Google’s Trekker Camera system / Photo courtesy of California State Parks
With help from a sophisticated mounted camera, it’s now possible to virtually "hike" some of California’s most picturesque trails and beaches.
The California State Parks system announced Tuesday that 360-degree views of 14 destinations and trails are now available online, thanks to a partnership agreed to last summer with Google.
Featured areas include Mount Tamalpais, Angel Island State Park, Tomales Bay State Park, and more. Officials said more state parks will be added to the collection in the future.
"We are listening to our customers, and doing what we can to meet the needs of our visitors, in our parks and online," Lisa Mangat, acting director of California State Parks, said in a statement. "By using the Google Street View Trekker, we can make our parks even more accessible to the public, as this gives users a virtual and personal tour of our parks and trails before they step foot in them."
To collect the images, Google used its Street View Trekker, a spherical camera affixed atop a wearable backpack rig that’s carried by a person. It’s a similar array to what’s the cars Google drives to map and photograph the world’s roads. The Trekker system already has mapped parts of the Grand Canyon, the Pyramids of Giza, the Amazon and other wonders of the world.
To find the images, visit Google Maps and type in the name of the park, or visit the California State Parks website www.parks.ca.gov.
