US Maps

[+Wadders]

Hi all,

I am off to Vegas and Hawaii in August and of course am hoping to do some caching.

 

Has anyone got some fairly detailed maps of either area?

 

I am looking for vegas/death valley and Honolulu/oahu

 

I want to use memory map if i can.

 

Thanks

Terry

[+careygang]

Terry

As far as Vegas and Death Vally are concerned, it depends how much time you want to spend caching. We've lived here 18 months and all we use for Maps is a print of the Geocaching.com Google Map of the area we are going to, showing the 20 or so we might be after. Then it's just the VistaHCx and the PDA for the Cache info.

 

It also depends on if you are planning to bag lots of Nano/Micro in the suburbs, or venture out into the desert/mountains for some more traditional caches. Either way, US maps aren't that great, especially their topo.

Take a look at this cache of mine and follow the various mapping links.GC1P9VK You'll find the TerraServer Topo map is dated 1983!

 

As for Death Valley, are you planing on caching all the way there and back, or just in the Valley (you do realise that DV in August is so hot you won't want to get out the car!)? Being a National Park, all caches in the valley are Virtual/Earth Caches. There are so many caches between LV and DV, you'll need a few days each way!

[+Teuchters]

I'm also planning to be around this area in July. Hoping to travel from SF to Yosemite, Death Valley, Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Los Angeles then back up to SF. Hiring a car and taking three weeks!

 

Any other info gratefully received!

[Chudley Cannons]

I'm also planning to be around this area in July. Hoping to travel from SF to Yosemite, Death Valley, Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Los Angeles then back up to SF. Hiring a car and taking three weeks!

 

Any other info gratefully received!

Plan on doing caches that don't take much more than 5-10 minutes out of the car. You will fry. Last time I was in Death Valley it was 117F.

 

Best tip: leave someone in the car so you can keep the air-con running. 10 minutes away and the car will be like an oven.

[+careygang]

I'm also planning to be around this area in July. Hoping to travel from SF to Yosemite, Death Valley, Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Los Angeles then back up to SF. Hiring a car and taking three weeks!

 

Any other info gratefully received!

Plan on doing caches that don't take much more than 5-10 minutes out of the car. You will fry. Last time I was in Death Valley it was 117F.

 

Best tip: leave someone in the car so you can keep the air-con running. 10 minutes away and the car will be like an oven.

 

Check the log for August 28th 2008 in UBEHEBE We did it in March this year as our 500th and that was on the warm side.

 

As Chudley says, the inside of a car can easily reach 200F within 15-20 minutes of parking up, even with a sun reflector in the windscreen. That's the principle behind why DV gets so hot, the hot air can't escape the valley, the sun keeps heating the valley floor by direct radiation and the hot air starts to circulate, taking the heat from the valley floor.

Edited May 25, 2009 by careygang

[+careygang]

I'm also planning to be around this area in July. Hoping to travel from SF to Yosemite, Death Valley, Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Los Angeles then back up to SF. Hiring a car and taking three weeks!

 

Any other info gratefully received!

 

Looks like you're going to be seeing plenty on your Road Trip, but if you want to escape 'The Strip' for 1/2 or a whole day, I'd recommend the caching around Red Rock area. It's $5 for a day ticket; there's a 13 mile one way sightseeing road and lots of places to stop off and cache. Equally, there are a fair few that don't require access to the park area.

As to Las Vegas itself, as with any city there are 'better' areas. I would put the E/NE of the City low down the list.

[Chudley Cannons]

On your way up (or down) 395, I can recommend an overnight in Lone Pine. There is a great little motel at the south of the main drag in town. Old fashioned, nice and clean mom&pop motel. With FANTASTIC views. Nice little town, but can be busy in the summer.

 

And check out McDonalds in Mammoth Lakes, which is the highest McDonalds in the US.

[+Wadders]

Terry

As far as Vegas and Death Vally are concerned, it depends how much time you want to spend caching. We've lived here 18 months and all we use for Maps is a print of the Geocaching.com Google Map of the area we are going to, showing the 20 or so we might be after. Then it's just the VistaHCx and the PDA for the Cache info.

 

It also depends on if you are planning to bag lots of Nano/Micro in the suburbs, or venture out into the desert/mountains for some more traditional caches. Either way, US maps aren't that great, especially their topo.

Take a look at this cache of mine and follow the various mapping links.GC1P9VK You'll find the TerraServer Topo map is dated 1983!

 

As for Death Valley, are you planing on caching all the way there and back, or just in the Valley (you do realise that DV in August is so hot you won't want to get out the car!)? Being a National Park, all caches in the valley are Virtual/Earth Caches. There are so many caches between LV and DV, you'll need a few days each way!

 

As long as I visit death valley, (i don't mind which part) and do a cache i shall be happy, i will do any caches along the way that are doable, i will have a teenage daughter and the wife, so they will be looking after the car.

How long will it take to drive to get there from the strip. We are staying in The Planet Hollywood hotel?

Then hoping to pick off a few caches during the week, if "i happen to walk past them" We were only looking to have af the car for a day or two.

Looking to do an organized trip to the GC as well.

[+careygang]

Terry

As far as Vegas and Death Vally are concerned, it depends how much time you want to spend caching. We've lived here 18 months and all we use for Maps is a print of the Geocaching.com Google Map of the area we are going to, showing the 20 or so we might be after. Then it's just the VistaHCx and the PDA for the Cache info.

 

It also depends on if you are planning to bag lots of Nano/Micro in the suburbs, or venture out into the desert/mountains for some more traditional caches. Either way, US maps aren't that great, especially their topo.

Take a look at this cache of mine and follow the various mapping links.GC1P9VK You'll find the TerraServer Topo map is dated 1983!

 

As for Death Valley, are you planing on caching all the way there and back, or just in the Valley (you do realise that DV in August is so hot you won't want to get out the car!)? Being a National Park, all caches in the valley are Virtual/Earth Caches. There are so many caches between LV and DV, you'll need a few days each way!

 

As long as I visit death valley, (i don't mind which part) and do a cache i shall be happy, i will do any caches along the way that are doable, i will have a teenage daughter and the wife, so they will be looking after the car.

How long will it take to drive to get there from the strip. We are staying in The Planet Hollywood hotel?

Then hoping to pick off a few caches during the week, if "i happen to walk past them" We were only looking to have af the car for a day or two.

Looking to do an organized trip to the GC as well.

 

Death Valley is a reasonable day trip, including stopping for a bit of walking around. Basically, 2 - 3 hours each way, give or take a bit.

See the map.

I'd recommend the Red Route as it is circular so no repetition and allows several roadside caches, including this one Moosecow and a brief stop as you pass Mercury Test Range GCM0EF. If you're in Nevada, you might as well take in a bit of history about nuclear testing...

If you want something a little shorter, use the Blue Route, but either way you need to enter Death Valley via the 190 from Death Valley Junction and take the road up to Dantes View to see it from on high before going down into the valley. You can then exit via Badwater GCH657 which is the lowest point.

 

As to Grand Canyon, the choices are a long trip to the National Park 'South Rim', where you get to see how far across it is, but that is an overnight stop to make it worthwhile (almost 300 miles each way).

Or, a day trip is the West Rim, where the Hualapai Nation will get their monetary revenge for centuries of exploitation and you get to see the depth, but it's quite narrow.

Compare the websites and make your choices.

[+Wadders]

Terry

As far as Vegas and Death Vally are concerned, it depends how much time you want to spend caching. We've lived here 18 months and all we use for Maps is a print of the Geocaching.com Google Map of the area we are going to, showing the 20 or so we might be after. Then it's just the VistaHCx and the PDA for the Cache info.

 

It also depends on if you are planning to bag lots of Nano/Micro in the suburbs, or venture out into the desert/mountains for some more traditional caches. Either way, US maps aren't that great, especially their topo.

Take a look at this cache of mine and follow the various mapping links.GC1P9VK You'll find the TerraServer Topo map is dated 1983!

 

As for Death Valley, are you planing on caching all the way there and back, or just in the Valley (you do realise that DV in August is so hot you won't want to get out the car!)? Being a National Park, all caches in the valley are Virtual/Earth Caches. There are so many caches between LV and DV, you'll need a few days each way!

 

As long as I visit death valley, (i don't mind which part) and do a cache i shall be happy, i will do any caches along the way that are doable, i will have a teenage daughter and the wife, so they will be looking after the car.

How long will it take to drive to get there from the strip. We are staying in The Planet Hollywood hotel?

Then hoping to pick off a few caches during the week, if "i happen to walk past them" We were only looking to have a the car for a day or two.

Looking to do an organized trip to the GC as well.

 

Death Valley is a reasonable day trip, including stopping for a bit of walking around. Basically, 2 - 3 hours each way, give or take a bit.

See the map.

I'd recommend the Red Route as it is circular so no repetition and allows several roadside caches, including this one Moosecow and a brief stop as you pass Mercury Test Range GCM0EF. If you're in Nevada, you might as well take in a bit of history about nuclear testing...

If you want something a little shorter, use the Blue Route, but either way you need to enter Death Valley via the 190 from Death Valley Junction and take the road up to Dantes View to see it from on high before going down into the valley. You can then exit via Badwater GCH657 which is the lowest point.

 

As to Grand Canyon, the choices are a long trip to the National Park 'South Rim', where you get to see how far across it is, but that is an overnight stop to make it worthwhile (almost 300 miles each way).

Or, a day trip is the West Rim, where the Hualapai Nation will get their monetary revenge for centuries of exploitation and you get to see the depth, but it's quite narrow.

Compare the websites and make your choices.

 

Thanks for that reply, that is really helpful, quite like the look of both routes, for different reasons.

Won't be driving to the Grand Canyon, looking to do an organized trip, i would like to go white water rafting We will see.

[+Teuchters]

This is all very helpful in planning my US road trip. Any recommendations on nice motels around LV? Or is it OK to just turn up and get something thats reasonable - both in cost, location and pleasantness?

[+The Hancock Clan]

Hi all,

I am off to Vegas and Hawaii in August and of course am hoping to do some caching.

 

Has anyone got some fairly detailed maps of either area?

 

I am looking for vegas/death valley and Honolulu/oahu

 

I want to use memory map if i can.

 

Thanks

Terry

 

G'Day stranger!

 

I made a detailed map of Oahu last year for memory map that's calibrated & ready to use. It's about 10mb & I'll send it to you if you want.

 

There's some great hikes up the mountains if you've got time but you HAVE to go to Honu Beach Cache and bring your snorkelling gear. There's huge turtles everywhere there - it's awesome!

[terribletwos]

Hi all,

I am off to Vegas and Hawaii in August and of course am hoping to do some caching.

 

Has anyone got some fairly detailed maps of either area?

 

I am looking for vegas/death valley and Honolulu/oahu

 

I want to use memory map if i can.

 

Thanks

Terry

 

 

http://w2.memory-map.com/usa250maps/]Look Here perhaps[/url]

[+careygang]

This is all very helpful in planning my US road trip. Any recommendations on nice motels around LV? Or is it OK to just turn up and get something thats reasonable - both in cost, location and pleasantness?

 

The economy is biting hard so there's plenty of offers around, both on accommodation and entertainment. There are several Travel websites, e.g. Travelzoo.com, which you could use to search for offers with up to 70% savings.

We just saw Fleetwood Mac at MGM Grand Arena this weekend with 1/2 price tickets from the internet.

It's possible to stay on The Strip from $50 a night, with additional benefits such as Casino Credits or Drink Vouchers included.