Our Story

Trails are more than lines on a map.

They're places where geology, ecology, and history intersect. Sendero Maps is my attempt to let you read all of it while you walk.

01 The Beginning

Sendero started with a simple idea: the best trails deserve better stories, better navigation, and better tools for the people exploring them.

Whether you're hiking, biking, or just getting outside for a quiet reset, knowing where you are and what you're passing through changes how you experience the trail.

Sendero was built to bridge the gap between raw map data and meaningful exploration — combining accurate spatial data, real-world AR navigation, and contextual knowledge that helps you understand the land beneath your feet.

02 Why Geology

The knowledge in Sendero isn't a bolt-on feature. It's the reason the app exists.

I've been staring at rock since I was a kid. That turned into a degree in Geology & Geophysics at Texas A&M, a summer of field camp mapping units by hand, and a career in GIS — and it permanently changed what a hike feels like. A switchback stops being a switchback; it's a fault trace, a resistant ledge, a river that used to run the other way.

Sendero's Trail Knowledge Panel is that expertise, packaged: geology, ecology, flora and fauna, and human history for the ground you're standing on — in three depth tiers, so you can take it as a caption or as a lecture.

Miguel as a child in a Texas A&M cap, standing in front of folded rock strata — Aggie cap on early. Folded strata, first real look.

Where the knowledge comes from

Geology & Geophysics at Texas A&M, then GIS

GIS: Professional practice
Field Camp: Mapped by hand, Montana
3 Tiers: Basic · Detailed · Expert

From the field notebook

Hand-coloured geologic map of the Sweetwater Road mapping area — Sweetwater Road mapping area — colored by hand, unit by unit.

A biotite gneiss sample resting on an annotated topographic field sheet — Biotite gneiss on the topo sheet. The notes still read fine.

A hand holding a folded gneiss sample with the field camp cohort behind — Folds you can hold — the same story the ridgeline tells.

Sketching a cross-section on a clipboard above a green Montana valley — Field camp, Montana — mapping the valley by hand.

The Texas A&M geology field camp cohort lined up along a canyon rim — The cohort, Canyonlands rim.

Not just where you are — what you're seeing, and why it's there.

Mission

To deliver trail experiences enriched with context, insight, and technology — helping every hiker understand not just where they are, but what they're seeing and why it matters.

Vision

Trail maps as living guides — powered by accurate data, thoughtful design, and modern technology. A new standard for outdoor navigation: immersive, intelligent, accessible.

Howdy!

I'm Miguel.

Founder · Geologist · GIS Professional

I built Sendero Maps because I wanted more from a trail app — deeper context, smarter navigation, and the kind of knowledge that makes a hike feel like an expedition.

Based in Texas. Hiking everywhere.

Miguel standing at the rim looking out over Canyonlands National Park — Island in the Sky, Canyonlands NP

Miguel hiking in the Chisos Basin, Big Bend National Park, carrying his child — Chisos Basin, Big Bend NP — extra cargo

200K+Trails nationwide

50US states covered

3Knowledge depths

ARNavigation built-in

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