasticied paper so they can be used in the rain and are pretty well essential for anyone wanting to ride a significant section.
When I walked the Bibbulmun Hiking Trail I found that it was quite easy to follow. With this experience I left the first Town on my bike with the map in my pannier and headed out along the Munda Biddi trail. Quite confidant that I could just follow the track signs and just use the map if I got really lost. On 3 occasions I managed to miss crucial signs and I did ride a few extra kilometers before I realised that things were not quite right.
I now attach the map to my handlebars so I can refer to it constantly. Having the map stuck in my back panniers was a recipe for disaster. Not wanting to constantly stop to fish it out I tended to ride on hoping I could find my way using the Markers only. It did not work.
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| Map and Odometer on My Handlebars |
Thanks to the US military system of GPS salellites we have this marvelous system of getting our position with wondrous accuracy through the array of electronic devices that have sprung up in the last few years.
Specialised Devices
Companies like Garmin and Magallen have produced wonderful specialised devices designed to work on your bike. If you can justify their cost they are the best to use because they are designed for the purpose to function in all weather conditions. I have not had much experience of them so I can't really offer much advice.
Mobile Phones and Tablets
The degree of sophistication of these devices is changing the world as we know it. With thousands of "apps" available for every conceivable purpose they can do wondrous things. Even though there is no mobile phone coverage for the whole of the trail the GPS still works everywhere and they can be used in the offline mode.
I have a Google Nexus with a 7 in screen which I have found very useful for general cycling use. Cycling around Malaysia and Thailand I found it invaluable. The WiFi only model costs only about $200. Its and Google Android based machine and the Apple equivalent does pretty much the same.
There are a host of free apps which one can use with these which one can use with either an Apple or Google machine to navigate the trail. I never mounted mine on the handlebars, but kept it in my handlebar bag so I could pop it out when I needed and check my location.
Note that if its raining, a few drops of water on the touch screen makes it pretty unusable so one needs to have a mini umbrella with it to keep it dry.
Google Maps
My jaw continually drops at the capability of this system which Google have developed over the years. It's not specifically made for outdoor or sporting use but it is very comprehensive massing system. To upload the map details for your area, you do not need to be online. I found that if you viewed the map area while connected to the internet, it will suck the data up into the memory buffer so that I could use it for the rest of the section between towns.
Battery life is limited, and what will drain it most is the use of the LED screen. This did give me a few days of use so long as I did not use it too much for other purposes like reading books or playing games.
EveryTrail
There is an absolute host of other apps out there designed for outdoor use. I found it hard to pick a winner. If someone has mapped a trail or path that one is trying to follow it makes it easy to load the trail into one's device and follow it.
Some are more orientated towards performance cycling and others towards recreation. I did find that DEC had mad a few maps using EveryTrail in my area and decided to focus on this app.
