Maps

[SRG]

So I've been making alot of maps recently and I'm curious, does anyone else use the 2010 USGS 7.5 Quads to make their maps? These maps have topo lines overlaying a satellite image.

I find the 2010 quads more useful than traditional style topo maps because you can see the color of the landscape. Some people who I canyoneer with dislike the maps because they find it hard to see the topo lines.

Any thoughts?

[schrods]

I just recently used them to make my own maps for upcoming trips using Adobe Illustrator. I imported the .pdf version of the maps to retain all the vector information. This also allowed the color sat. image to import as a bitmap layer. Two of my maps were created by "stitching" together several quads, as the area I wanted to hike fell on and off their adjoining boarders. I then changed the transparency of the sat. image layer so the topo info was more dominant, yet at a level where you could still use the color info as an additional visual cue. Then all that's left was to scale my new map to print at the size I wanted. They came out great.

[schrods]

In the first image, it's too busy. By adjusting the transparency on the layers your able to get a better visual, especially when your dealing with brown contours over a desert landscape.

[ratagonia]

How when where are you purchasing these maps?

Tom

[SRG]

Tom, I download mine for free at the USGS map locate/download center. They're PDF files that are usually around 21mb.

http://store.usgs.gov/b2c_usgs/usgs/maplocator/(ctype=areaDetails&xcm=r3standardpitrex_prd&carea=%24ROOT&layout=6_1_61_48&uiarea=2)/.do

and Schrods, that second map looks perfect, I'm gonna try that, thanks.

-Sam