Founded in 2007, the Tournée des cantons de Rawdon (TDCR for friends and users) is a not-for-profit organization located in Rawdon, Québec. Its mission is to develop and maintain a network of nature trails for non-motorized sports such as cross-country ski, snowshoe, fat bike, mountain bike and hiking. The trails are located in the wooded and hilly lands of the beautiful region of Lanaudière, about 80km North of Montréal. 

During the first couple of years of the organization, the localisation system of our network of trails was primitive at best. The founders of TDCR were cross country skiers with little or no knowledge of cartography. They would walk or ski the trails with a GPS and import the data on a topographic map provided by the government. They would then have the cards printed in a 8½ X 11 format and these portable paper cards would be distributed at the various access points of the network. The trail network evolved over the years, from 7km the first year to more than 70km today. The maps had to be modified and reprinted regularly, which cost a lot of money and energy to the organization. 

The situation stayed more or less the same until cartographer Daniel Remy came on board. Daniel was already a user of Avenza Maps and he rapidly convinced the Board of Directors of TDCR that the organization needed to modernize itself with emaps that the trail users could carry in their phones. Although other map applications existed at the time, Daniel convinced us that Avenza was the best solution because it gives you full control over the information published. Also, since it uses the GPS of the phone to localize the user on the map, it can work off grid and is more energy efficient. 

Our complex trail network is now fully on Avenza, and users and volunteers alike use the app and love it. The trail groomers like the fact that they can map their routes and share them with their colleagues. The app allows us to manage various situations; for instance, we can remove at will the trails that are closed during the hunting season. 

As an organization, security is at the forefront of our concerns. We are reassured to know that we can count on the added security the emaps procure to the trail users. Now, they know all the time exactly where they are in the trails, where the nearest exit is and – more importantly – how to get back to their cars!

Way to go Avenza!

Visit us at www.tourneedescantons.com and come and try our trails! All of our trail maps can be found on our Publisher Page.