This sounds silly but...

[Guest bubba232]

the area's but it would be nice not to spend a couple of hours driving back and forth on a BUSY two lane road looking for a starting spot. Just mention "Use East/West park entrance" or name a parking lot.

 

Am I totally off on this point? Sorry for the length.

[Guest jeremy]

Many folks do this (including myself). Many are purists and just want the coordinates, but in my experience it's better to give a starting point to reduce "bushwhacking" - You never quite know how others will locate your cache.

 

I use Mapblast directions to get close to the cache, and sometimes it points to a residential area as a starting point, because between two homes you can get there quicker - of course you can't since it is private property.

 

Jeremy

[Guest Moun10Bike]

Just a quick note -- you don't need to buy a topo map for each cache. Simply convert the coordinates of the cache to NAD27 (there is a link on each cache page that will do this automatically) and plug those coordinates into www.topozone.com. You will then see the cache location marked with a red cross on an online topo map of the area.

[Guest peter]

The cache pages include a link to topozone to do this for you automatically. However, it frequently doesn't solve the original problem since many of the USGS quads used by topozone are very out-of-date on the manmade features like roads and trails. They frequently don't show the current access point to public land.

Guess I'll edit my cache description to include suggested access pts.

[Guest bubba232]

quote:

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Originally posted by Moun10Bike:

Just a quick note -- you don't need to buy a topo map for each cache. Simply convert the coordinates of the cache to NAD27 (there is a link on each cache page that will do this automatically) and plug those coordinates into www.topozone.com. You will then see the cache location marked with a red cross on an online topo map of the area.

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I've used topozone to see the general terrain, you can't use it out in the field very well. I also don't have a printer. Besides how would you be able to scout new locations for a cache?

I do have Garmins' TOPO software. A lot of help that crap is!

[Guest bubba232]

quote:

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Originally posted by Moun10Bike:

Just a quick note -- you don't need to buy a topo map for each cache. Simply convert the coordinates of the cache to NAD27 (there is a link on each cache page that will do this automatically) and plug those coordinates into www.topozone.com. You will then see the cache location marked with a red cross on an online topo map of the area.

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I've used topozone to see the general terrain, you can't use it out in the field very well. I also don't have a printer. Besides how would you be able to scout new locations for a cache?

I do have Garmins' TOPO software. A lot of help that crap is!

[Guest daviskw]

I know this may seem a little techie but when you enter coordinates on the Topozone webpage, your minutes such as 33.041 are rounded to minutes seconds 33' 03". This rounding error can be as much as 70 feet or more. Now this only makes a difference if the cache is in dense cover and you must use the Topozone map and compass because you can not get a good reading on the GPS. I often just enter coordinates in my cheap Delorme Street Atlas software. It shows most of the park boundaries and accurately plots locations and I can download routes to my etrax.

Butch

[Guest daviskw]

I was just thinking and boy does it hurt! Maybe jeremy could insert a field in the online "hide a cache form" for a parking area description and or starting location.

 

Butch

[Guest Moun10Bike]

quote:

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Originally posted by bubba232:

I've used topozone to see the general terrain, you can't use it out in the field very well. I also don't have a printer. Besides how would you be able to scout new locations for a cache?

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OK, I didn't realize you wanted to strictly use the maps in the field. I tend to scout out a location on the map ahead of time to get a general idea of how I want to attack it, then use just the GPS once I'm there.

 

As for scouting out new locations, I find the online maps easier than paper maps for the reasons you mentioned in your initial post -- you don't need to have a bunch of topos on hand to do it. You can look at any you want online. Again, this assumes that you are not taking the maps out into the field with you. The issue in that case is not specifically geocaching related, but one of wanting a map of the area when out in the woods.

[Guest Moun10Bike]

quote:

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Originally posted by bubba232:

I've used topozone to see the general terrain, you can't use it out in the field very well. I also don't have a printer. Besides how would you be able to scout new locations for a cache?

---

 

OK, I didn't realize you wanted to strictly use the maps in the field. I tend to scout out a location on the map ahead of time to get a general idea of how I want to attack it, then use just the GPS once I'm there.

 

As for scouting out new locations, I find the online maps easier than paper maps for the reasons you mentioned in your initial post -- you don't need to have a bunch of topos on hand to do it. You can look at any you want online. Again, this assumes that you are not taking the maps out into the field with you. The issue in that case is not specifically geocaching related, but one of wanting a map of the area when out in the woods.

[Guest WrongWay]

I think directions to a "trail head" are a bonus when traveling through populated areas. With the way urban sprawl is encroaching on the parks and mountain preserves around Phoenix metro you need good directions to get to a starting point.

 

The inverse also has merit. Posting coordinate data only will force the hunter to do some homework including actually looking at a map. Could make it more interesting.

 

Check out GC143. Without the hints, if the hunter approaches from the wrong direction he might be in for a swim...and quite possibly hypothermia...

[Guest Krepism]

If you look at the "Hounds Tooth" cache in UT (way point GC2af) He lists the coordinates of the parking lot, another for the trailhead, and then the cache coordinates. I think this is the best way to do it when there is a possibility that you might run across private property or have difficulty finding an approach.

[Guest edmcnierney]

quote:

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Originally posted by daviskw:

I know this may seem a little techie but when you enter coordinates on the Topozone webpage, your minutes such as 33.041 are rounded to minutes seconds 33' 03". This rounding error can be as much as 70 feet or more.

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Actually, we don't do that at all. We have data entry pages for decimal degrees and degrees/minutes/seconds, and neither is rounded. If you're seeing a position error it's most likely because you need to specify TopoZone coordinates as NAD27 rather than WGS84.