General location of the FCL
Note - I did make some route changes along the way and this map below is not 100% accurate. Lots of data and labels was removed so it would zoom quickly for this website.
Due to route changes while hiking to avoid private land and hike in more scenic areas. If planning a hike you need to go to the "Latest CalTopo Link" below. The link had a lot of data and often takes a while to load.
The link below "Map with data", and this will slow you planning data and data I actually recorded while hiking on the FCL. I believe this is a large complex file for CalTopo and can be somewhat slow to use. Ofter time I will work on improving this file. If anyone hikes the FCL I would appreciate any input that can make the map better. Maybe you found an improved more scenic route!
You can If you zoom in and out of a map and see the data such as water supplies (not all of these have water, many are dry), resupply towns, labels I made, or route change made. If you are familiar with CalTopo you can change layers for your viewing experience. Click on the "Map with data" button below and it will link you to a read only map you can configure for your viewing experience.
CAUTION / WARNING / NOTICE / DISCLAIMER:
This is the map I used and my route changes are recorded to the best of my knowledge. This map is missing lot of detailed planning information which made my trip success. This is not a modern planning tool that you can just blindly follow like all the various paid apps hikers use on the AT, PCT, and CDT. My map planning is somewhat old school and requires knowledge or route finding. This map shows the basic route I used in 2021.
Yes I do have drawn lines and data on this file that are on top of private land, and I learned a lot about what is out there on my trial hike. I learned about pitfalls along the way, often when I encountered the back side of a sign and when peering over the fence I realized I was in a place someone did not want me. Kevin Koski and this website do not authorize you to cross private land. The trail development section of this website may give some ideas of how to avid the private property, or maybe it will allow local people to embrace the trail and create an easement system for their area. In summation I did run into areas of private land and along the way that I was unaware of, and yes I did find my self on the back side of some property lines that I was unaware of. So technically at this point it is impossible to follow 100% of the line on the map provided, a line I dreamed up with our running into a a roadblock.
If you choose to hike the FCL find road walks around private land as necessary. Nothing in this website gives anyone permission to follow my route where a line crosses private land. There are many areas especially in New Mexico, and north western Colorado where road walks are needed to get around private land. These maps shows the eventual futures state of what I consider a preferred route.
I am currently having issues with the link above. I am working on this as of 1-30-23. It comes up sometime and other times it fails. I have not figured it out. This is a recreational map on my SarTopo account that I use because I also participate in Olympic Mountain Rescue. You might get an error that says Pro Account Required, Trial quota exceeded. Thee is a ton of data and I used layers only available to paid accounts. So as a fix the downloadable links might work better on your own CalTopo account or other mapping program of choice. Sorry for the glitches, but I am a product of the 1970's and this is my first website.
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WARNING:
This is a planning tool and shows my route, and not a guide in any way. I have put years of work into these files, these are only for advanced hikers and people who are good route finders. There may be inaccuracies in this file, and it often crosses land where there are not actual trails. It may show crossing private land which the file does not authorize you to cross. The water locations may be inaccurate and dry. The Four Corners Loop is not easy endeavor and this should not be someone's first long distance hike due to many cross country sections, lack of water, lack of actual built trails and private land issues. This map could get you lost injured or even killed. I am not making any claims of its accuracy, it is just an electronic line on a map with some imbedded data. If you choose to follow this route it will take a lot of planning on your part to avoid the private land I ran into. This is not a simple hike and my map does not simplify it in any way. Use at your own risk. This trail is not for people who hate to carry water. I never carried less than 5 liters and at one point I carried 14.5 liters of water. I also had a 54 mile dry section, a 47 mile dry section and many 30 mile dry sections. |
Vertical Divider
Map symbols used on the latest CalTopo link above are:
Blue Dots - These are water locations I believed to be water when looking at satellite images. Many of these were dry, and many I did not investigate because I was carrying plenty of water. Red Dots - These are basic GPS waypoints I took along the way. I generally recorded GPS points when I chose to not follow my original planed line because the scenery was better, I had a private property issue. I have generally aligned the lines with my red dots. So the file here is basically what I walked in 2021. Some of the red dots also show resupply towns I use or proposed to use. Tent Symbols - These are the places I camped for the night. I generally like to dry camp so these are often not near any water. Question Marks - There are very few of these but I basically used these to tell me which arroyo or canyon to go up. they were a decision point marker. Paper Maps - I did use Caltopo to format this map file into PDF files so I could color laser print the route on 11x17" Write in the Rain water resistant paper. |
I am assuming you have read all the warnings on this website. When fully read read you can download the ".json", or the ".gpx" file if you want to use it as a starter for your planning own adventure.
Latest files as of October 2022
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The picture below is a general over view of the Four Corners Loop, it now has lines where I did not walk.
March 2021 I started my hike of the FCL, below were my projected itinerary with arrival dates, and while hiking I added my actual arrival dates. As you can see I was basically on schedule.
SantaFe, NM. 3/26/21 (Started hiking)
Tijeras, NM. 3/31/21 (arrived 4/1)
Socorro, NM. 4/8/21 (arrived 4/7)
Pie Town, NM. 4/15/21 (arrived 4/14)
Alpine, AZ. 4/23/21 (arrived 4/20)
Pinetop, AZ. 4/29/21 (arrived 4/26)
Forest Lake, AZ. 5/4/21 (arrived 5/1)
Flagstaff, AZ. 5/13/21 (arrived 5/10)
Grand Canyon, AZ. 5/19/21 (arrived 5/15)
{13 days off trail to visit my mom as she passed and I skipped 120 miles of trail and restarted hiking at Wire Pass UT.}
Kanab, UT. 5/26/21 (arrived by plane 5/28)
(Kanab was my Jacob Lake location but I need to hitch to Kanab for a resupply)
Henrieville, UT. 6/2/21 (arrived 6/2 Cannonville)
Escalante, UT. 6/4/21 (arrived 6/5)
Bicknell, UT. 6/9/21 (arrived 6/11)
(Bicknell is my Capital Reef NP location but I need to hitch to Bicknell for a resupply)
Ephraim, UT. 6/17/21 (arrived 6/19)
Spanish Fork, UT. 6/22/21 (arrived 6/25)
Kamas, UT. 6/27/21 (arrived 6/29)
Vernal, UT. 7/7/21 (arrived 7/9)
Maybel, CO 7/14/21 (arrived 7/15)
Meeker, CO 7/18/21 (arrived 7/18)
Glenwood Springs, CO 7/24/21 (arrived 7/23)
Meredith, CO 7/29/21 (arrived 7/28)
+ Buena Vista, CO (arrived 8/1)
Salida, CO 8/5/21 (arrived 8/6)
{visited Westminster, CO for 7 days, my mom’s funeral}
+ Salida, CO (arrived 8/14 again)
Westcliffe, CO 8/14/21 (arrived 8/20)
Fort Garland, CO. 8/20/21 (arrived 8/24)
+ San Luis, CO (arrived 8/25)
+ Red River, NM (arrived 8/28)
Angle Fire, NM. 8/29/21 (arrived 8/31)
Santa Fe, NM. 9/8/2021 (arrived 9/8) DONE! Wow, I actually finished on my planned finishing date!
SantaFe, NM. 3/26/21 (Started hiking)
Tijeras, NM. 3/31/21 (arrived 4/1)
Socorro, NM. 4/8/21 (arrived 4/7)
Pie Town, NM. 4/15/21 (arrived 4/14)
Alpine, AZ. 4/23/21 (arrived 4/20)
Pinetop, AZ. 4/29/21 (arrived 4/26)
Forest Lake, AZ. 5/4/21 (arrived 5/1)
Flagstaff, AZ. 5/13/21 (arrived 5/10)
Grand Canyon, AZ. 5/19/21 (arrived 5/15)
{13 days off trail to visit my mom as she passed and I skipped 120 miles of trail and restarted hiking at Wire Pass UT.}
Kanab, UT. 5/26/21 (arrived by plane 5/28)
(Kanab was my Jacob Lake location but I need to hitch to Kanab for a resupply)
Henrieville, UT. 6/2/21 (arrived 6/2 Cannonville)
Escalante, UT. 6/4/21 (arrived 6/5)
Bicknell, UT. 6/9/21 (arrived 6/11)
(Bicknell is my Capital Reef NP location but I need to hitch to Bicknell for a resupply)
Ephraim, UT. 6/17/21 (arrived 6/19)
Spanish Fork, UT. 6/22/21 (arrived 6/25)
Kamas, UT. 6/27/21 (arrived 6/29)
Vernal, UT. 7/7/21 (arrived 7/9)
Maybel, CO 7/14/21 (arrived 7/15)
Meeker, CO 7/18/21 (arrived 7/18)
Glenwood Springs, CO 7/24/21 (arrived 7/23)
Meredith, CO 7/29/21 (arrived 7/28)
+ Buena Vista, CO (arrived 8/1)
Salida, CO 8/5/21 (arrived 8/6)
{visited Westminster, CO for 7 days, my mom’s funeral}
+ Salida, CO (arrived 8/14 again)
Westcliffe, CO 8/14/21 (arrived 8/20)
Fort Garland, CO. 8/20/21 (arrived 8/24)
+ San Luis, CO (arrived 8/25)
+ Red River, NM (arrived 8/28)
Angle Fire, NM. 8/29/21 (arrived 8/31)
Santa Fe, NM. 9/8/2021 (arrived 9/8) DONE! Wow, I actually finished on my planned finishing date!
