Best topo maps to load into GPS

[Wyoming]

I am wondering for an AZT thru hike which topo maps everyone here has found to be the best to have loaded on one's GPS. Right now I just have one of the free map sets you can download from the internet. It seems ok but I am just curious if people have found a specific one the best.

I will be buying the printed set of hardcopy maps the ATA has available to go with my compass per my normal way of travel. But I want to play with the GPS as well while I am hiking as I have never had one before and I like to do things the best way.

Thanks

[Grasshopper]

For the best GPSr maps solution while hiking the AZT, my recommendation would be to purchase/download the AZT Association maps to complement your AZT hard copy map sets.

[Wyoming]

Grasshopper

Txs. I guess I am confused by the ATA site as I got the impression that their maps were just pdf files and not the file types needed by the Backcountry Navigator program I have.

[Grasshopper]

@Wyoming
Now I'm not certain either but someone else in the know should help clarify for us.

[wha]

So you're talking about a GPS app on a phone, not a dedicated GPS device.

I have Backcountry Navigator and what I did was first download the waypoint lists and tracks in GPX format from the AZT site. These can be imported into BCNAV.

Then in BCNAV view your imported waypoints/tracks while online, and mark map areas you want to save for offline use in a "map package". I chose the US Forest Service maps from the available maps. I think they are clearer and easier to see on a small screen. However, there are gaps in the coverage, so I also downloaded the caltopo maps for the marked areas.

I broke it up in 5 passage sections so each map package wasn't too large. It's also much easier to do the marking etc on a tablet if you have one, then transfer the maps to your phone. Maps (both US Forest Service and CalTOPO), waypoints and tracks are a bit over 3GB for the whole trail.

[big_load]

If he's looking for properly referenced map data, he's looking for KMZ or KML files. The info on the AZT site isn't entirely clear on whether it includes formats in addition to PDF files.

[tkknc]

When I got the AZT map CD (about 2 years ago), it had ".png" files. You could only print out the maps. A membership to the aztrail org does gets you access to the gpx files and an updated data book.

[Sredfield]

You can purchase a Garmin chip that has the AZT and 1:24k mapping for 10(?) miles on either side. I spent several days downloading the tracks, loading into the GPS (not all at once mind you because of the 10K data point limit). With the chip the trail is part of the image on your device. From Garmin's website:

Trailhead Series - Arizona National Scenic Trail
Part Number: 010-D1338-00

[blisterfree]

The "detailed topo maps" (available from ATA on CD, download, or pre-printed) is a collection of image files, primarily intended as a paper maps solution on the trail, though you can also store the images on a device. The GPS data from the ATA site, meanwhile, includes waypoints and tracks, but you need to supply the base map data via whatever GPS / device solution you're using. And then, finally, there's the Garmin Arizona Trail series on a data card, as Shawn mentions above, which is track data, base map data for the corridor, and Garmin's sort of generic POI waypoint set - I'm pretty sure that's not AZ Trail-specific, so wouldn't include idiosyncratic stuff like trail junctions or all water sources.

[Grasshopper]

The GPS data from the ATA site, meanwhile, includes waypoints and tracks, but you need to supply the base map data via whatever GPS / device solution you're using.

Then it seems to me that this ATA offering would/should be a good solution for Wyoming or whoever as long as he had the Garmin Arizona 1:24k (preferred) and/or the 1:100k Topo Mapset(s) loaded in his Garmin GPSr.

[azbackpackr]

I'm more confused now than when I started reading the thread!

[big_load]

@azbackpackr
It sounds like the AZT package includes waypoint and track data that could loaded and displayed on any suitable device, but you need to get the map data elsewhere. FWIW, I don't find the map data on a handheld device especially useful. It sometimes provides a nice sanity check, but I usually can't see enough all at once to use it like a paper map.

[Sredfield]

I'm more confused now than when I started reading the thread!

It is confusing, and the discussion is about two different things, maps and what can be loaded into the GPS device. I'm talking about what can be loaded into the GPS unit. I'll try to explain:

* The GPS units display a map in the screen. The information that the unit uses to make this map is on the data chip in the unit. These chips can be changed, or written over to display different maps.

* There are any number of maps that can be loaded into the unit to display, some you buy and some can be found free on the internet. These are loaded into the unit via the memory chip. If you buy a chip you just put that one in the unit; if you download it from the internet it has to be loaded into the device, where it is written onto the chip that is in the device. If you are loading a map from the internet into the unit you want to be sure you have a blank chip in the device and not one you purchased for the data on because it will over-write the chip and the data you bought will be lost.

* Your track as you hike, or any that you load, such as from HAZ, appear on your screen over this map. One way to get the AZT loaded into your device is to download it from HAZ or the ATA website and load it into your GPS device. This tedious process is limited by the number of data points your unit will accept. (I've not seen positive proof that any will take more than a total of 10,000, and these are further limited by the number of separate tracks. (My very early but very functional unit will take 20 tracks of 500 data points each.) Only some of the tracks provided to ATA members are fewer than 500 data points, meaning they take up more than one of your twenty. The HAZ tracks run into the thousands and would have to be filtered down to something manageable. Fortunately, within the distances pertinent to this discussion, filtering a 1000 point track down to 500 does not affect its function or accuracy to any meaningful degree.

* Garmin sells a chip that is placed in the Garmin GPS device that shows the 1:24k map WITH THE AZT AS PART OF THE GRAPHIC ON THAT MAP. Thus the process of downloading the maps, and then the tracks, from the various websites, is eliminated. Same for the 20 track limit, it is a non-issue because the trail is now just a graphic on the underlying map, much the same as a contour line or road depicted on the map.

Clear as mud eh?

[wha]

It is confusing. The OP asked about loading maps into a GPS, but later says he wants files compatible with the program Backcountry Navigator. As far as I know, that is an app that runs on android or windows mobile, and has nothing to do with dedicated GPS units. Maybe he'll come back and clear it up.

[azbackpackr]

Thank you!!!

I have a Garmin Oregon 450t. I hope to start doing a wee little bit of section hiking this summer on the Mogollon Rim/Coconino Plateau. So, when the time comes this info may be helpful. Or, I'll just go do it...

[big_load]

... but later says he wants files compatible with the program Backcountry Navigator.

That's why I mentioned KML files, since the app description says it can read those.

[Wyoming]

Wow. Thanks for all the effort. I am new to this so my description likely is causing confusion.

I have all the AZT waypoints and tracks downloaded onto my tablet and am using the free Caltopo maps to display them on. I guess this is referred to as the 'base' map? If so, then what I was trying to ask about is which 'base' map set is the best to use. Some cost $ and some are free. I see that w h a is using the forest service maps and Caltopo.

I have subsequent to my original post downloaded the US Topoimagery set. Which is not really a map but more like a Goggle Earth image with topo lines overlayed. This is actually pretty nice.

I have a Samsung tablet I am using with GPS built in. I have downloaded Backcountry Navigotor for my GPS program.

When I mentioned the file types to Grasshopper I was referring to the ATA maps being pdf only and not also in the format used by the GPS programs.

Sorry for any extra confusion.

[blisterfree]

Gaia GPS is a nice pay-for app that includes a slew of different "base map" choices. The gold standard is probably the MyTopo layer, which is like the old topographic quad maps of yore but with some newer or updated features added like trails, roads, springs, and better labeling. Not referring to the Arizona Trail specifically here. As always it's a bit of a grab-bag as to what is included on base maps and how accurate they might be. But in terms of "reading the land" this is the level of detail you probably want. And then load the AZT-specific tracks and waypoints to be displayed atop the topographic base layer. I should also add that Gaia has a feature where you can store the base maps for specific tracks you've loaded so they're available without a cell connection. That's fairly critical out there.

[blisterfree]

By the way, do make sure your tablet really has a GPS chip built in and is not simply triangulating your location from cell towers or wifi (you may need to check the specs for your specific device to know with absolute certainty). For example, the iPhone has a native GPS chip but the Wifi-only iPad does not, meaning the former but not the latter will still function as a GPS unit without a connection (but not in airplane mode which cuts the GPS along with all connectivity). They do sell various dongles and doohickies that connect via USB or Bluetooth to provide true GPS functionality. For example, see the product line from Bad Elf.

Then there's the question of whether a true tablet is something to carry and use on trail for such a purpose. I know I'd find an iPad to be a rather dicey proposition to walk with while trying to navigate. Could be okay for the occasional confirmation of location while standing still.

[DrZruda]

I did my own georeferencing of the png maps I bought from AZT. I was going to create a nice tutorial, but it's simple enough if you're computer savvy.
First, download OruxMapsDesktop.
Second, download the calibration files I created: here
Then put all the calibration files and the image files in one folder and run the selfexplanatory Batch Converter in OMD.
Not sure if you can put them in a GPS-only unit (it might be convertable for newer garmins, but I don't have any), but it works like a charm in android apps such as Locus and many others. After you get your maps into the app, it works just like any other layer, except it's the wonderful bitmap map with all the mileage points and POI combined with your accurate GPS.
Please note: I'm not providing the topo maps, you have to get them on your own. This is just the calibration info.