Which SW to use for printing my own maps

[nkanarik]

I'm looking to purchase a map SW / subscribe to a SW map service (although free SW is always welcome :naughty:) and am a little bit overwhelmed with the options. I was wondering if Bogley members have any suggestions.

Features I'm looking for:

High resolution topo maps that I can print on 11x17 or 8.5x11 paper
Custom trail tools: Add icons, text, trails, and outline boundaries
GPS referencing: Place waypoints using GPS coordinates, or read exact coordinates right from the maps.
Ability to load maps on my phone/GPS: This is a nice to have, but not a must!


Options I came across:

Climb-Utah: I found the map resolution to be insufficient when printing on a 11x17; therefore looking for other options; otherwise, I'd use the maps on this site as most canyons I do are on that site.
http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/ ($29/yr subscription)
http://map-pass.mytopo.com/ ($29/yr subscription)
National Geographic Topo - UTAH (http://shop.nationalgeographic.com/ngs/product/topo%21-state-series/topo%21--utah): Discontinued and replaced with https://alltrails.com (http://map-pass.mytopo.com/) ($29/yr subscription)


Thanks and Happy Holidays

[qedcook]

This won't do all you need, but it is free.

http://geology.utah.gov/maps/topomap/

There's another thread out there that has other state's free maps.

[absh2003]

You can download 24K USGS topo maps for free at http://www.store.usgs.gov/

[Iceaxe]

Climb-Utah: I found the map resolution to be insufficient when printing on a 11x17; therefore looking for other options; otherwise, I'd use the maps on this site as most canyons I do are on that site.

All of the maps on Climb-Utah are created with National Geographic Topo. The program can print in any size you wish, but resolution is limited by the USGS maps. It is/was the best mapping software available. Unfortunately NG is no longer selling or supporting the product.

Most the maps on Climb-Utah are intended to be printed on 8.5x11 which is why they look poor when doubled in size on 11x17. If you use any program that is based of the official USGS maps like Climb-Utah is that is the best resolution you are going to get because it's the USGS maps that are the limiting factor. And the USGS maps are the most accurate maps available.

Hope that helps.

[Kuya]

Caltopo.com

I LOVE that site

[mcweyen]

Anyone know where to find 3D maps that you can print out?

[ratagonia]

All of the maps on Climb-Utah are created with National Geographic Topo. The program can print in any size you wish, but resolution is limited by the USGS maps. It is/was the best mapping software available. Unfortunately NG is no longer selling or supporting the product.

Most the maps on Climb-Utah are intended to be printed on 8.5x11 which is why they look poor when doubled in size on 11x17. If you use any program that is based of the official USGS maps like Climb-Utah is that is the best resolution you are going to get because it's the USGS maps that are the limiting factor. And the USGS maps are the most accurate maps available.

Hope that helps.

Technically, it is the SCAN of the USGS maps that is the limiting factor. The USGS maps are quite good, and have about 300 dpi of information on them. But the full scan that USGS did and made available to the public was (as I remember) 150 dpi, and of very limited bit depth (and they were HUGE for the day).

I like Topo!, and am sorry to see it no longer supported. Works well for me.

Tom

[Old Jeeper]

I too use and like Topo!. Mainly because it is easy to use. Igage's All Topo Maps v7 are scanned at 250 dpi and it really makes a difference. The downside is higher cost and a steeper learning curve.
http://www.igage.com/v7info/ATMcomparingFairUse/ATMcomparingFairUse.html

[GueroSteve]

Caltopo.com

I LOVE that site

Caltopo will do everything you listed. Create an account so you can save your maps. You can place icons and waypoints from coordates; lay down tracks/routes; print custom maps complete with scale; save and export to KML or GPX. There are several options for map layers (e.g. shaded relief, US Forest Service, aerial topo hybrid, etc.). It's completely free and I can't endorse it enough.

Here's an example of a map I laid out for a canyon trip:
http://caltopo.com/map?id=202L

[kiwi_outdoors]

Thanks, for the link :-)

I was unaware of CalTopo

I have NatGeo for four states, and am very sad to see NatGeo going to subscription.

[nkanarik]

Thank you all...responses were helpful...I'll play around with CalTopo and print it on an 11x17 and let you know the results in a week or two.

Happy New Year:bandit:

[nkanarik]

OK...finally got to print those maps...
Using CalTopo: I created separate PDF versions for Headless Hen route (mimicking Climb-Utah HH map) sizes 8.5x11 and 11x17. I then printed them on paper (as well as the Climb-Utah 8.5x11 map) and found:
- 8.5x11:~same details as Climb-Utah map
- 11x17: This has noticeable delta.The CalTopo version, which was printed to start with to an 11x17 PDF, had much more clarity than the "climb 8.5x11 stretched to 11x17 PDF," which is somewhat expected behavior.

I found CalTopo very easy/intuitive to use...so thanks for recommending it (I will also donate some $$$ to that site as a token of appreciation).

While I'll use CalTopo for some of my maps where there is a clear benefit to use 11x17, I will probably continue to use Climb-Utah maps for canyons in which 8.5x11 details are sufficient (+want to support Climb-Utah regardless of the maps as it has many other advantages :nod:)