I need some help with maps please

[+kuykenr71]

I went to REI to get a GPS for hiking, biking, and geocaching. The guy sold me a Garmin 450 with the Topo SW region of maps since I live in Colorado. I expressed to him I need trail maps, that was most important to me and he assured me these maps have them.

 

I get home, load the maps on my GPS and just about every trail I have used is not on the map and the ones that are are so hard to read they are almost worthless. The detail of the Topo maps are great for elevation and what not but thats not what I am looking for. I want a map with Trails and more trails and I dont even care if they show elevation although I would like to keep the maps I have and be able to switch between the two.

 

To give you an example of what I want, when using simple mapquest for geocaching, it shows me every trail I have looked up, not only does it show the trail, it shows the name and its in red so I can follow it easy.

 

Opencyclemap shows the trails as well, along with elevation although the detail is not as good as Garmin for elevation, I really dont care, I want trails!!!! What good is the location of a geocache if it doesnt show me the trails around the area to get to it? All my travels will be in the woods, not on the street.

 

I saw someone take a trail map and overlay it into the garmin maps but I am on trails 3-4 days a week and so many different locations, that just looks like way to much work. Is there a map program that will let me load all the trails for say Colorado on this GPS? I really dont care able detail as long as the trails are accurate. Is it possible to get mapquest or opencycle maps on this GPS? Or, is there a map set for the entire state or most of it that I can just replace garmin maps with? The GPS with these maps do me no good and if I dont find a solution I am going to have to take it back and find a solution. Thanks!

[+user13371]

It's probably here.

Edited May 14, 2012 by user13371

[seldom_sn]

It's probably here.

Follow this link to get to My Trails. The trails will overlay a Colorado topo on your GPSr, but will only appear as lines and POI in BaseCamp.

[+kuykenr71]

Thats exactly what I need, thank you so much. I was reading about it and it says it overlays my topo maps which is great but I am a tad confused how I install it? I saw instructions how to install maps on his link but it shows how to install any map. How do I combine the two? My Topo maps are on a 4gig card, do I put this on that or the gps etc? Thanks again!

 

 

 

It's probably here.

Follow this link to get to My Trails. The trails will overlay a Colorado topo on your GPSr, but will only appear as lines and POI in BaseCamp.

Edited May 14, 2012 by kuykenr71

[+kuykenr71]

Thats exactly what I need, thank you so much. I was reading about it and it says it overlays my topo maps which is great but I am a tad confused how I install it? I saw instructions how to install maps on his link but it shows how to install any map. How do I combine the two? My Topo maps are on a 4gig card, do I put this on that or the gps etc? Thanks again!

 

 

 

It's probably here.

Follow this link to get to My Trails. The trails will overlay a Colorado topo on your GPSr, but will only appear as lines and POI in BaseCamp.

 

I have been fooling around with it and I dont think it is install right. I have the lasted Basemaps and my GPS is updated. Anyway, I just clicked the window installer and keep hitting next. It puts it in C:garmin/mytrails. Then I open basemap but I dont see anything new. I click on my maps, only the 24k there. I click on my collection, nothing in there. Is there a way to confirm this has installed correct? I see nothing new on my map either. I loaded it into GPS which takes FOREVER and I see no red trails like the description. Wouldnt I also see trails say in Florida where I dont have topo maps? I see nothing. I am doing something wrong and any help would be great because it takes so long to put the maps back on the GPS I dont want to do it to many times! Thanks guys!

[MtnHermit]

I went to REI to get a GPS for hiking, biking, and geocaching. The guy sold me a Garmin 450 with the Topo SW region of maps since I live in Colorado. I expressed to him I need trail maps, that was most important to me and he assured me these maps have them.

You need these: Colorado 24K Topos significantly more trails than MyTrails or Garmin's Topo SW and you can see the trails on your PC in either BaseCamp or MapSource as a complete topo map. The transparent overlays cannot be viewed on a PC as a map overlay. Download the MyTrails first to understand. Then download the free sample Colorado 24K Topos.

[tr_s]

The "priority factor" for trails on most Garmin vector topos I've used is off the whack... zoom out a little and they are gone - at the same time things that are not interesting at all - such as the name of a 200 meter wide lake five miles away, is shown in huge letters.

 

Some folks have gone a long way to fix this by editing the type files of the maps, with varying degrees of success.

[MtnHermit]

I went to REI to get a GPS for hiking, biking, and geocaching. The guy sold me a Garmin 450 with the Topo SW region of maps

Curious, were you able to return the maps to REI? REI has a generous return policy, but the Garmin package states in 4pt font, open it and you bought it! FWIW, those SW Topos are handy for routing to trailheads.

[MtnHermit]

The "priority factor" for trails on most Garmin vector topos I've used is off the whack... zoom out a little and they are gone - at the same time things that are not interesting at all - such as the name of a 200 meter wide lake five miles away, is shown in huge letters.

 

Some folks have gone a long way to fix this by editing the type files of the maps, with varying degrees of success.

Have to agree with your basic statement, I think that the zoom structure relates to Garmin's basic road orientation, not trails.

 

Allow me a few corrections:

• The label sizes can be adjusted by groups in both my CO and OR so you might want to experiment.
  
• Type files can NOT adjust when objects appear, only object style and color. When objects appear is hard coded into the maps. Garmin shows trails at the same level as 40' contours and given the default trail line style/color, almost invisible. See the link in post #6 for examples of trails that appear at 200' contours.
  

[seldom_sn]

I have been fooling around with it and I dont think it is install right. I have the lasted Basemaps and my GPS is updated. Anyway, I just clicked the window installer and keep hitting next. It puts it in C:garmin/mytrails. Then I open basemap but I dont see anything new. I click on my maps, only the 24k there. I click on my collection, nothing in there. Is there a way to confirm this has installed correct? I see nothing new on my map either. I loaded it into GPS which takes FOREVER and I see no red trails like the description. Wouldnt I also see trails say in Florida where I dont have topo maps? I see nothing. I am doing something wrong and any help would be great because it takes so long to put the maps back on the GPS I dont want to do it to many times! Thanks guys!

 

You need to zoom in to 7 miles or less to see My Trails in BaseCamp. I assume it's the same for the GPSr. Select an area where you expect to find a trail in your topo map. Then zoom in to 7 miles or less and select My Trails is selected in the map product drop down menu. You should see trails and POI. In fact you can see the points from much wider zooms. Set your BaseCamp detail to high or highest. I'm pretty sure the mapset covers Florida. I know it covers Hawaii. You can find more coverage for the WA, OR and BC in Northwest Trails.

Edited May 14, 2012 by seldom_sn

[+kuykenr71]

I have been fooling around with it and I dont think it is install right. I have the lasted Basemaps and my GPS is updated. Anyway, I just clicked the window installer and keep hitting next. It puts it in C:garmin/mytrails. Then I open basemap but I dont see anything new. I click on my maps, only the 24k there. I click on my collection, nothing in there. Is there a way to confirm this has installed correct? I see nothing new on my map either. I loaded it into GPS which takes FOREVER and I see no red trails like the description. Wouldnt I also see trails say in Florida where I dont have topo maps? I see nothing. I am doing something wrong and any help would be great because it takes so long to put the maps back on the GPS I dont want to do it to many times! Thanks guys!

 

You need to zoom in to 7 miles or less to see My Trails in BaseCamp. I assume it's the same for the GPSr. Select an area where you expect to find a trail in your topo map. Then zoom in to 7 miles or less and select My Trails is selected in the map product drop down menu. You should see trails and POI. In fact you can see the points from much wider zooms. Set your BaseCamp detail to high or highest. I'm pretty sure the mapset covers Florida. I know it covers Hawaii. You can find more coverage for the WA, OR and BC in Northwest Trails.

 

I fixed it where I can now see mytrails in basemap although they are not combined. I have to click the map button and switch between the two and when its on my trails all I see is red lines, no data. I am pretty sure once the image overlaps my topo I will be good but the question is, how do I get them to overlap? I thought maybe they will automaticly if I just reinstall the maps now I have mytrails in but no go, not on my GPS and I zoom all the way in looking for them. I have read the tutors but I followed the directions I think. I just need to combine the maps in basemap, then get them to my gps or if they cant be combined in base map, which is fine, then just combined in my gps. Thanks for any help!! Once I get this figured out I am going to be one happy garmin owner.

[+medwardl]

Anyone have similar for the ones in New York? I live in the thousand island region And there are tons of trails an conservation area's with trails that I'd love to be able to overlap onto my gps maps.

[seldom_sn]

Anyone have similar for the ones in New York? I live in the thousand island region And there are tons of trails an conservation area's with trails that I'd love to be able to overlap onto my gps maps.

My Trails covers most of the US. Try it and see.

[seldom_sn]

how do I get them to overlap?

You can only see them overlaid on your GPSr. BaseCamp will not show two map products at the same time.