hahahah
ohio was part of the plan for this year's trip until some as*holes whose mom definitely should've swallowed them broke my windows and stole all my camera gears... had to reallocate all big trip budgets to replace (or "God's plan to make me update" as I call it) all camera gears and replace windows and retint.
but yes, OnX will be the better option to scope out trails. Another option is TrailsOffroad.com and become a paid member. The free version only allows some info, but paid membership will give you ALL the information for the lower 48 and Alaska, from trail difficulties, POIs, obstacles, campsites, etc.
Personally I have both OnX and Gaia, both paid memberships. Here's what both do well:
-Both OnX and Gaia offer offline navigation, so you can download the routes and navigate even when there's no cell signal.
-Both OnX and Gaia offer trail discovery and trail look up.
-Both OnX and Gaia offer mapping capabilities on both website version and app.
-All 3 options run sales with massive discounts here and there. All 3 are subscription based.
Here are the differences:
-For Offline usage, OnX doesn't let you download a big area at a time whereas Gaia can let you download a big area (think from Death Valley all the way to Yosemite, for example) in high detail view. This isn't a concern if you're only downloading a small section for a day run or something, but is something that can impact your ability to download offline resources when going on a big expedition (ie: a week offline or a whole 50 day to Alaska and back). It wouldn't be an issue if you have Starlink, but I always download the whole trip before I depart (just in case I have no Starlink reception or something happens) and update nightly with Starlink to add more POI and modifications to the route.
-For discovery, like I said above, OnX will offer a better exploration experience than Gaia. You will be able to see trail description, user experiences, difficulties, etc. However, TrailsOffroad.com offers those PLUS: a turn-by-turn description with pictures, POI, camping spots, view points, etc. Those are features that OnX does not have. You can sign up for TrailsOffroad and then download the routes to your Gaia as a work around; that basically just means extra steps if you want to run Gaia. Not really a big drawback.
-If you have iPhone and run wireless Carplay, Gaia's mirroring to your UC5 can be laggy and the UI can look very basic. I tried it once, and went back to the dedicated tablet setup (even my 5 years old $100 Samsung Tablet worked better). That could be different now though, since I tried it on an iPhone 13.
-Some trails may show on TrailsOffroad.com and not on OnX or Gaia, and vice versa. This is because all three options rely heavily on user input.
-Gaia has a steeper learning curve whereas OnX is quite user friendly. But put in an hour or so into learning Gaia and you'll be fine.
So... TLDR:
-Ohio was on the list until some as*wipes who should've been sent to the gulag broke into my truck.
-I don't know where you can go. The only place I've been to in Ohio is Cedar Point, and that was 14 years ago. Fun place, highly recommended, would definitely go back.
-OnX is a great tool for trail discovery and day or short trips. Not so good for long term expedition due to limitations on size of map that can be downloaded at a time.
-Gaia plus TrailsOffroad.com are great alternatives that offer the same features that OnX offer but in a separated package that require you to put together.
-Gaia plus TrailsOffroad offer more information for users (once put together like an Ikea furniture), such as waypoints, POI, obstacles, viewpoints, etc.
-Most people are fine with OnX, but I've been running Gaia plus TrailsOffroad for so long I find it easier to use (and data migration is a PITA as well). Ran both, and went back to Gaia. I really have no idea why I am pissing away $35/ year on OnX still... probably because I keep on forgetting to cancel the sub and when I finally remember to do it it is always half way between contract and I see no point of cancelling in the middle of the sub...
but the most important part is, get out there, have fun, and remember before you do anything stupid: you still gotta drive it home!
