Which maps?

[+Stormstaff]

I just bought a Garmin GPS 60CSx and was curious what map set/sets you'd folks suggest. I live in Illinois, I'm thinking of trying geocaching, it'll be used for hiking and such...nothing too extreme.

 

I'd LOVE to get into backpacking, but no time, no friends that do it and I'm outta shape unless you consider round, LOL.

 

Thanks in advance for your help and advice!!!

[+H2OBob]

For hiking, backpacking, and geocaching, I think the best choice would be US Topo. It's saved me some steps, when trying to pick my way around a swamp or steep hill between me and where I want to go. It also shows most of the trails (not all), and the roads, although some aren't named. It won't auto-route, but you can do that manually.

[+Team_LPD]

I've got City Navigator 2008 and Topo 2008 loaded in my 60CSX.

[+Stormstaff]

Has anyone found someplace online that has these at good prices?

[+H2OBob]

eBay is probably the cheapest, but don't expect support from Garmin, as they assume that if you got it from eBay, it was stolen or pirated.

[+Miragee]

I purchased the Topo maps I have on my Garmin Vista C on eBay. I purchased City Navigator from a retail outlet since those maps have Unlock Codes and will not work if the codes have been used by a previous owner.

 

If you know the area where you will be hiking and traveling, you might not need the auto-routing maps. However, I find them to be invaluable. I like having both maps on my GPSr.

[+briansnat]

Ideally you'll have both Topo and City Navigator. CN is pretty useless for hiking, as anything off road usually shows as a big blank area. No streams, lakes or terrain features.

 

But CN really shines around town. It provides turn by turn driving directions and has a database of millions of services and businesses. If you are on the road and need to know where the nearest restaurant (by type of cuisine), service station, marina, shopping mall, post office, hotel, campground, barber, police station, pharmacy, etc... are, CN will tell you how to get there.

 

Topo is good for showing terrain detail, swamps, streams, ponds, hills, cliffs, ravines, etc... and shows most roads, though the road data is terribly out of date in some areas. Only major roads are named however.