onX Offroad - The Double Edge Sword

wayoflife

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
It really is amazing how far we have come since the days of exploring with nothing more than a paper map, a compass and your Jeep. With the advent of GPS, the internet, social media and apps that tie all of it together, "exploring" has now become the cool way of saying, "sightseeing". Because, let's be honest, is it really "exploring" when you know exactly where you are, exactly where you are going and exactly what you're going to see??

I would be the first to say that I do find apps such as onX Offroad or Gaia or the like to be amazing tools that can help you navigate your way across the wilderness but I also see them to be a double edge sword. Today, they are used to whore out amazing destinations and ones that only the most intrepid knew about. And, I find that they are the single biggest reason why true gems of destinations, ones that were once desolate and magical, are now getting totally jacked up, tagged with graffiti, trashed, shot up, burned down and just overwhelmed with people.

Here is an example of what I'm talking about...
Screenshot 2024-10-29 071510.png

That's what I just got in my email and with the following link.
www.onxmaps.com

Delamar Ghost Town, Nevada : Off-Road Trail Map & Photos | onX Offroad

View GPS trail map, conditions, and difficulty of Delamar Ghost Town in Nevada. Plan your next adventure with the OnX Offroad App.
www.onxmaps.com www.onxmaps.com

And I should note, this is a place that I know and have seldom shared with others and mainly to prevent it from becoming just another place that people shit on. Well, so much for that.

Sadly, destinations like this are becoming an endangered species and soon to become extinct.
 
Same here. Hate it. Same with news tabloid or blogs that headline "Top ten places in xyz area where you can experience solitude." As soon as it's published, those places are fucked.

When my wife and I find various hiking trails that no one really cares about, if they appeal to us, we won't tell a soul anymore. Sucks it has to be that way. Media whores have made really it difficult to enjoy special places.
 
Yes, this BS. I am all for GPS mapping, it’s just one of the best aspects of the phone. However, when they couple it with social media that’s when they’ve crossed the line. I’ve been using Gaia for years and havr turned off all of the social media aspects. I’ll be damned if I going to share my hunting spots, favorite trails, etc., with some piece of shit on the internet, especially SxS pieces of shit.

The worst part IMO, is social media and these apps, are going to fast track the closures of areas, trails and places that otherwise wouldn’t be on anyone’s radar. They’ll end up putting them and a bunch of other businesses out of business.
 
WJCO said:
Same here. Hate it. Same with news tabloid or blogs that headline "Top ten places in xyz area where you can experience solitude." As soon as it's published, those places are fucked.

When my wife and I find various hiking trails that no one really cares about, if they appeal to us, we won't tell a soul anymore. Sucks it has to be that way. Media whores have made really it difficult to enjoy special places.
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Always makes me think of this...

All I can say is that these whores better start looking for a new job because the special places that they're pimping are in short supply and running out fast.
 
semicolon said:
I will never understand the motive for people to damage and destroy sites like this, sadly it's everywhere.
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It really is mind blowing and I can tell you from experience, it wasn't always this way. What I really don't understand is how people today, ones who are into off-roading can do this shit because, some of these destinations take effort to get to.
 
Mike Pierson said:
Yes, this BS. I am all for GPS mapping, it’s just one of the best aspects of the phone. However, when they couple it with social media that’s when they’ve crossed the line. I’ve been using Gaia for years and havr turned off all of the social media aspects. I’ll be damned if I going to share my hunting spots, favorite trails, etc., with some piece of shit on the internet, especially SxS pieces of shit.

The worst part IMO, is social media and these apps, are going to fast track the closures of areas, trails and places that otherwise wouldn’t be on anyone’s radar. They’ll end up putting them and a bunch of other businesses out of business.
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Right?! I haven't looked so I don't know for sure but do people pimp out secret fishing spots or hot springs like this too?
 
I still like to go out with no particular destination in mind and find a road or trail just to see where it goes. I don’t post many pics for all the reasons stated above.
The weekend warriors have destroyed or forced closure on to many places.
 
wayoflife said:
Right?! I haven't looked so I don't know for sure but do people pimp out secret fishing spots or hot springs like this too?
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Hot springs, I bet you $100 they do! I’m sure the overland scene is all about that shit. We had an overland/4x4 shop here in town for a bit and he started a youtube channel. I supported him until he started filming all the cool spots we have around here. We had words, he gave me a shit-eatin grin and then proceeded to give no shits.

Hunting and fishing spots I’d say no, At least not knowingly. Problem with these apps is that they enable the social crap by default. So it’s possible to save your “my favorite fishing spot” with notes of “remember to use adams and midges here”… then bam, you shared it with strangers.
 
wayoflife said:
It really is mind blowing and I can tell you from experience, it wasn't always this way. What I really don't understand is how people today, ones who are into off-roading can do this shit because, some of these destinations take effort to get to.
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John Wesley stated "What one generation tolerates, the next embraces." This decline in core values can be applied to what we're seeing here. :(
 
Mike Pierson said:
Hot springs, I bet you $100 they do! I’m sure the overland scene is all about that shit. We had an overland/4x4 shop here in town for a bit and he started a youtube channel. I supported him until he started filming all the cool spots we have around here. We had words, he gave me a shit-eatin grin and then proceeded to give no shits.

Hunting and fishing spots I’d say no, At least not knowingly. Problem with these apps is that they enable the social crap by default. So it’s possible to save your “my favorite fishing spot” with notes of “remember to use adams and midges here”… then bam, you shared it with strangers.
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Yeah, you're probably right and I really do hate how so many of the GPS apps always want, as a default for you to "share" your location or route. Obviously, photos and videos have markers in them as well or at least, if you don't turn them off. Sucks.
 
OverlanderJK said:
I think it’s still exploring even if you know where you are going as you might not have been there before and it’s new to you. That being said, people destroying and populating these places so easily even with cars nowadays is depressing.
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I can see what you're saying. I guess it's the whole pimping of destinations like "explore this Nevada ghost town" thing that makes it feel like sightseeing. I mean, there are ads that will say "visit Disneyworld" and while you may see new things along the way that you've never seen before, I don't know if I'd call that "exploring".

Either way and whether it's pimping destinations to throngs of offroaders or wiping out Vegas size expanses of desert and all in the name of saving the planet, it's all pretty depressing to me.
 
Mike Pierson said:
Yes, this BS. I am all for GPS mapping, it’s just one of the best aspects of the phone. However, when they couple it with social media that’s when they’ve crossed the line. I’ve been using Gaia for years and havr turned off all of the social media aspects. I’ll be damned if I going to share my hunting spots, favorite trails, etc., with some piece of shit on the internet, especially SxS pieces of shit.

The worst part IMO, is social media and these apps, are going to fast track the closures of areas, trails and places that otherwise wouldn’t be on anyone’s radar. They’ll end up putting them and a bunch of other businesses out of business.
Click to expand...
The flip side of this is that while it exposes previously barely known places to a destructive onslaught, the reality is that the masses only flock to a small proportion of places because people are like dumb sheep. This means that one can enjoy places which are only "80% as good" as a top destination without seeing many (or even any) people at all.

By adapting a bit, we can find the places which do not provide the "money shot" that social media demands, and enjoy those places in solitude.
 
wayoflife said:
I can see what you're saying. I guess it's the whole pimping of destinations like "explore this Nevada ghost town" thing that makes it feel like sightseeing. I mean, there are ads that will say "visit Disneyworld" and while you may see new things along the way that you've never seen before, I don't know if I'd call that "exploring".

Either way and whether it's pimping destinations to throngs of offroaders or wiping out Vegas size expanses of desert and all in the name of saving the planet, it's all pretty depressing to me.
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I’m feeling selfish about all of this because we’ve developed a love for the desert in just the few times we’ve been. Thanks to you and Cindy because you’ve shown us some amazing places on our adventures. Places that I would love to revisit for years to come. I’m upset about the possibility of losing access to them, as well as the new places that we haven’t been to yet, or worse, them being destroyed by the social media driven asshats.
 
wayoflife said:
I can see what you're saying. I guess it's the whole pimping of destinations like "explore this Nevada ghost town" thing that makes it feel like sightseeing. I mean, there are ads that will say "visit Disneyworld" and while you may see new things along the way that you've never seen before, I don't know if I'd call that "exploring".

Either way and whether it's pimping destinations to throngs of offroaders or wiping out Vegas size expanses of desert and all in the name of saving the planet, it's all pretty depressing to me.
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Agreed with that aspect on the advertising.
 
bobfriesenhahn said:
The flip side of this is that while it exposes previously barely known places to a destructive onslaught, the reality is that the masses only flock to a small proportion of places because people are like dumb sheep. This means that one can enjoy places which are only "80% as good" as a top destination without seeing many (or even any) people at all.

By adapting a bit, we can find the places which do not provide the "money shot" that social media demands, and enjoy those places in solitude.
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For how long? Today, we have 80% as good as to ourselves. Tomorrow, the Tourons catch up to us and we drop to 60% as good as until the 10% left is graded roads between the fence posts and state lands are covered with solar panels, wind turbines and lithium pits.
 
GP NOIR said:
For how long? Today, we have 80% as good as to ourselves. Tomorrow, the Tourons catch up to us and we drop to 60% as good as until the 10% left is graded roads between the fence posts and state lands are covered with solar panels, wind turbines and lithium pits.
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This is primarily a problem with the Western states since the other states were overrun by the teaming hoard already. Just look at how places like the Great Smoky Mountains are overrun just about every day of the year.
 
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