Observed arrival · 2026-10-29
humanFootprints maps California’s quieter ground
An interactive map estimates how many people visit each 250-meter square of California in a year, helping users find less-visited places.
○Open
⊠Login
$Paid
†Ads
✦Pretty
●Pro
◎Niche
◉Human
⚑Risk
ƒJS
- For
- California backcountry hikers seeking quieter routes
- Worth noticing
- Its ranking is more reliable than estimated visitor counts; the author says absolute figures carry very wide ranges.
Field notes
The model combines six indirect record sources—including eBird, iNaturalist, museum records, geotagged Wikimedia photos, and human-started fires—with 28 square-level factors and permit counts from five trails. The author validates smoothing by withholding 50-kilometer chunks, and warns that rankings are more trustworthy than estimated totals; unlogged hunters, ranchers, off-roaders, and soldiers can make some areas appear falsely empty.
Observed signals
Read the marks
Editorial observations of this landing page, not a rating.
○OpenPublic substance visible
✦PrettyNotable craft visible
●ProPolished or operationally mature
◎NicheUnusually specific use
One card from the complete issue