Google Trekker

Visit Phoenix staff with Google Trekker


What is it?

Google Trekker is nearly four feet tall, weighs about 42 pounds, consists of 15 cameras in a ball-like shape mounted on a pole and is powered by a computer backpack. The cameras fire every few seconds and capture 360-degree images just like those seen on Google's Street View.

Where and when did we use it?

Google loaned Visit Phoenix a Trekker during February and March 2017; a perfect time for hiking under blue skies and through trails lined with blooming wildflowers.

With the time we had, we visited several City of Phoenix parks and preserves, a couple trails in Scottsdale's McDowell Sonoran Preserve and also rafted the camera down part of the Lower Salt River with the help of our friends at Arizona Outback Adventures (AOA).

In addition to the images we captured in spring 2017, Google had already captured images at local county parks a few years prior, which we also link to below.

How does it work?

If you've ever used Google Street View, it's just like that but out on trails and rivers rather than city streets and highways.

The links below will drop you near the trailhead and allow you to explore the beauty of the desert with 360-degree imagery, as seen below.

Phoenix Spotlight