Plan Backpacking Trips With AI — Claude & ChatGPT

The Demo

Watch it plan a real trip.

A real exchange. Every step below is something the connection actually does, with the Uinta Highline's real measured water data.

Plan me a 3-day loop in the Uintas under 40 miles, mid-September. Realistic camps please.

Searching Ridgefold's guides… The Lofty Lake area fits. I've created a trip in your account: a 3-day route from Crystal Lake Trailhead past Wall Lake and The Notch, snapped to real trails with 2 camps at sensible spacing.

search_trailscreate_tripset_waypointsset_camp

Water check: 6 sources on route. Wall Lake at mile 1.2, Emerald Lake at 2.2… longest dry carry just 1.7 mi. September note: I've set your dates so the planner shows typical conditions.

get_water_reportset_trip_details

Your trip is ready. Open it in the planner to fine-tune anything: plan.ridgefold.app/trail-planner?trip=…

The link at the end is the point: it opens your trip in the Ridgefold planner, fully editable, with elevation, weather, permits, print, and GPX. The AI drafts; you own the plan.

The Difference

Not another "ask about trails" bot.

Other outdoor apps have AI integrations that look things up. Ridgefold's connection is the only one in the category that writes: it creates and edits actual trips in your account: waypoints snapped to real trails by the same routing engine the planner uses, camps with multi-night stays, dates, the works. When the conversation ends, you don't have a summary. You have a plan.

Capabilities

What your AI can do, connected.

Search 569 real trail guides

By region, length, days, and difficulty, all built from real OpenStreetMap geometry.
Build and edit trips

Create from scratch or copy a guide; every route edit re-snaps to real trails server-side.
Place camps like a backpacker

Overnight stops with multi-night stays. Day-by-day miles recompute instantly.
Check water along the route

Springs, creeks, and lakes with mile markers, plus the longest dry carry.
Set dates and logistics

Trip dates unlock the planner's weather window; party size and trip type too.
Hand you the live map

Every session ends with a link that opens the real, editable trip in the planner.

Setup

Connect in about a minute.

MCP Server URL

https://plan.ridgefold.app/api/mcp

1
Claude (claude.ai): Settings → Customize → Connectors → Add custom connector → paste the URL above, then click Open Claude Connectors
2
Sign in to Ridgefold when prompted (free account) and click Allow. That's it. Ask Claude to plan you a trip.
3
Claude Desktop, Claude Code, or Cursor: create a token in Account → AI Connections and add the same URL with your token. ChatGPT support is on the way.

Your account, your rules. The connection can only do what you can do. It never sees anyone else's private trips, every grant is listed in Account → AI Connections, and revoking one takes a click.

Questions

Can I plan a backpacking trip with Claude or ChatGPT?

Yes. Connect Ridgefold to your AI assistant and it can search 569 real trail guides, build a trip in your Ridgefold account with camps and day-by-day miles, check water availability along the route, and hand you a link that opens the live, editable map.

How do I connect Ridgefold to Claude?

In claude.ai: Settings → Customize → Connectors → Add custom connector → paste https://plan.ridgefold.app/api/mcp. You'll sign in to Ridgefold once and approve access. Claude Desktop, Claude Code, and Cursor work too, using a token from Account → AI Connections.

Is it safe to let an AI edit my trips?

The connection acts only in your account, with exactly the permissions you have. It can never see or touch other people's private trips. Every grant is listed in Account → AI Connections and can be revoked with one click.

Does the AI make up trails?

No. Trail searches return only Ridgefold's curated guides, built from real OpenStreetMap geometry. When the AI edits a route, Ridgefold snaps it to real trails server-side, using the same routing engine the planner uses.