Amazon.com Product Description

National Geographic's Topo! CD-ROM set for California contains every topographic map you could possibly need for the state. The set includes eight CD-ROMs with 1,900 scanned USGS maps enhanced with digital 3-D shading. Maps feature 1:24,000 USGS 7.5-foot scale with seamless statewide coverage. You'll be able to interact with the maps in more ways than you would think possible.

Select the exact area you want to print and create a custom map. Personalize your maps with your own colorful text, symbols, and routes. Print trip-ready maps with custom elevation profiles, UTM or latitude-longitude grids, scale bars, and north arrows.

It's an excellent planning tool for backcountry adventures or road trips. Draw freehand routes and upload to a GPS, then refer to thousands of preloaded GPS waypoints.

National Geographic's TOPO CD-ROMs are compatible with Microsoft Windows 95, 98, ME, 2000, and NT and work with all printers supported by Windows. You can transfer maps with most popular handheld GPS receivers manufactured by Garmin, Magellan, Eagle, and Lowrance. Magellan products include Magellan 315, 320, and Meridian XL. Garmin products include Garmin eMap, eTrex series, GPS 12 series, StreetPilot series, II GPS series, and III GPS series. The eTrex Venture and Legend function when TOPO's GPS settings are specified as the eTrex. For the eTrex Vista receiver, specify TOPO's GPS settings as the eTrex Summit. Direct link requires input-output capabilities and a PC cable (sold separately). ... Read more

Features

• Excellent planning tool for backcountry adventures or road trips
• Features 1:24,000 USGS 7.5-foot scale with seamless statewide coverage
• Personalize your maps with your own colorful text, symbols, and routes
• Transfer maps with most popular handheld GPS receivers manufactured by Garmin, Magellan, Eagle, and Lowrance
• Compatible with Microsoft Windows 95, 98, Me, 2000, and NT and with all printers supported by Windows

Reviews (10)

Simple, but effective backcountry tool
Love the backcountry? For those of us who love the backcountry in Utah, this is an outstanding tool for the modern wilderness traveller. Combine this with a GPS and a large-format printer, and you've got the sweet system for customizing, then printing out maps you can use in the field. This has saved me SO MUCH MOOLA over buying (and wrecking) 2 or 3 quads for each weekend's adventures.

It's pretty simple. You can trace routes and add text annotations, measure the length of routes and construct an altitude profile; define a printer area and print it out. It works much better to drop the print output (Tiff) into Photoshop and adjust it for your printer. Printing on 8-1/2 x 11 paper doesn't get you much, but printing on 11 x 17 or 13 x 19 makes really nice maps. The Topo "Scan" is not as fine as it would be "really nice" to have, but is about the information you can see (unaided) on a standard Topo map.

Working with the Etrex GPS unit is easy. Mark waypoints on the computer, upload them to the handheld unit.

Overall, it works really well and is easy to learn and use. It requires a bit of an investment up front, but for the serious off-trail traveller, it is money well spent....

Not what I expected
I wanted to use TOPO to map the trails in the parks around South Eastern VA. by importing the GPS tracks obtained from walking/riding the trails. TOPO would almost do what I wanted, but its disappointing lack of editing and viewing tools made it impossible to accurately draw or display the routs.

If I import the tracks as individual waypoints, the waypoints are displayed as HUGE diamonds on the map that overlap and make it impossible to follow the track. The max zoom is insufficient to clearly display the tracks, but the magnify option zooms in nicely. The only problem is the magnify option also magnifies the waypoint icons, so they still overlap. For the Mid-Atlantic map, these waypoint diamonds are about 200 feet corner to corner.

If I bring the tracks in as complete routs, there is no way to make small changes to fit the track to the minor inconsistencies in the elevation map. For example, when the GPS shows me walking a mostly flat section and TOPO has me descending into a ravine; if I remember navigating around the edge of the ravine, it's obvious the track in that area needs to be tweaked to miss the ravine. I might be able to draw a new track if the lines of the existing track were a little thinner, but as with the waypoints, at max magnify the lines are very thick and obscure the topo lines. When I try to start a new track, the draw tool functions as a track selector over the existing (too thick) track, so I can't correct what is already there. The only option is to delete small sections of the map and try to redraw them from memory or a print out. This process might work, but I think I could do it a lot faster in a paint program.

There doesn't seem to be any way to turn off a waypoint or track display completely, since all the waypoints are ultimately displayed in the "All Waypoints" master list which won't turn off. Strangely, if I delete a waypoint in a custom rout, the waypoint is also deleted from the master list, so once a waypoint is added to a rout it can't be removed without also removing it from the entire map.

Overall it's a nice program and probably works fine for mapping out long, straight paths. It's useless for my purposes, though. They need to add some better editing and viewing features, such as interactive rout editing with drag handles on the waypoints, and some control over how and when the waypoints are displayed.

Georgia version is terrible
The Georgia version of this set is Terrible. I already own National Park version which is great. I was planning on staying on Cumberland Island and doing some hiking and that National Park isn't on the National Park cd set, so I bought the Georgia set. Well, Cumberland Island is on the set but it only shows some of the trails. Parts of the Map are crooked. Some of it doesn't line up with other parts. It looks like it was scanned it from a bunch of seperate pieces of paper by a 8 yr old.

If you can only afford one, buy national geographic's topos
I live in Idaho, and actually, really, go into the wilderness. The level of detail provided by garmin's u.s. topo offering is honestly not sufficient for accurately setting waypoints. National Geographic's state series is indeed sufficient (in fact it's the best for Idaho). Not to be cruel, but being able to download inadequately detailed map source is not nearly as important as being able to download truly accurate waypoints. Buying both packages would obviously be the best solution, but really you can set up all the detail you need (for getting in & out) using just national geographic (whereas you can't with garmin's u.s. topo stuff).

Critical note: I strongly recommend not carrying *just* electronic maps if you really, truly, go into wilderness. Electronic toys aren't foolproof - they break through no fault of your own, they get dropped, can get destroyed if you fall, etc. Paper maps should *also* be carried - ideally ones printed out just for your current trip.

The garmin hardware itself is truly impressive. Their mapsource topo offerings, on the other hand, need a lot of work. It's as if the people who did them never visited the U.S., and/or never really went into many of the U.S.'s real wilderness areas.

National Geographic TOPO Colorado, Thumbs Down
The Colorado Map series does not display the same detail as a real 1/24000 official USGS map. I wonder which Colorado maps that National Geographic scanned? Hopefully I might be able to use the GPS and way points with my Garmin GPS 72, however the software setup does not list the Garmin GPS 72. I must have received last years version. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

National Geographic's Topo! CD-ROM set for Georgia contains every topographic map you could possibly need for the state. The set includes five CD-ROMs with more than 1,000 scanned USGS maps enhanced with digital 3-D shading. Maps feature 1:24,000 USGS 7.5-foot scale with seamless statewide coverage. You'll be able to interact with the maps in more ways than you would think possible.

Select the exact area you want to print and create a custom map. Personalize your maps with your own colorful text, symbols, and routes. Print trip-ready maps with custom elevation profiles, UTM or latitude-longitude grids, scale bars, and north arrows.

It's an excellent planning tool for backcountry adventures or road trips. Draw freehand routes and upload to a GPS, then reference thousands of preloaded GPS waypoints.

National Geographic's TOPO CD-ROMs are compatible with Microsoft Windows 95, 98, ME, 2000, and NT and work with all printers supported by Windows. You can transfer maps with most popular handheld GPS receivers manufactured by Garmin, Magellan, Eagle, and Lowrance. Magellan products include Magellan 315, 320, and Meridian XL. Garmin products include Garmin eMap, eTrex series, GPS 12 series, StreetPilot series, II GPS series, and III GPS seris. The eTrex Venture and Legend function when TOPO's GPS settings are specified as the eTrex. For the eTrex Vista receiver, specify TOPO's GPS settings as the eTrex Summit. Direct link requires input-output capabilities and a PC cable (sold separately). ... Read more

Features

• Excellent planning tool for backcountry adventures or road trips
• Features 1:24,000 USGS 7.5-foot scale with seamless statewide coverage
• Personalize your maps with your own colorful text, symbols, and routes
• Transfer maps with most popular handheld GPS receivers manufactured by Garmin, Magellan, Eagle, and Lowrance
• Compatible with Microsoft Windows 95, 98, Me, 2000, and NT and with all printers supported by Windows

Reviews (10)

Simple, but effective backcountry tool
Love the backcountry? For those of us who love the backcountry in Utah, this is an outstanding tool for the modern wilderness traveller. Combine this with a GPS and a large-format printer, and you've got the sweet system for customizing, then printing out maps you can use in the field. This has saved me SO MUCH MOOLA over buying (and wrecking) 2 or 3 quads for each weekend's adventures.

It's pretty simple. You can trace routes and add text annotations, measure the length of routes and construct an altitude profile; define a printer area and print it out. It works much better to drop the print output (Tiff) into Photoshop and adjust it for your printer. Printing on 8-1/2 x 11 paper doesn't get you much, but printing on 11 x 17 or 13 x 19 makes really nice maps. The Topo "Scan" is not as fine as it would be "really nice" to have, but is about the information you can see (unaided) on a standard Topo map.

Working with the Etrex GPS unit is easy. Mark waypoints on the computer, upload them to the handheld unit.

Overall, it works really well and is easy to learn and use. It requires a bit of an investment up front, but for the serious off-trail traveller, it is money well spent....

Not what I expected
I wanted to use TOPO to map the trails in the parks around South Eastern VA. by importing the GPS tracks obtained from walking/riding the trails. TOPO would almost do what I wanted, but its disappointing lack of editing and viewing tools made it impossible to accurately draw or display the routs.

If I import the tracks as individual waypoints, the waypoints are displayed as HUGE diamonds on the map that overlap and make it impossible to follow the track. The max zoom is insufficient to clearly display the tracks, but the magnify option zooms in nicely. The only problem is the magnify option also magnifies the waypoint icons, so they still overlap. For the Mid-Atlantic map, these waypoint diamonds are about 200 feet corner to corner.

If I bring the tracks in as complete routs, there is no way to make small changes to fit the track to the minor inconsistencies in the elevation map. For example, when the GPS shows me walking a mostly flat section and TOPO has me descending into a ravine; if I remember navigating around the edge of the ravine, it's obvious the track in that area needs to be tweaked to miss the ravine. I might be able to draw a new track if the lines of the existing track were a little thinner, but as with the waypoints, at max magnify the lines are very thick and obscure the topo lines. When I try to start a new track, the draw tool functions as a track selector over the existing (too thick) track, so I can't correct what is already there. The only option is to delete small sections of the map and try to redraw them from memory or a print out. This process might work, but I think I could do it a lot faster in a paint program.

There doesn't seem to be any way to turn off a waypoint or track display completely, since all the waypoints are ultimately displayed in the "All Waypoints" master list which won't turn off. Strangely, if I delete a waypoint in a custom rout, the waypoint is also deleted from the master list, so once a waypoint is added to a rout it can't be removed without also removing it from the entire map.

Overall it's a nice program and probably works fine for mapping out long, straight paths. It's useless for my purposes, though. They need to add some better editing and viewing features, such as interactive rout editing with drag handles on the waypoints, and some control over how and when the waypoints are displayed.

Georgia version is terrible
The Georgia version of this set is Terrible. I already own National Park version which is great. I was planning on staying on Cumberland Island and doing some hiking and that National Park isn't on the National Park cd set, so I bought the Georgia set. Well, Cumberland Island is on the set but it only shows some of the trails. Parts of the Map are crooked. Some of it doesn't line up with other parts. It looks like it was scanned it from a bunch of seperate pieces of paper by a 8 yr old.

If you can only afford one, buy national geographic's topos
I live in Idaho, and actually, really, go into the wilderness. The level of detail provided by garmin's u.s. topo offering is honestly not sufficient for accurately setting waypoints. National Geographic's state series is indeed sufficient (in fact it's the best for Idaho). Not to be cruel, but being able to download inadequately detailed map source is not nearly as important as being able to download truly accurate waypoints. Buying both packages would obviously be the best solution, but really you can set up all the detail you need (for getting in & out) using just national geographic (whereas you can't with garmin's u.s. topo stuff).

Critical note: I strongly recommend not carrying *just* electronic maps if you really, truly, go into wilderness. Electronic toys aren't foolproof - they break through no fault of your own, they get dropped, can get destroyed if you fall, etc. Paper maps should *also* be carried - ideally ones printed out just for your current trip.

The garmin hardware itself is truly impressive. Their mapsource topo offerings, on the other hand, need a lot of work. It's as if the people who did them never visited the U.S., and/or never really went into many of the U.S.'s real wilderness areas.

National Geographic TOPO Colorado, Thumbs Down
The Colorado Map series does not display the same detail as a real 1/24000 official USGS map. I wonder which Colorado maps that National Geographic scanned? Hopefully I might be able to use the GPS and way points with my Garmin GPS 72, however the software setup does not list the Garmin GPS 72. I must have received last years version. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

National Geographic's Topo! CD-ROM set for Minnesota contains every topographic map you could possibly need for the state. The set includes five CD-ROMs with 1,755 scanned USGS maps enhanced with digital 3-D shading. Maps feature 1:24,000 USGS 7.5-foot scale with seamless statewide coverage. You'll be able to interact with the maps in more ways than you would think possible.

Select the exact area you want to print and create a custom map. Personalize your maps with your own colorful text, symbols, and routes. Print trip-ready maps with custom elevation profiles, UTM or latitude-longitude grids, scale bars, and north arrows.

It's an excellent planning tool for backcountry adventures or road trips. Draw freehand routes and upload to a GPS, then reference thousands of preloaded GPS waypoints.

National Geographic's TOPO CD-ROMs are compatible with Microsoft Windows 95, 98, ME, 2000, and NT and work with all printers supported by Windows. You can transfer maps with most popular handheld GPS receivers manufactured by Garmin, Magellan, Eagle, and Lowrance. Magellan products include Magellan 315, 320, and Meridian XL. Garmin products include Garmin eMap, eTrex series, GPS 12 series, StreetPilot series, II GPS series, and III GPS series. The eTrex Venture and Legend function when TOPO's GPS settings are specified as the eTrex. For the eTrex Vista receiver, specify TOPO's GPS settings as the eTrex Summit. Direct link requires input-output capabilities and a PC cable (sold separately). ... Read more

Features

• Excellent planning tool for backcountry adventures or road trips
• Features 1:24,000 USGS 7.5-foot scale with seamless statewide coverage
• Personalize your maps with your own colorful text, symbols, and routes
• Transfer maps with most popular handheld GPS receivers manufactured by Garmin, Magellan, Eagle, and Lowrance
• Compatible with Microsoft Windows 95, 98, Me, 2000, and NT and with all printers supported by Windows

Reviews (10)

Simple, but effective backcountry tool
Love the backcountry? For those of us who love the backcountry in Utah, this is an outstanding tool for the modern wilderness traveller. Combine this with a GPS and a large-format printer, and you've got the sweet system for customizing, then printing out maps you can use in the field. This has saved me SO MUCH MOOLA over buying (and wrecking) 2 or 3 quads for each weekend's adventures.

It's pretty simple. You can trace routes and add text annotations, measure the length of routes and construct an altitude profile; define a printer area and print it out. It works much better to drop the print output (Tiff) into Photoshop and adjust it for your printer. Printing on 8-1/2 x 11 paper doesn't get you much, but printing on 11 x 17 or 13 x 19 makes really nice maps. The Topo "Scan" is not as fine as it would be "really nice" to have, but is about the information you can see (unaided) on a standard Topo map.

Working with the Etrex GPS unit is easy. Mark waypoints on the computer, upload them to the handheld unit.

Overall, it works really well and is easy to learn and use. It requires a bit of an investment up front, but for the serious off-trail traveller, it is money well spent....

Not what I expected
I wanted to use TOPO to map the trails in the parks around South Eastern VA. by importing the GPS tracks obtained from walking/riding the trails. TOPO would almost do what I wanted, but its disappointing lack of editing and viewing tools made it impossible to accurately draw or display the routs.

If I import the tracks as individual waypoints, the waypoints are displayed as HUGE diamonds on the map that overlap and make it impossible to follow the track. The max zoom is insufficient to clearly display the tracks, but the magnify option zooms in nicely. The only problem is the magnify option also magnifies the waypoint icons, so they still overlap. For the Mid-Atlantic map, these waypoint diamonds are about 200 feet corner to corner.

If I bring the tracks in as complete routs, there is no way to make small changes to fit the track to the minor inconsistencies in the elevation map. For example, when the GPS shows me walking a mostly flat section and TOPO has me descending into a ravine; if I remember navigating around the edge of the ravine, it's obvious the track in that area needs to be tweaked to miss the ravine. I might be able to draw a new track if the lines of the existing track were a little thinner, but as with the waypoints, at max magnify the lines are very thick and obscure the topo lines. When I try to start a new track, the draw tool functions as a track selector over the existing (too thick) track, so I can't correct what is already there. The only option is to delete small sections of the map and try to redraw them from memory or a print out. This process might work, but I think I could do it a lot faster in a paint program.

There doesn't seem to be any way to turn off a waypoint or track display completely, since all the waypoints are ultimately displayed in the "All Waypoints" master list which won't turn off. Strangely, if I delete a waypoint in a custom rout, the waypoint is also deleted from the master list, so once a waypoint is added to a rout it can't be removed without also removing it from the entire map.

Overall it's a nice program and probably works fine for mapping out long, straight paths. It's useless for my purposes, though. They need to add some better editing and viewing features, such as interactive rout editing with drag handles on the waypoints, and some control over how and when the waypoints are displayed.

Georgia version is terrible
The Georgia version of this set is Terrible. I already own National Park version which is great. I was planning on staying on Cumberland Island and doing some hiking and that National Park isn't on the National Park cd set, so I bought the Georgia set. Well, Cumberland Island is on the set but it only shows some of the trails. Parts of the Map are crooked. Some of it doesn't line up with other parts. It looks like it was scanned it from a bunch of seperate pieces of paper by a 8 yr old.

If you can only afford one, buy national geographic's topos
I live in Idaho, and actually, really, go into the wilderness. The level of detail provided by garmin's u.s. topo offering is honestly not sufficient for accurately setting waypoints. National Geographic's state series is indeed sufficient (in fact it's the best for Idaho). Not to be cruel, but being able to download inadequately detailed map source is not nearly as important as being able to download truly accurate waypoints. Buying both packages would obviously be the best solution, but really you can set up all the detail you need (for getting in & out) using just national geographic (whereas you can't with garmin's u.s. topo stuff).

Critical note: I strongly recommend not carrying *just* electronic maps if you really, truly, go into wilderness. Electronic toys aren't foolproof - they break through no fault of your own, they get dropped, can get destroyed if you fall, etc. Paper maps should *also* be carried - ideally ones printed out just for your current trip.

The garmin hardware itself is truly impressive. Their mapsource topo offerings, on the other hand, need a lot of work. It's as if the people who did them never visited the U.S., and/or never really went into many of the U.S.'s real wilderness areas.

National Geographic TOPO Colorado, Thumbs Down
The Colorado Map series does not display the same detail as a real 1/24000 official USGS map. I wonder which Colorado maps that National Geographic scanned? Hopefully I might be able to use the GPS and way points with my Garmin GPS 72, however the software setup does not list the Garmin GPS 72. I must have received last years version. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

National Geographic's Topo! CD-ROM set for Illinois contains every topographic map you could possibly need for the state. The set includes four CD-ROMs with 950 scanned USGS maps enhanced with digital 3-D shading. Maps feature 1:24,000 USGS 7.5-foot scale with seamless statewide coverage. You'll be able to interact with the maps in more ways than you would think possible.

Select the exact area you want to print and create a custom map. Personalize your maps with your own colorful text, symbols, and routes. Print trip-ready maps with custom elevation profiles, UTM or latitude-longitude grids, scale bars, and north arrows.

It's an excellent planning tool for backcountry adventures or road trips. Draw freehand routes and upload to a GPS, then reference thousands of preloaded GPS waypoints.

National Geographic's TOPO CD-ROMs are compatible with Microsoft Windows 95, 98, ME, 2000, and NT and work with all printers supported by Windows. You can transfer maps with most popular handheld GPS receivers manufactured by Garmin, Magellan, Eagle, and Lowrance. Magellan products include Magellan 315, 320, and Meridian XL. Garmin products include Garmin eMap, eTrex series, GPS 12 series, StreetPilot series, II GPS series, and III GPS series. The eTrex Venture and Legend function when TOPO's GPS settings are specified as the eTrex. For the eTrex Vista receiver, specify TOPO's GPS settings as the eTrex Summit. Direct link requires input-output capabilities and a PC cable (sold separately). ... Read more

Features

• Excellent planning tool for backcountry adventures or road trips
• Features 1:24,000 USGS 7.5-foot scale with seamless statewide coverage
• Personalize your maps with your own colorful text, symbols, and routes
• Transfer maps with most popular handheld GPS receivers manufactured by Garmin, Magellan, Eagle, and Lowrance
• Compatible with Microsoft Windows 95, 98, Me, 2000, and NT and with all printers supported by Windows

Reviews (10)

Simple, but effective backcountry tool
Love the backcountry? For those of us who love the backcountry in Utah, this is an outstanding tool for the modern wilderness traveller. Combine this with a GPS and a large-format printer, and you've got the sweet system for customizing, then printing out maps you can use in the field. This has saved me SO MUCH MOOLA over buying (and wrecking) 2 or 3 quads for each weekend's adventures.

It's pretty simple. You can trace routes and add text annotations, measure the length of routes and construct an altitude profile; define a printer area and print it out. It works much better to drop the print output (Tiff) into Photoshop and adjust it for your printer. Printing on 8-1/2 x 11 paper doesn't get you much, but printing on 11 x 17 or 13 x 19 makes really nice maps. The Topo "Scan" is not as fine as it would be "really nice" to have, but is about the information you can see (unaided) on a standard Topo map.

Working with the Etrex GPS unit is easy. Mark waypoints on the computer, upload them to the handheld unit.

Overall, it works really well and is easy to learn and use. It requires a bit of an investment up front, but for the serious off-trail traveller, it is money well spent....

Not what I expected
I wanted to use TOPO to map the trails in the parks around South Eastern VA. by importing the GPS tracks obtained from walking/riding the trails. TOPO would almost do what I wanted, but its disappointing lack of editing and viewing tools made it impossible to accurately draw or display the routs.

If I import the tracks as individual waypoints, the waypoints are displayed as HUGE diamonds on the map that overlap and make it impossible to follow the track. The max zoom is insufficient to clearly display the tracks, but the magnify option zooms in nicely. The only problem is the magnify option also magnifies the waypoint icons, so they still overlap. For the Mid-Atlantic map, these waypoint diamonds are about 200 feet corner to corner.

If I bring the tracks in as complete routs, there is no way to make small changes to fit the track to the minor inconsistencies in the elevation map. For example, when the GPS shows me walking a mostly flat section and TOPO has me descending into a ravine; if I remember navigating around the edge of the ravine, it's obvious the track in that area needs to be tweaked to miss the ravine. I might be able to draw a new track if the lines of the existing track were a little thinner, but as with the waypoints, at max magnify the lines are very thick and obscure the topo lines. When I try to start a new track, the draw tool functions as a track selector over the existing (too thick) track, so I can't correct what is already there. The only option is to delete small sections of the map and try to redraw them from memory or a print out. This process might work, but I think I could do it a lot faster in a paint program.

There doesn't seem to be any way to turn off a waypoint or track display completely, since all the waypoints are ultimately displayed in the "All Waypoints" master list which won't turn off. Strangely, if I delete a waypoint in a custom rout, the waypoint is also deleted from the master list, so once a waypoint is added to a rout it can't be removed without also removing it from the entire map.

Overall it's a nice program and probably works fine for mapping out long, straight paths. It's useless for my purposes, though. They need to add some better editing and viewing features, such as interactive rout editing with drag handles on the waypoints, and some control over how and when the waypoints are displayed.

Georgia version is terrible
The Georgia version of this set is Terrible. I already own National Park version which is great. I was planning on staying on Cumberland Island and doing some hiking and that National Park isn't on the National Park cd set, so I bought the Georgia set. Well, Cumberland Island is on the set but it only shows some of the trails. Parts of the Map are crooked. Some of it doesn't line up with other parts. It looks like it was scanned it from a bunch of seperate pieces of paper by a 8 yr old.

If you can only afford one, buy national geographic's topos
I live in Idaho, and actually, really, go into the wilderness. The level of detail provided by garmin's u.s. topo offering is honestly not sufficient for accurately setting waypoints. National Geographic's state series is indeed sufficient (in fact it's the best for Idaho). Not to be cruel, but being able to download inadequately detailed map source is not nearly as important as being able to download truly accurate waypoints. Buying both packages would obviously be the best solution, but really you can set up all the detail you need (for getting in & out) using just national geographic (whereas you can't with garmin's u.s. topo stuff).

Critical note: I strongly recommend not carrying *just* electronic maps if you really, truly, go into wilderness. Electronic toys aren't foolproof - they break through no fault of your own, they get dropped, can get destroyed if you fall, etc. Paper maps should *also* be carried - ideally ones printed out just for your current trip.

The garmin hardware itself is truly impressive. Their mapsource topo offerings, on the other hand, need a lot of work. It's as if the people who did them never visited the U.S., and/or never really went into many of the U.S.'s real wilderness areas.

National Geographic TOPO Colorado, Thumbs Down
The Colorado Map series does not display the same detail as a real 1/24000 official USGS map. I wonder which Colorado maps that National Geographic scanned? Hopefully I might be able to use the GPS and way points with my Garmin GPS 72, however the software setup does not list the Garmin GPS 72. I must have received last years version. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

National Geographic's Topo! CD-ROM set for Michigan contains every topographic map you could possibly need for the state. The set includes four CD-ROMs with 1,270 scanned USGS maps enhanced with digital 3-D shading. Maps feature 1:24,000 USGS 7.5-foot scale with seamless statewide coverage. You'll be able to interact with the maps in more ways than you would think possible.

Select the exact area you want to print and create a custom map. Personalize your maps with your own colorful text, symbols, and routes. Print trip-ready maps with custom elevation profiles, UTM or latitude-longitude grids, scale bars, and north arrows.

It's an excellent planning tool for backcountry adventures or road trips. Draw freehand routes and upload to a GPS, then reference thousands of preloaded GPS waypoints.

National Geographic's TOPO CD-ROMs are compatible with Microsoft Windows 95, 98, ME, 2000, and NT and work with all printers supported by Windows. You can transfer maps with most popular handheld GPS receivers manufactured by Garmin, Magellan, Eagle, and Lowrance. Magellan products include Magellan 315, 320, and Meridian XL. Garmin products include Garmin eMap, eTrex series, GPS 12 series, StreetPilot series, II GPS series, and III GPS seris. The eTrex Venture and Legend function when TOPO's GPS settings are specified as the eTrex. For the eTrex Vista receiver, specify TOPO's GPS settings as the eTrex Summit. Direct link requires input-output capabilities and a PC cable (sold separately). ... Read more

Features

• Excellent planning tool for backcountry adventures or road trips
• Features 1:24,000 USGS 7.5-foot scale with seamless statewide coverage
• Personalize your maps with your own colorful text, symbols, and routes
• Transfer maps with most popular handheld GPS receivers manufactured by Garmin, Magellan, Eagle, and Lowrance
• Compatible with Microsoft Windows 95, 98, Me, 2000, and NT and with all printers supported by Windows

Reviews (10)

Simple, but effective backcountry tool
Love the backcountry? For those of us who love the backcountry in Utah, this is an outstanding tool for the modern wilderness traveller. Combine this with a GPS and a large-format printer, and you've got the sweet system for customizing, then printing out maps you can use in the field. This has saved me SO MUCH MOOLA over buying (and wrecking) 2 or 3 quads for each weekend's adventures.

It's pretty simple. You can trace routes and add text annotations, measure the length of routes and construct an altitude profile; define a printer area and print it out. It works much better to drop the print output (Tiff) into Photoshop and adjust it for your printer. Printing on 8-1/2 x 11 paper doesn't get you much, but printing on 11 x 17 or 13 x 19 makes really nice maps. The Topo "Scan" is not as fine as it would be "really nice" to have, but is about the information you can see (unaided) on a standard Topo map.

Working with the Etrex GPS unit is easy. Mark waypoints on the computer, upload them to the handheld unit.

Overall, it works really well and is easy to learn and use. It requires a bit of an investment up front, but for the serious off-trail traveller, it is money well spent....

Not what I expected
I wanted to use TOPO to map the trails in the parks around South Eastern VA. by importing the GPS tracks obtained from walking/riding the trails. TOPO would almost do what I wanted, but its disappointing lack of editing and viewing tools made it impossible to accurately draw or display the routs.

If I import the tracks as individual waypoints, the waypoints are displayed as HUGE diamonds on the map that overlap and make it impossible to follow the track. The max zoom is insufficient to clearly display the tracks, but the magnify option zooms in nicely. The only problem is the magnify option also magnifies the waypoint icons, so they still overlap. For the Mid-Atlantic map, these waypoint diamonds are about 200 feet corner to corner.

If I bring the tracks in as complete routs, there is no way to make small changes to fit the track to the minor inconsistencies in the elevation map. For example, when the GPS shows me walking a mostly flat section and TOPO has me descending into a ravine; if I remember navigating around the edge of the ravine, it's obvious the track in that area needs to be tweaked to miss the ravine. I might be able to draw a new track if the lines of the existing track were a little thinner, but as with the waypoints, at max magnify the lines are very thick and obscure the topo lines. When I try to start a new track, the draw tool functions as a track selector over the existing (too thick) track, so I can't correct what is already there. The only option is to delete small sections of the map and try to redraw them from memory or a print out. This process might work, but I think I could do it a lot faster in a paint program.

There doesn't seem to be any way to turn off a waypoint or track display completely, since all the waypoints are ultimately displayed in the "All Waypoints" master list which won't turn off. Strangely, if I delete a waypoint in a custom rout, the waypoint is also deleted from the master list, so once a waypoint is added to a rout it can't be removed without also removing it from the entire map.

Overall it's a nice program and probably works fine for mapping out long, straight paths. It's useless for my purposes, though. They need to add some better editing and viewing features, such as interactive rout editing with drag handles on the waypoints, and some control over how and when the waypoints are displayed.

Georgia version is terrible
The Georgia version of this set is Terrible. I already own National Park version which is great. I was planning on staying on Cumberland Island and doing some hiking and that National Park isn't on the National Park cd set, so I bought the Georgia set. Well, Cumberland Island is on the set but it only shows some of the trails. Parts of the Map are crooked. Some of it doesn't line up with other parts. It looks like it was scanned it from a bunch of seperate pieces of paper by a 8 yr old.

If you can only afford one, buy national geographic's topos
I live in Idaho, and actually, really, go into the wilderness. The level of detail provided by garmin's u.s. topo offering is honestly not sufficient for accurately setting waypoints. National Geographic's state series is indeed sufficient (in fact it's the best for Idaho). Not to be cruel, but being able to download inadequately detailed map source is not nearly as important as being able to download truly accurate waypoints. Buying both packages would obviously be the best solution, but really you can set up all the detail you need (for getting in & out) using just national geographic (whereas you can't with garmin's u.s. topo stuff).

Critical note: I strongly recommend not carrying *just* electronic maps if you really, truly, go into wilderness. Electronic toys aren't foolproof - they break through no fault of your own, they get dropped, can get destroyed if you fall, etc. Paper maps should *also* be carried - ideally ones printed out just for your current trip.

The garmin hardware itself is truly impressive. Their mapsource topo offerings, on the other hand, need a lot of work. It's as if the people who did them never visited the U.S., and/or never really went into many of the U.S.'s real wilderness areas.

National Geographic TOPO Colorado, Thumbs Down
The Colorado Map series does not display the same detail as a real 1/24000 official USGS map. I wonder which Colorado maps that National Geographic scanned? Hopefully I might be able to use the GPS and way points with my Garmin GPS 72, however the software setup does not list the Garmin GPS 72. I must have received last years version. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

If you often find yourself scribbling down directions or wrestling with Web mapping sites, the TravRoute Road Trips CD Street Atlas will come in handy. Just slide this disc into your CD-ROM drive and follow the simple instructions.

The software generates turn-by-turn directions with time and distance estimates to street addresses anywhere in the continental United States. You can get directions without specifying ZIP code and easily print them out with highlighted maps.

This CD also includes Canadian and Mexican highway-level information, more than 30,000 hotel and motel listings, and 2 million points of interest. You can also import data from a contact manager to locate your customers using your Palm OS or Windows CE-powered handheld computer. ... Read more

Features

• The most extensive street database coverage
• Improved routing
• Updated street and highway maps
• Updated ZIP codes
• Canadian and Mexican highway level data

Reviews (2)

What do they have against Canada?
If you only want to travel the US, that's just fine, but for we who live close to the Canadian border, and like to travel across, I have yet to find a road trip program that has the same detail available on both sides of the border. Yes, it's a different country, but I'll just bet they've mapped it just as well as we've mapped ours and would be perfectly willing to share so that we all can have a COMPLETE mapping program for North America.

Fast, convenient directions to wherever you drive in the US
I found this product to be amazingly easy to use yet powerful. Just tell the program where you want to go and it does the rest. The clear yet detailed written directions are unmatched by other products in the mapping software category (I've used pretty much all of them over the last 5 years). If you often need directions to a specific address or location, this program is the way to go. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

National Geographic's Topo! CD-ROM set for Idaho contains every topographic map you could possibly need for the state. The set includes six CD-ROMs with 1,700 scanned USGS maps enhanced with digital 3-D shading. Maps feature 1:24,000 USGS 7.5-foot scale with seamless statewide coverage. You'll be able to interact with the maps in more ways than you would think possible.

Select the exact area you want to print and create a custom map. Personalize your maps with your own colorful text, symbols, and routes. Print trip-ready maps with custom elevation profiles, UTM or latitude-longitude grids, scale bars, and north arrows.

It's an excellent planning tool for backcountry adventures or road trips. Draw freehand routes and upload to a GPS, then reference thousands of preloaded GPS waypoints.

National Geographic's TOPO CD-ROMs are compatible with Microsoft Windows 95, 98, ME, 2000, and NT and work with all printers supported by Windows. You can transfer maps with most popular handheld GPS receivers manufactured by Garmin, Magellan, Eagle, and Lowrance. Magellan products include Magellan 315, 320, and Meridian XL. Garmin products include Garmin eMap, eTrex series, GPS 12 series, StreetPilot series, II GPS series, and III GPS seris. The eTrex Venture and Legend function when TOPO's GPS settings are specified as the eTrex. For the eTrex Vista receiver, specify TOPO's GPS settings as the eTrex Summit. Direct link requires input-output capabilities and a PC cable (sold separately). ... Read more

Features

• Excellent planning tool for backcountry adventures or road trips
• Features 1:24,000 USGS 7.5-foot scale with seamless statewide coverage
• Personalize your maps with your own colorful text, symbols, and routes
• Transfer maps with most popular handheld GPS receivers manufactured by Garmin, Magellan, Eagle, and Lowrance
• Compatible with Microsoft Windows 95, 98, Me, 2000, and NT and with all printers supported by Windows

Reviews (10)

Simple, but effective backcountry tool
Love the backcountry? For those of us who love the backcountry in Utah, this is an outstanding tool for the modern wilderness traveller. Combine this with a GPS and a large-format printer, and you've got the sweet system for customizing, then printing out maps you can use in the field. This has saved me SO MUCH MOOLA over buying (and wrecking) 2 or 3 quads for each weekend's adventures.

It's pretty simple. You can trace routes and add text annotations, measure the length of routes and construct an altitude profile; define a printer area and print it out. It works much better to drop the print output (Tiff) into Photoshop and adjust it for your printer. Printing on 8-1/2 x 11 paper doesn't get you much, but printing on 11 x 17 or 13 x 19 makes really nice maps. The Topo "Scan" is not as fine as it would be "really nice" to have, but is about the information you can see (unaided) on a standard Topo map.

Working with the Etrex GPS unit is easy. Mark waypoints on the computer, upload them to the handheld unit.

Overall, it works really well and is easy to learn and use. It requires a bit of an investment up front, but for the serious off-trail traveller, it is money well spent....

Not what I expected
I wanted to use TOPO to map the trails in the parks around South Eastern VA. by importing the GPS tracks obtained from walking/riding the trails. TOPO would almost do what I wanted, but its disappointing lack of editing and viewing tools made it impossible to accurately draw or display the routs.

If I import the tracks as individual waypoints, the waypoints are displayed as HUGE diamonds on the map that overlap and make it impossible to follow the track. The max zoom is insufficient to clearly display the tracks, but the magnify option zooms in nicely. The only problem is the magnify option also magnifies the waypoint icons, so they still overlap. For the Mid-Atlantic map, these waypoint diamonds are about 200 feet corner to corner.

If I bring the tracks in as complete routs, there is no way to make small changes to fit the track to the minor inconsistencies in the elevation map. For example, when the GPS shows me walking a mostly flat section and TOPO has me descending into a ravine; if I remember navigating around the edge of the ravine, it's obvious the track in that area needs to be tweaked to miss the ravine. I might be able to draw a new track if the lines of the existing track were a little thinner, but as with the waypoints, at max magnify the lines are very thick and obscure the topo lines. When I try to start a new track, the draw tool functions as a track selector over the existing (too thick) track, so I can't correct what is already there. The only option is to delete small sections of the map and try to redraw them from memory or a print out. This process might work, but I think I could do it a lot faster in a paint program.

There doesn't seem to be any way to turn off a waypoint or track display completely, since all the waypoints are ultimately displayed in the "All Waypoints" master list which won't turn off. Strangely, if I delete a waypoint in a custom rout, the waypoint is also deleted from the master list, so once a waypoint is added to a rout it can't be removed without also removing it from the entire map.

Overall it's a nice program and probably works fine for mapping out long, straight paths. It's useless for my purposes, though. They need to add some better editing and viewing features, such as interactive rout editing with drag handles on the waypoints, and some control over how and when the waypoints are displayed.

Georgia version is terrible
The Georgia version of this set is Terrible. I already own National Park version which is great. I was planning on staying on Cumberland Island and doing some hiking and that National Park isn't on the National Park cd set, so I bought the Georgia set. Well, Cumberland Island is on the set but it only shows some of the trails. Parts of the Map are crooked. Some of it doesn't line up with other parts. It looks like it was scanned it from a bunch of seperate pieces of paper by a 8 yr old.

If you can only afford one, buy national geographic's topos
I live in Idaho, and actually, really, go into the wilderness. The level of detail provided by garmin's u.s. topo offering is honestly not sufficient for accurately setting waypoints. National Geographic's state series is indeed sufficient (in fact it's the best for Idaho). Not to be cruel, but being able to download inadequately detailed map source is not nearly as important as being able to download truly accurate waypoints. Buying both packages would obviously be the best solution, but really you can set up all the detail you need (for getting in & out) using just national geographic (whereas you can't with garmin's u.s. topo stuff).

Critical note: I strongly recommend not carrying *just* electronic maps if you really, truly, go into wilderness. Electronic toys aren't foolproof - they break through no fault of your own, they get dropped, can get destroyed if you fall, etc. Paper maps should *also* be carried - ideally ones printed out just for your current trip.

The garmin hardware itself is truly impressive. Their mapsource topo offerings, on the other hand, need a lot of work. It's as if the people who did them never visited the U.S., and/or never really went into many of the U.S.'s real wilderness areas.

National Geographic TOPO Colorado, Thumbs Down
The Colorado Map series does not display the same detail as a real 1/24000 official USGS map. I wonder which Colorado maps that National Geographic scanned? Hopefully I might be able to use the GPS and way points with my Garmin GPS 72, however the software setup does not list the Garmin GPS 72. I must have received last years version. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

National Geographic's TOPO! CD-ROM set for North Carolina contains every topographic map you could possibly need for the state. The set includes five CD-ROMs with 955 scanned USGS maps enhanced with digital 3-D shading. Maps feature 1:24,000 USGS 7.5-foot scale with seamless statewide coverage. You'll be able to interact with the maps in more ways than you would think possible.

Select the exact area you want to print and create a custom map. Personalize your maps with your own colorful text, symbols, and routes. Print trip-ready maps with custom elevation profiles, UTM or latitude-longitude grids, scale bars, and north arrows.

It's an excellent planning tool for backcountry adventures or road trips. Draw freehand routes and upload to a GPS, then reference thousands of preloaded GPS waypoints.

National Geographic's TOPO! CD-ROMs are compatible with Microsoft Windows 95, 98, ME, 2000, and NT and work with all printers supported by Windows. You can transfer maps with most popular handheld GPS receivers manufactured by Garmin, Magellan, Eagle, and Lowrance. Magellan products include Magellan 315, 320, and Meridian XL. Garmin products include Garmin eMap, eTrex series, GPS 12 series, StreetPilot series, II GPS series, and III GPS series. The eTrex Venture and Legend function when TOPO's GPS settings are specified as the eTrex. For the eTrex Vista receiver, specify TOPO's GPS settings as the eTrex Summit. Direct link requires input-output capabilities and a PC cable (sold separately). ... Read more

Features

• Excellent planning tool for backcountry adventures or road trips
• Features 1:24,000 USGS 7.5-foot scale with seamless statewide coverage
• Personalize your maps with your own colorful text, symbols, and routes
• Transfer maps with most popular handheld GPS receivers manufactured by Garmin, Magellan, Eagle, and Lowrance
• Compatible with Microsoft Windows 95, 98, Me, 2000, and NT and with all printers supported by Windows

Reviews (10)

Simple, but effective backcountry tool
Love the backcountry? For those of us who love the backcountry in Utah, this is an outstanding tool for the modern wilderness traveller. Combine this with a GPS and a large-format printer, and you've got the sweet system for customizing, then printing out maps you can use in the field. This has saved me SO MUCH MOOLA over buying (and wrecking) 2 or 3 quads for each weekend's adventures.

It's pretty simple. You can trace routes and add text annotations, measure the length of routes and construct an altitude profile; define a printer area and print it out. It works much better to drop the print output (Tiff) into Photoshop and adjust it for your printer. Printing on 8-1/2 x 11 paper doesn't get you much, but printing on 11 x 17 or 13 x 19 makes really nice maps. The Topo "Scan" is not as fine as it would be "really nice" to have, but is about the information you can see (unaided) on a standard Topo map.

Working with the Etrex GPS unit is easy. Mark waypoints on the computer, upload them to the handheld unit.

Overall, it works really well and is easy to learn and use. It requires a bit of an investment up front, but for the serious off-trail traveller, it is money well spent....

Not what I expected
I wanted to use TOPO to map the trails in the parks around South Eastern VA. by importing the GPS tracks obtained from walking/riding the trails. TOPO would almost do what I wanted, but its disappointing lack of editing and viewing tools made it impossible to accurately draw or display the routs.

If I import the tracks as individual waypoints, the waypoints are displayed as HUGE diamonds on the map that overlap and make it impossible to follow the track. The max zoom is insufficient to clearly display the tracks, but the magnify option zooms in nicely. The only problem is the magnify option also magnifies the waypoint icons, so they still overlap. For the Mid-Atlantic map, these waypoint diamonds are about 200 feet corner to corner.

If I bring the tracks in as complete routs, there is no way to make small changes to fit the track to the minor inconsistencies in the elevation map. For example, when the GPS shows me walking a mostly flat section and TOPO has me descending into a ravine; if I remember navigating around the edge of the ravine, it's obvious the track in that area needs to be tweaked to miss the ravine. I might be able to draw a new track if the lines of the existing track were a little thinner, but as with the waypoints, at max magnify the lines are very thick and obscure the topo lines. When I try to start a new track, the draw tool functions as a track selector over the existing (too thick) track, so I can't correct what is already there. The only option is to delete small sections of the map and try to redraw them from memory or a print out. This process might work, but I think I could do it a lot faster in a paint program.

There doesn't seem to be any way to turn off a waypoint or track display completely, since all the waypoints are ultimately displayed in the "All Waypoints" master list which won't turn off. Strangely, if I delete a waypoint in a custom rout, the waypoint is also deleted from the master list, so once a waypoint is added to a rout it can't be removed without also removing it from the entire map.

Overall it's a nice program and probably works fine for mapping out long, straight paths. It's useless for my purposes, though. They need to add some better editing and viewing features, such as interactive rout editing with drag handles on the waypoints, and some control over how and when the waypoints are displayed.

Georgia version is terrible
The Georgia version of this set is Terrible. I already own National Park version which is great. I was planning on staying on Cumberland Island and doing some hiking and that National Park isn't on the National Park cd set, so I bought the Georgia set. Well, Cumberland Island is on the set but it only shows some of the trails. Parts of the Map are crooked. Some of it doesn't line up with other parts. It looks like it was scanned it from a bunch of seperate pieces of paper by a 8 yr old.

If you can only afford one, buy national geographic's topos
I live in Idaho, and actually, really, go into the wilderness. The level of detail provided by garmin's u.s. topo offering is honestly not sufficient for accurately setting waypoints. National Geographic's state series is indeed sufficient (in fact it's the best for Idaho). Not to be cruel, but being able to download inadequately detailed map source is not nearly as important as being able to download truly accurate waypoints. Buying both packages would obviously be the best solution, but really you can set up all the detail you need (for getting in & out) using just national geographic (whereas you can't with garmin's u.s. topo stuff).

Critical note: I strongly recommend not carrying *just* electronic maps if you really, truly, go into wilderness. Electronic toys aren't foolproof - they break through no fault of your own, they get dropped, can get destroyed if you fall, etc. Paper maps should *also* be carried - ideally ones printed out just for your current trip.

The garmin hardware itself is truly impressive. Their mapsource topo offerings, on the other hand, need a lot of work. It's as if the people who did them never visited the U.S., and/or never really went into many of the U.S.'s real wilderness areas.

National Geographic TOPO Colorado, Thumbs Down
The Colorado Map series does not display the same detail as a real 1/24000 official USGS map. I wonder which Colorado maps that National Geographic scanned? Hopefully I might be able to use the GPS and way points with my Garmin GPS 72, however the software setup does not list the Garmin GPS 72. I must have received last years version. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

National Geographic's TOPO! CD-ROM set for New Mexico contains every topographic map you could possibly need for the state. The set includes nine CD-ROMs with 2,000 scanned USGS maps enhanced with digital 3-D shading. Maps feature 1:24,000 USGS 7.5-foot scale with seamless statewide coverage. You'll be able to interact with the maps in more ways than you would think possible.

Select the exact area you want to print and create a custom map. Personalize your maps with your own colorful text, symbols, and routes. Print trip-ready maps with custom elevation profiles, UTM or latitude-longitude grids, scale bars, and north arrows.

It's an excellent planning tool for backcountry adventures or road trips. Draw freehand routes and upload to a GPS, then reference thousands of preloaded GPS waypoints.

National Geographic's TOPO! CD-ROMs are compatible with Microsoft Windows 95, 98, ME, 2000, and NT and work with all printers supported by Windows. You can transfer maps with most popular handheld GPS receivers manufactured by Garmin, Magellan, Eagle, and Lowrance. Magellan products include Magellan 315, 320, and Meridian XL. Garmin products include Garmin eMap, eTrex series, GPS 12 series, StreetPilot series, II GPS series, and III GPS series. The eTrex Venture and Legend function when TOPO's GPS settings are specified as the eTrex. For the eTrex Vista receiver, specify TOPO's GPS settings as the eTrex Summit. Direct link requires input-output capabilities and a PC cable (sold separately). ... Read more

Features

• Excellent planning tool for backcountry adventures or road trips
• Features 1:24,000 USGS 7.5-foot scale with seamless statewide coverage
• Personalize your maps with your own colorful text, symbols, and routes
• Transfer maps with most popular handheld GPS receivers manufactured by Garmin, Magellan, Eagle, and Lowrance
• Compatible with Microsoft Windows 95, 98, Me, 2000, and NT and with all printers supported by Windows

Reviews (10)

Simple, but effective backcountry tool
Love the backcountry? For those of us who love the backcountry in Utah, this is an outstanding tool for the modern wilderness traveller. Combine this with a GPS and a large-format printer, and you've got the sweet system for customizing, then printing out maps you can use in the field. This has saved me SO MUCH MOOLA over buying (and wrecking) 2 or 3 quads for each weekend's adventures.

It's pretty simple. You can trace routes and add text annotations, measure the length of routes and construct an altitude profile; define a printer area and print it out. It works much better to drop the print output (Tiff) into Photoshop and adjust it for your printer. Printing on 8-1/2 x 11 paper doesn't get you much, but printing on 11 x 17 or 13 x 19 makes really nice maps. The Topo "Scan" is not as fine as it would be "really nice" to have, but is about the information you can see (unaided) on a standard Topo map.

Working with the Etrex GPS unit is easy. Mark waypoints on the computer, upload them to the handheld unit.

Overall, it works really well and is easy to learn and use. It requires a bit of an investment up front, but for the serious off-trail traveller, it is money well spent....

Not what I expected
I wanted to use TOPO to map the trails in the parks around South Eastern VA. by importing the GPS tracks obtained from walking/riding the trails. TOPO would almost do what I wanted, but its disappointing lack of editing and viewing tools made it impossible to accurately draw or display the routs.

If I import the tracks as individual waypoints, the waypoints are displayed as HUGE diamonds on the map that overlap and make it impossible to follow the track. The max zoom is insufficient to clearly display the tracks, but the magnify option zooms in nicely. The only problem is the magnify option also magnifies the waypoint icons, so they still overlap. For the Mid-Atlantic map, these waypoint diamonds are about 200 feet corner to corner.

If I bring the tracks in as complete routs, there is no way to make small changes to fit the track to the minor inconsistencies in the elevation map. For example, when the GPS shows me walking a mostly flat section and TOPO has me descending into a ravine; if I remember navigating around the edge of the ravine, it's obvious the track in that area needs to be tweaked to miss the ravine. I might be able to draw a new track if the lines of the existing track were a little thinner, but as with the waypoints, at max magnify the lines are very thick and obscure the topo lines. When I try to start a new track, the draw tool functions as a track selector over the existing (too thick) track, so I can't correct what is already there. The only option is to delete small sections of the map and try to redraw them from memory or a print out. This process might work, but I think I could do it a lot faster in a paint program.

There doesn't seem to be any way to turn off a waypoint or track display completely, since all the waypoints are ultimately displayed in the "All Waypoints" master list which won't turn off. Strangely, if I delete a waypoint in a custom rout, the waypoint is also deleted from the master list, so once a waypoint is added to a rout it can't be removed without also removing it from the entire map.

Overall it's a nice program and probably works fine for mapping out long, straight paths. It's useless for my purposes, though. They need to add some better editing and viewing features, such as interactive rout editing with drag handles on the waypoints, and some control over how and when the waypoints are displayed.

Georgia version is terrible
The Georgia version of this set is Terrible. I already own National Park version which is great. I was planning on staying on Cumberland Island and doing some hiking and that National Park isn't on the National Park cd set, so I bought the Georgia set. Well, Cumberland Island is on the set but it only shows some of the trails. Parts of the Map are crooked. Some of it doesn't line up with other parts. It looks like it was scanned it from a bunch of seperate pieces of paper by a 8 yr old.

If you can only afford one, buy national geographic's topos
I live in Idaho, and actually, really, go into the wilderness. The level of detail provided by garmin's u.s. topo offering is honestly not sufficient for accurately setting waypoints. National Geographic's state series is indeed sufficient (in fact it's the best for Idaho). Not to be cruel, but being able to download inadequately detailed map source is not nearly as important as being able to download truly accurate waypoints. Buying both packages would obviously be the best solution, but really you can set up all the detail you need (for getting in & out) using just national geographic (whereas you can't with garmin's u.s. topo stuff).

Critical note: I strongly recommend not carrying *just* electronic maps if you really, truly, go into wilderness. Electronic toys aren't foolproof - they break through no fault of your own, they get dropped, can get destroyed if you fall, etc. Paper maps should *also* be carried - ideally ones printed out just for your current trip.

The garmin hardware itself is truly impressive. Their mapsource topo offerings, on the other hand, need a lot of work. It's as if the people who did them never visited the U.S., and/or never really went into many of the U.S.'s real wilderness areas.

National Geographic TOPO Colorado, Thumbs Down
The Colorado Map series does not display the same detail as a real 1/24000 official USGS map. I wonder which Colorado maps that National Geographic scanned? Hopefully I might be able to use the GPS and way points with my Garmin GPS 72, however the software setup does not list the Garmin GPS 72. I must have received last years version. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

National Geographic's TOPO! CD-ROM set for Tennessee contains every topographic map you could possibly need for the state. The set includes four CD-ROMs with 800 scanned USGS maps enhanced with digital 3-D shading. Maps feature 1:24,000 USGS 7.5-foot scale with seamless statewide coverage. You'll be able to interact with the maps in more ways than you would think possible.

Select the exact area you want to print and create a custom map. Personalize your maps with your own colorful text, symbols, and routes. Print trip-ready maps with custom elevation profiles, UTM or latitude-longitude grids, scale bars, and north arrows.

It's an excellent planning tool for backcountry adventures or road trips. Draw freehand routes and upload to a GPS, then reference thousands of preloaded GPS waypoints.

National Geographic's TOPO! CD-ROMs are compatible with Microsoft Windows 95, 98, ME, 2000, and NT and work with all printers supported by Windows. You can transfer maps with most popular handheld GPS receivers manufactured by Garmin, Magellan, Eagle, and Lowrance. Magellan products include Magellan 315, 320, and Meridian XL. Garmin products include Garmin eMap, eTrex series, GPS 12 series, StreetPilot series, II GPS series, and III GPS series. The eTrex Venture and Legend function when TOPO's GPS settings are specified as the eTrex. For the eTrex Vista receiver, specify TOPO's GPS settings as the eTrex Summit. Direct link requires input-output capabilities and a PC cable (sold separately). ... Read more

Features

• Excellent planning tool for backcountry adventures or road trips
• Features 1:24,000 USGS 7.5-foot scale with seamless statewide coverage
• Personalize your maps with your own colorful text, symbols, and routes
• Transfer maps with most popular handheld GPS receivers manufactured by Garmin, Magellan, Eagle, and Lowrance
• Compatible with Microsoft Windows 95, 98, Me, 2000, and NT and with all printers supported by Windows

Reviews (10)

Simple, but effective backcountry tool
Love the backcountry? For those of us who love the backcountry in Utah, this is an outstanding tool for the modern wilderness traveller. Combine this with a GPS and a large-format printer, and you've got the sweet system for customizing, then printing out maps you can use in the field. This has saved me SO MUCH MOOLA over buying (and wrecking) 2 or 3 quads for each weekend's adventures.

It's pretty simple. You can trace routes and add text annotations, measure the length of routes and construct an altitude profile; define a printer area and print it out. It works much better to drop the print output (Tiff) into Photoshop and adjust it for your printer. Printing on 8-1/2 x 11 paper doesn't get you much, but printing on 11 x 17 or 13 x 19 makes really nice maps. The Topo "Scan" is not as fine as it would be "really nice" to have, but is about the information you can see (unaided) on a standard Topo map.

Working with the Etrex GPS unit is easy. Mark waypoints on the computer, upload them to the handheld unit.

Overall, it works really well and is easy to learn and use. It requires a bit of an investment up front, but for the serious off-trail traveller, it is money well spent....

Not what I expected
I wanted to use TOPO to map the trails in the parks around South Eastern VA. by importing the GPS tracks obtained from walking/riding the trails. TOPO would almost do what I wanted, but its disappointing lack of editing and viewing tools made it impossible to accurately draw or display the routs.

If I import the tracks as individual waypoints, the waypoints are displayed as HUGE diamonds on the map that overlap and make it impossible to follow the track. The max zoom is insufficient to clearly display the tracks, but the magnify option zooms in nicely. The only problem is the magnify option also magnifies the waypoint icons, so they still overlap. For the Mid-Atlantic map, these waypoint diamonds are about 200 feet corner to corner.

If I bring the tracks in as complete routs, there is no way to make small changes to fit the track to the minor inconsistencies in the elevation map. For example, when the GPS shows me walking a mostly flat section and TOPO has me descending into a ravine; if I remember navigating around the edge of the ravine, it's obvious the track in that area needs to be tweaked to miss the ravine. I might be able to draw a new track if the lines of the existing track were a little thinner, but as with the waypoints, at max magnify the lines are very thick and obscure the topo lines. When I try to start a new track, the draw tool functions as a track selector over the existing (too thick) track, so I can't correct what is already there. The only option is to delete small sections of the map and try to redraw them from memory or a print out. This process might work, but I think I could do it a lot faster in a paint program.

There doesn't seem to be any way to turn off a waypoint or track display completely, since all the waypoints are ultimately displayed in the "All Waypoints" master list which won't turn off. Strangely, if I delete a waypoint in a custom rout, the waypoint is also deleted from the master list, so once a waypoint is added to a rout it can't be removed without also removing it from the entire map.

Overall it's a nice program and probably works fine for mapping out long, straight paths. It's useless for my purposes, though. They need to add some better editing and viewing features, such as interactive rout editing with drag handles on the waypoints, and some control over how and when the waypoints are displayed.

Georgia version is terrible
The Georgia version of this set is Terrible. I already own National Park version which is great. I was planning on staying on Cumberland Island and doing some hiking and that National Park isn't on the National Park cd set, so I bought the Georgia set. Well, Cumberland Island is on the set but it only shows some of the trails. Parts of the Map are crooked. Some of it doesn't line up with other parts. It looks like it was scanned it from a bunch of seperate pieces of paper by a 8 yr old.

If you can only afford one, buy national geographic's topos
I live in Idaho, and actually, really, go into the wilderness. The level of detail provided by garmin's u.s. topo offering is honestly not sufficient for accurately setting waypoints. National Geographic's state series is indeed sufficient (in fact it's the best for Idaho). Not to be cruel, but being able to download inadequately detailed map source is not nearly as important as being able to download truly accurate waypoints. Buying both packages would obviously be the best solution, but really you can set up all the detail you need (for getting in & out) using just national geographic (whereas you can't with garmin's u.s. topo stuff).

Critical note: I strongly recommend not carrying *just* electronic maps if you really, truly, go into wilderness. Electronic toys aren't foolproof - they break through no fault of your own, they get dropped, can get destroyed if you fall, etc. Paper maps should *also* be carried - ideally ones printed out just for your current trip.

The garmin hardware itself is truly impressive. Their mapsource topo offerings, on the other hand, need a lot of work. It's as if the people who did them never visited the U.S., and/or never really went into many of the U.S.'s real wilderness areas.

National Geographic TOPO Colorado, Thumbs Down
The Colorado Map series does not display the same detail as a real 1/24000 official USGS map. I wonder which Colorado maps that National Geographic scanned? Hopefully I might be able to use the GPS and way points with my Garmin GPS 72, however the software setup does not list the Garmin GPS 72. I must have received last years version. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

National Geographic's TOPO! CD-ROM set for Texas contains every topographic map you could possibly need for the state. The set includes 12 CD-ROMs with 1,900 scanned USGS maps enhanced with digital 3-D shading. Maps feature 1:24,000 USGS 7.5-foot scale with seamless statewide coverage. You'll be able to interact with the maps in more ways than you would think possible.

Select the exact area you want to print and create a custom map. Personalize your maps with your own colorful text, symbols, and routes. Print trip-ready maps with custom elevation profiles, UTM or latitude-longitude grids, scale bars, and north arrows.

It's an excellent planning tool for backcountry adventures or road trips. Draw freehand routes and upload to a GPS, then reference thousands of preloaded GPS waypoints.

National Geographic's TOPO! CD-ROMs are compatible with Microsoft Windows 95, 98, ME, 2000, and NT and work with all printers supported by Windows. You can transfer maps with most popular handheld GPS receivers manufactured by Garmin, Magellan, Eagle, and Lowrance. Magellan products include Magellan 315, 320, and Meridian XL. Garmin products include Garmin eMap, eTrex series, GPS 12 series, StreetPilot series, II GPS series, and III GPS series. The eTrex Venture and Legend function when TOPO's GPS settings are specified as the eTrex. For the eTrex Vista receiver, specify TOPO's GPS settings as the eTrex Summit. Direct link requires input-output capabilities and a PC cable (sold separately). ... Read more

Features

• Excellent planning tool for backcountry adventures or road trips
• Features 1:24,000 USGS 7.5-foot scale with seamless statewide coverage
• Personalize your maps with your own colorful text, symbols, and routes
• Transfer maps with most popular handheld GPS receivers manufactured by Garmin, Magellan, Eagle, and Lowrance
• Compatible with Microsoft Windows 95, 98, Me, 2000, and NT and with all printers supported by Windows

Reviews (10)

Simple, but effective backcountry tool
Love the backcountry? For those of us who love the backcountry in Utah, this is an outstanding tool for the modern wilderness traveller. Combine this with a GPS and a large-format printer, and you've got the sweet system for customizing, then printing out maps you can use in the field. This has saved me SO MUCH MOOLA over buying (and wrecking) 2 or 3 quads for each weekend's adventures.

It's pretty simple. You can trace routes and add text annotations, measure the length of routes and construct an altitude profile; define a printer area and print it out. It works much better to drop the print output (Tiff) into Photoshop and adjust it for your printer. Printing on 8-1/2 x 11 paper doesn't get you much, but printing on 11 x 17 or 13 x 19 makes really nice maps. The Topo "Scan" is not as fine as it would be "really nice" to have, but is about the information you can see (unaided) on a standard Topo map.

Working with the Etrex GPS unit is easy. Mark waypoints on the computer, upload them to the handheld unit.

Overall, it works really well and is easy to learn and use. It requires a bit of an investment up front, but for the serious off-trail traveller, it is money well spent....

Not what I expected
I wanted to use TOPO to map the trails in the parks around South Eastern VA. by importing the GPS tracks obtained from walking/riding the trails. TOPO would almost do what I wanted, but its disappointing lack of editing and viewing tools made it impossible to accurately draw or display the routs.

If I import the tracks as individual waypoints, the waypoints are displayed as HUGE diamonds on the map that overlap and make it impossible to follow the track. The max zoom is insufficient to clearly display the tracks, but the magnify option zooms in nicely. The only problem is the magnify option also magnifies the waypoint icons, so they still overlap. For the Mid-Atlantic map, these waypoint diamonds are about 200 feet corner to corner.

If I bring the tracks in as complete routs, there is no way to make small changes to fit the track to the minor inconsistencies in the elevation map. For example, when the GPS shows me walking a mostly flat section and TOPO has me descending into a ravine; if I remember navigating around the edge of the ravine, it's obvious the track in that area needs to be tweaked to miss the ravine. I might be able to draw a new track if the lines of the existing track were a little thinner, but as with the waypoints, at max magnify the lines are very thick and obscure the topo lines. When I try to start a new track, the draw tool functions as a track selector over the existing (too thick) track, so I can't correct what is already there. The only option is to delete small sections of the map and try to redraw them from memory or a print out. This process might work, but I think I could do it a lot faster in a paint program.

There doesn't seem to be any way to turn off a waypoint or track display completely, since all the waypoints are ultimately displayed in the "All Waypoints" master list which won't turn off. Strangely, if I delete a waypoint in a custom rout, the waypoint is also deleted from the master list, so once a waypoint is added to a rout it can't be removed without also removing it from the entire map.

Overall it's a nice program and probably works fine for mapping out long, straight paths. It's useless for my purposes, though. They need to add some better editing and viewing features, such as interactive rout editing with drag handles on the waypoints, and some control over how and when the waypoints are displayed.

Georgia version is terrible
The Georgia version of this set is Terrible. I already own National Park version which is great. I was planning on staying on Cumberland Island and doing some hiking and that National Park isn't on the National Park cd set, so I bought the Georgia set. Well, Cumberland Island is on the set but it only shows some of the trails. Parts of the Map are crooked. Some of it doesn't line up with other parts. It looks like it was scanned it from a bunch of seperate pieces of paper by a 8 yr old.

If you can only afford one, buy national geographic's topos
I live in Idaho, and actually, really, go into the wilderness. The level of detail provided by garmin's u.s. topo offering is honestly not sufficient for accurately setting waypoints. National Geographic's state series is indeed sufficient (in fact it's the best for Idaho). Not to be cruel, but being able to download inadequately detailed map source is not nearly as important as being able to download truly accurate waypoints. Buying both packages would obviously be the best solution, but really you can set up all the detail you need (for getting in & out) using just national geographic (whereas you can't with garmin's u.s. topo stuff).

Critical note: I strongly recommend not carrying *just* electronic maps if you really, truly, go into wilderness. Electronic toys aren't foolproof - they break through no fault of your own, they get dropped, can get destroyed if you fall, etc. Paper maps should *also* be carried - ideally ones printed out just for your current trip.

The garmin hardware itself is truly impressive. Their mapsource topo offerings, on the other hand, need a lot of work. It's as if the people who did them never visited the U.S., and/or never really went into many of the U.S.'s real wilderness areas.

National Geographic TOPO Colorado, Thumbs Down
The Colorado Map series does not display the same detail as a real 1/24000 official USGS map. I wonder which Colorado maps that National Geographic scanned? Hopefully I might be able to use the GPS and way points with my Garmin GPS 72, however the software setup does not list the Garmin GPS 72. I must have received last years version. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Get the finest in national-park map data in an easily searchable format with the National Geographic TrailSmart Complete CD-ROM. These interactive topographic maps were compiled by National Geographic using the most up-to-date and accurate information. All 60 national parks are included, from Acadia to Death Valley to Hawaii Volcanoes to Zion. Contained on five CD-ROMs, these maps also allow users to upload and download position and route information directly to a handheld GPS unit. Trip planning and other GPS features are included.

To use National Geographic TrailSmart Complete maps, you need a PC with at least 16 MB of RAM running Windows 95, 98, NT, 2000, ME, or higher, an 8-bit color monitor, and a 2X CD-ROM drive. ... Read more

Features

• Interactive maps of U.S. national parks on CD-ROM
• All 60 national parks--from Acadia to Death Valley to Hawaii Volcanoes to Zion
• Up-to-date National Geographic maps
• Easy to upload and download to handheld units
• Trip planning information included

Reviews (8)

Limited use, but handy
The software itself isn't terrible, given that it feels like it was designed about six years ago. The next time I'm going to Yosemite, I'll be bringing a map printed by this app. The app has a very nice search feature, will import GPS waypoints, build excellent route elevation graphs, and has a system for adding wee icons to your maps.

That said, there are some pretty big problems with using the program for anything other than printing trail maps.

In the license agreement the maps you build, save, and print are referred to as "reproductions":

- Reproductions are only for in-house, in-business, or intra-organization purposes
- National Geographic Holdings is leasing the reproductions to you; you do not own them
- All reproductions must include copyright notices indicating that the maps are owned by NGH
- Distribution of printed reproductions (for in-house use as mentioned above) is ok, but for digital reproductions you must contact NGH and get a supplemental license in writing

So, you can lease and print very nice hiking maps for use within your house, business, or company. Using the maps on web sites (even internal ones) or other digital documents is forbidden without entering license negotiations with NGH.

Highly recommended for the average bacpacker
In my opinion, this software is great, especially for a backpacker who just wants to use a GPS as a "toy". There are 15 major national parks with 4 map views and more than adequate zoom capabilities. In addition, it is possible to create your own routes (by drawing them with your mouse), obtain elevation gains/losses, and automatically create and upload up to 30 waypoints per route to your GPS. There is a search engine to find various points of interest (mines, cemetaries, overlooks, etc) off the beaten path that will give you an exact waypoint to go exploring with a GPS unit. For the average person who likes the seclusion of the backcountry of national parks, who for the most part stays on the trails and assigned backcountry campsites, and who wants to use a GPS, this program is perfect.

Very Overrated!
This product is very overrated. I purchased it hoping to get the quality and detail of other National Geographic products, but this is not even close. The quality and detail in these maps is terrible. I went to the National Park Service website and download .PDF maps that blow these away. These maps from the NPS are also free!

Important Upgrade Available
According to the specifications this product is only available for Windows 95, 98, or NT and supports just a few GPS devices. But it is based on the same program (Topo) used in National Geographic State Series, which is compatible with windows 2000, XP and 60+ GPS receivers. You only need the free Topo upgrade available at Nevertheless, TrailSmart series was created by scanning Trails Illustrated maps, so don't expect the quality of USGS maps found in the State Series. In my opinion trails don't have enough accuracy in this product (I tried Yellowstone).

Excellent Inexpensive Jump into Maps on Computer
Excellent Maps on CD for Zion National Park. Also includes Arches, Grand Canyon, Grand Teton, Denali, Yosemite, etc. If you have a color printer, with a little effort and computer saavy you can print out trip specific maps real slick. Easy to use.

If you are looking at an inexpensive way to jump into the marvelous world of maps on CD, this is one of the best ways to jump in. Buy that 11x17 color inkjet printer, and you'll never buy an actual topo again. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

National Geographic's Topo! CD-ROM set for Missouri contains every topographic map you could possibly need for the state. The set includes five CD-ROMs with 1,299 scanned USGS maps enhanced with digital 3-D shading. Maps feature 1:24,000 USGS 7.5-foot scale with seamless statewide coverage. You'll be able to interact with the maps in more ways than you would think possible.

Select the exact area you want to print and create a custom map. Personalize your maps with your own colorful text, symbols, and routes. Print trip-ready maps with custom elevation profiles, UTM or latitude-longitude grids, scale bars, and north arrows.

It's an excellent planning tool for backcountry adventures or road trips. Draw freehand routes and upload to a GPS, then reference thousands of preloaded GPS waypoints.

National Geographic's TOPO CD-ROMs are compatible with Microsoft Windows 95, 98, ME, 2000, and NT and work with all printers supported by Windows. You can transfer maps with most popular handheld GPS receivers manufactured by Garmin, Magellan, Eagle, and Lowrance. Magellan products include Magellan 315, 320, and Meridian XL. Garmin products include Garmin eMap, eTrex series, GPS 12 series, StreetPilot series, II GPS series, and III GPS series. The eTrex Venture and Legend function when TOPO's GPS settings are specified as the eTrex. For the eTrex Vista receiver, specify TOPO's GPS settings as the eTrex Summit. Direct link requires input-output capabilities and a PC cable (sold separately). ... Read more

Features

• Excellent planning tool for backcountry adventures or road trips
• Features 1:24,000 USGS 7.5-foot scale with seamless statewide coverage
• Personalize your maps with your own colorful text, symbols, and routes
• Transfer maps with most popular handheld GPS receivers manufactured by Garmin, Magellan, Eagle, and Lowrance
• Compatible with Microsoft Windows 95, 98, Me, 2000, and NT and with all printers supported by Windows

Reviews (10)

Simple, but effective backcountry tool
Love the backcountry? For those of us who love the backcountry in Utah, this is an outstanding tool for the modern wilderness traveller. Combine this with a GPS and a large-format printer, and you've got the sweet system for customizing, then printing out maps you can use in the field. This has saved me SO MUCH MOOLA over buying (and wrecking) 2 or 3 quads for each weekend's adventures.

It's pretty simple. You can trace routes and add text annotations, measure the length of routes and construct an altitude profile; define a printer area and print it out. It works much better to drop the print output (Tiff) into Photoshop and adjust it for your printer. Printing on 8-1/2 x 11 paper doesn't get you much, but printing on 11 x 17 or 13 x 19 makes really nice maps. The Topo "Scan" is not as fine as it would be "really nice" to have, but is about the information you can see (unaided) on a standard Topo map.

Working with the Etrex GPS unit is easy. Mark waypoints on the computer, upload them to the handheld unit.

Overall, it works really well and is easy to learn and use. It requires a bit of an investment up front, but for the serious off-trail traveller, it is money well spent....

Not what I expected
I wanted to use TOPO to map the trails in the parks around South Eastern VA. by importing the GPS tracks obtained from walking/riding the trails. TOPO would almost do what I wanted, but its disappointing lack of editing and viewing tools made it impossible to accurately draw or display the routs.

If I import the tracks as individual waypoints, the waypoints are displayed as HUGE diamonds on the map that overlap and make it impossible to follow the track. The max zoom is insufficient to clearly display the tracks, but the magnify option zooms in nicely. The only problem is the magnify option also magnifies the waypoint icons, so they still overlap. For the Mid-Atlantic map, these waypoint diamonds are about 200 feet corner to corner.

If I bring the tracks in as complete routs, there is no way to make small changes to fit the track to the minor inconsistencies in the elevation map. For example, when the GPS shows me walking a mostly flat section and TOPO has me descending into a ravine; if I remember navigating around the edge of the ravine, it's obvious the track in that area needs to be tweaked to miss the ravine. I might be able to draw a new track if the lines of the existing track were a little thinner, but as with the waypoints, at max magnify the lines are very thick and obscure the topo lines. When I try to start a new track, the draw tool functions as a track selector over the existing (too thick) track, so I can't correct what is already there. The only option is to delete small sections of the map and try to redraw them from memory or a print out. This process might work, but I think I could do it a lot faster in a paint program.

There doesn't seem to be any way to turn off a waypoint or track display completely, since all the waypoints are ultimately displayed in the "All Waypoints" master list which won't turn off. Strangely, if I delete a waypoint in a custom rout, the waypoint is also deleted from the master list, so once a waypoint is added to a rout it can't be removed without also removing it from the entire map.

Overall it's a nice program and probably works fine for mapping out long, straight paths. It's useless for my purposes, though. They need to add some better editing and viewing features, such as interactive rout editing with drag handles on the waypoints, and some control over how and when the waypoints are displayed.

Georgia version is terrible
The Georgia version of this set is Terrible. I already own National Park version which is great. I was planning on staying on Cumberland Island and doing some hiking and that National Park isn't on the National Park cd set, so I bought the Georgia set. Well, Cumberland Island is on the set but it only shows some of the trails. Parts of the Map are crooked. Some of it doesn't line up with other parts. It looks like it was scanned it from a bunch of seperate pieces of paper by a 8 yr old.

If you can only afford one, buy national geographic's topos
I live in Idaho, and actually, really, go into the wilderness. The level of detail provided by garmin's u.s. topo offering is honestly not sufficient for accurately setting waypoints. National Geographic's state series is indeed sufficient (in fact it's the best for Idaho). Not to be cruel, but being able to download inadequately detailed map source is not nearly as important as being able to download truly accurate waypoints. Buying both packages would obviously be the best solution, but really you can set up all the detail you need (for getting in & out) using just national geographic (whereas you can't with garmin's u.s. topo stuff).

Critical note: I strongly recommend not carrying *just* electronic maps if you really, truly, go into wilderness. Electronic toys aren't foolproof - they break through no fault of your own, they get dropped, can get destroyed if you fall, etc. Paper maps should *also* be carried - ideally ones printed out just for your current trip.

The garmin hardware itself is truly impressive. Their mapsource topo offerings, on the other hand, need a lot of work. It's as if the people who did them never visited the U.S., and/or never really went into many of the U.S.'s real wilderness areas.

National Geographic TOPO Colorado, Thumbs Down
The Colorado Map series does not display the same detail as a real 1/24000 official USGS map. I wonder which Colorado maps that National Geographic scanned? Hopefully I might be able to use the GPS and way points with my Garmin GPS 72, however the software setup does not list the Garmin GPS 72. I must have received last years version. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

National Geographic's TOPO! CD-ROM set for Wisconsin contains every topographic map you could possibly need for the state. The set includes four CD-ROMs with 1,100 scanned USGS maps enhanced with digital 3-D shading. Maps feature 1:24,000 USGS 7.5-foot scale with seamless statewide coverage. You'll be able to interact with the maps in more ways than you would think possible.

Select the exact area you want to print and create a custom map. Personalize your maps with your own colorful text, symbols, and routes. Print trip-ready maps with custom elevation profiles, UTM or latitude-longitude grids, scale bars, and north arrows.

It's an excellent planning tool for backcountry adventures or road trips. Draw freehand routes and upload to a GPS, then reference thousands of preloaded GPS waypoints.

National Geographic's TOPO! CD-ROMs are compatible with Microsoft Windows 95, 98, ME, 2000, and NT and work with all printers supported by Windows. You can transfer maps with most popular handheld GPS receivers manufactured by Garmin, Magellan, Eagle, and Lowrance. Magellan products include Magellan 315, 320, and Meridian XL. Garmin products include Garmin eMap, eTrex series, GPS 12 series, StreetPilot series, II GPS series, and III GPS series. The eTrex Venture and Legend function when TOPO's GPS settings are specified as the eTrex. For the eTrex Vista receiver, specify TOPO's GPS settings as the eTrex Summit. Direct link requires input-output capabilities and a PC cable (sold separately). ... Read more

Features

• Excellent planning tool for backcountry adventures or road trips
• Features 1:24,000 USGS 7.5-foot scale with seamless statewide coverage
• Personalize your maps with your own colorful text, symbols, and routes
• Transfer maps with most popular handheld GPS receivers manufactured by Garmin, Magellan, Eagle, and Lowrance
• Compatible with Microsoft Windows 95, 98, Me, 2000, and NT and with all printers supported by Windows

Reviews (10)

Simple, but effective backcountry tool
Love the backcountry? For those of us who love the backcountry in Utah, this is an outstanding tool for the modern wilderness traveller. Combine this with a GPS and a large-format printer, and you've got the sweet system for customizing, then printing out maps you can use in the field. This has saved me SO MUCH MOOLA over buying (and wrecking) 2 or 3 quads for each weekend's adventures.

It's pretty simple. You can trace routes and add text annotations, measure the length of routes and construct an altitude profile; define a printer area and print it out. It works much better to drop the print output (Tiff) into Photoshop and adjust it for your printer. Printing on 8-1/2 x 11 paper doesn't get you much, but printing on 11 x 17 or 13 x 19 makes really nice maps. The Topo "Scan" is not as fine as it would be "really nice" to have, but is about the information you can see (unaided) on a standard Topo map.

Working with the Etrex GPS unit is easy. Mark waypoints on the computer, upload them to the handheld unit.

Overall, it works really well and is easy to learn and use. It requires a bit of an investment up front, but for the serious off-trail traveller, it is money well spent....

Not what I expected
I wanted to use TOPO to map the trails in the parks around South Eastern VA. by importing the GPS tracks obtained from walking/riding the trails. TOPO would almost do what I wanted, but its disappointing lack of editing and viewing tools made it impossible to accurately draw or display the routs.

If I import the tracks as individual waypoints, the waypoints are displayed as HUGE diamonds on the map that overlap and make it impossible to follow the track. The max zoom is insufficient to clearly display the tracks, but the magnify option zooms in nicely. The only problem is the magnify option also magnifies the waypoint icons, so they still overlap. For the Mid-Atlantic map, these waypoint diamonds are about 200 feet corner to corner.

If I bring the tracks in as complete routs, there is no way to make small changes to fit the track to the minor inconsistencies in the elevation map. For example, when the GPS shows me walking a mostly flat section and TOPO has me descending into a ravine; if I remember navigating around the edge of the ravine, it's obvious the track in that area needs to be tweaked to miss the ravine. I might be able to draw a new track if the lines of the existing track were a little thinner, but as with the waypoints, at max magnify the lines are very thick and obscure the topo lines. When I try to start a new track, the draw tool functions as a track selector over the existing (too thick) track, so I can't correct what is already there. The only option is to delete small sections of the map and try to redraw them from memory or a print out. This process might work, but I think I could do it a lot faster in a paint program.

There doesn't seem to be any way to turn off a waypoint or track display completely, since all the waypoints are ultimately displayed in the "All Waypoints" master list which won't turn off. Strangely, if I delete a waypoint in a custom rout, the waypoint is also deleted from the master list, so once a waypoint is added to a rout it can't be removed without also removing it from the entire map.

Overall it's a nice program and probably works fine for mapping out long, straight paths. It's useless for my purposes, though. They need to add some better editing and viewing features, such as interactive rout editing with drag handles on the waypoints, and some control over how and when the waypoints are displayed.

Georgia version is terrible
The Georgia version of this set is Terrible. I already own National Park version which is great. I was planning on staying on Cumberland Island and doing some hiking and that National Park isn't on the National Park cd set, so I bought the Georgia set. Well, Cumberland Island is on the set but it only shows some of the trails. Parts of the Map are crooked. Some of it doesn't line up with other parts. It looks like it was scanned it from a bunch of seperate pieces of paper by a 8 yr old.

If you can only afford one, buy national geographic's topos
I live in Idaho, and actually, really, go into the wilderness. The level of detail provided by garmin's u.s. topo offering is honestly not sufficient for accurately setting waypoints. National Geographic's state series is indeed sufficient (in fact it's the best for Idaho). Not to be cruel, but being able to download inadequately detailed map source is not nearly as important as being able to download truly accurate waypoints. Buying both packages would obviously be the best solution, but really you can set up all the detail you need (for getting in & out) using just national geographic (whereas you can't with garmin's u.s. topo stuff).

Critical note: I strongly recommend not carrying *just* electronic maps if you really, truly, go into wilderness. Electronic toys aren't foolproof - they break through no fault of your own, they get dropped, can get destroyed if you fall, etc. Paper maps should *also* be carried - ideally ones printed out just for your current trip.

The garmin hardware itself is truly impressive. Their mapsource topo offerings, on the other hand, need a lot of work. It's as if the people who did them never visited the U.S., and/or never really went into many of the U.S.'s real wilderness areas.

National Geographic TOPO Colorado, Thumbs Down
The Colorado Map series does not display the same detail as a real 1/24000 official USGS map. I wonder which Colorado maps that National Geographic scanned? Hopefully I might be able to use the GPS and way points with my Garmin GPS 72, however the software setup does not list the Garmin GPS 72. I must have received last years version. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Limited use, but handy
The software itself isn't terrible, given that it feels like it was designed about six years ago. The next time I'm going to Yosemite, I'll be bringing a map printed by this app. The app has a very nice search feature, will import GPS waypoints, build excellent route elevation graphs, and has a system for adding wee icons to your maps.

That said, there are some pretty big problems with using the program for anything other than printing trail maps.

In the license agreement the maps you build, save, and print are referred to as "reproductions":

- Reproductions are only for in-house, in-business, or intra-organization purposes
- National Geographic Holdings is leasing the reproductions to you; you do not own them
- All reproductions must include copyright notices indicating that the maps are owned by NGH
- Distribution of printed reproductions (for in-house use as mentioned above) is ok, but for digital reproductions you must contact NGH and get a supplemental license in writing

So, you can lease and print very nice hiking maps for use within your house, business, or company. Using the maps on web sites (even internal ones) or other digital documents is forbidden without entering license negotiations with NGH.

Highly recommended for the average bacpacker
In my opinion, this software is great, especially for a backpacker who just wants to use a GPS as a "toy". There are 15 major national parks with 4 map views and more than adequate zoom capabilities. In addition, it is possible to create your own routes (by drawing them with your mouse), obtain elevation gains/losses, and automatically create and upload up to 30 waypoints per route to your GPS. There is a search engine to find various points of interest (mines, cemetaries, overlooks, etc) off the beaten path that will give you an exact waypoint to go exploring with a GPS unit. For the average person who likes the seclusion of the backcountry of national parks, who for the most part stays on the trails and assigned backcountry campsites, and who wants to use a GPS, this program is perfect.

Very Overrated!
This product is very overrated. I purchased it hoping to get the quality and detail of other National Geographic products, but this is not even close. The quality and detail in these maps is terrible. I went to the National Park Service website and download .PDF maps that blow these away. These maps from the NPS are also free!

Important Upgrade Available
According to the specifications this product is only available for Windows 95, 98, or NT and supports just a few GPS devices. But it is based on the same program (Topo) used in National Geographic State Series, which is compatible with windows 2000, XP and 60+ GPS receivers. You only need the free Topo upgrade available at Nevertheless, TrailSmart series was created by scanning Trails Illustrated maps, so don't expect the quality of USGS maps found in the State Series. In my opinion trails don't have enough accuracy in this product (I tried Yellowstone).

Excellent Inexpensive Jump into Maps on Computer
Excellent Maps on CD for Zion National Park. Also includes Arches, Grand Canyon, Grand Teton, Denali, Yosemite, etc. If you have a color printer, with a little effort and computer saavy you can print out trip specific maps real slick. Easy to use.

If you are looking at an inexpensive way to jump into the marvelous world of maps on CD, this is one of the best ways to jump in. Buy that 11x17 color inkjet printer, and you'll never buy an actual topo again. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

National Geographic's TOPO! CD-ROM set for Pennsylvania contains every topographic map you could possibly need for the state. The set includes five CD-ROMs with 900 scanned USGS maps enhanced with digital 3-D shading. Maps feature 1:24,000 USGS 7.5-foot scale with seamless statewide coverage. You'll be able to interact with the maps in more ways than you would think possible.

Select the exact area you want to print and create a custom map. Personalize your maps with your own colorful text, symbols, and routes. Print trip-ready maps with custom elevation profiles, UTM or latitude-longitude grids, scale bars, and north arrows.

It's an excellent planning tool for backcountry adventures or road trips. Draw freehand routes and upload to a GPS, then reference thousands of preloaded GPS waypoints.

National Geographic's TOPO! CD-ROMs are compatible with Microsoft Windows 95, 98, ME, 2000, and NT and work with all printers supported by Windows. You can transfer maps with most popular handheld GPS receivers manufactured by Garmin, Magellan, Eagle, and Lowrance. Magellan products include Magellan 315, 320, and Meridian XL. Garmin products include Garmin eMap, eTrex series, GPS 12 series, StreetPilot series, II GPS series, and III GPS series. The eTrex Venture and Legend function when TOPO's GPS settings are specified as the eTrex. For the eTrex Vista receiver, specify TOPO's GPS settings as the eTrex Summit. Direct link requires input-output capabilities and a PC cable (sold separately). ... Read more

Features

• Excellent planning tool for backcountry adventures or road trips
• Features 1:24,000 USGS 7.5-foot scale with seamless statewide coverage
• Personalize your maps with your own colorful text, symbols, and routes
• Transfer maps with most popular handheld GPS receivers manufactured by Garmin, Magellan, Eagle, and Lowrance
• Compatible with Microsoft Windows 95, 98, Me, 2000, and NT and with all printers supported by Windows

Reviews (10)

Simple, but effective backcountry tool
Love the backcountry? For those of us who love the backcountry in Utah, this is an outstanding tool for the modern wilderness traveller. Combine this with a GPS and a large-format printer, and you've got the sweet system for customizing, then printing out maps you can use in the field. This has saved me SO MUCH MOOLA over buying (and wrecking) 2 or 3 quads for each weekend's adventures.

It's pretty simple. You can trace routes and add text annotations, measure the length of routes and construct an altitude profile; define a printer area and print it out. It works much better to drop the print output (Tiff) into Photoshop and adjust it for your printer. Printing on 8-1/2 x 11 paper doesn't get you much, but printing on 11 x 17 or 13 x 19 makes really nice maps. The Topo "Scan" is not as fine as it would be "really nice" to have, but is about the information you can see (unaided) on a standard Topo map.

Working with the Etrex GPS unit is easy. Mark waypoints on the computer, upload them to the handheld unit.

Overall, it works really well and is easy to learn and use. It requires a bit of an investment up front, but for the serious off-trail traveller, it is money well spent....

Not what I expected
I wanted to use TOPO to map the trails in the parks around South Eastern VA. by importing the GPS tracks obtained from walking/riding the trails. TOPO would almost do what I wanted, but its disappointing lack of editing and viewing tools made it impossible to accurately draw or display the routs.

If I import the tracks as individual waypoints, the waypoints are displayed as HUGE diamonds on the map that overlap and make it impossible to follow the track. The max zoom is insufficient to clearly display the tracks, but the magnify option zooms in nicely. The only problem is the magnify option also magnifies the waypoint icons, so they still overlap. For the Mid-Atlantic map, these waypoint diamonds are about 200 feet corner to corner.

If I bring the tracks in as complete routs, there is no way to make small changes to fit the track to the minor inconsistencies in the elevation map. For example, when the GPS shows me walking a mostly flat section and TOPO has me descending into a ravine; if I remember navigating around the edge of the ravine, it's obvious the track in that area needs to be tweaked to miss the ravine. I might be able to draw a new track if the lines of the existing track were a little thinner, but as with the waypoints, at max magnify the lines are very thick and obscure the topo lines. When I try to start a new track, the draw tool functions as a track selector over the existing (too thick) track, so I can't correct what is already there. The only option is to delete small sections of the map and try to redraw them from memory or a print out. This process might work, but I think I could do it a lot faster in a paint program.

There doesn't seem to be any way to turn off a waypoint or track display completely, since all the waypoints are ultimately displayed in the "All Waypoints" master list which won't turn off. Strangely, if I delete a waypoint in a custom rout, the waypoint is also deleted from the master list, so once a waypoint is added to a rout it can't be removed without also removing it from the entire map.

Overall it's a nice program and probably works fine for mapping out long, straight paths. It's useless for my purposes, though. They need to add some better editing and viewing features, such as interactive rout editing with drag handles on the waypoints, and some control over how and when the waypoints are displayed.

Georgia version is terrible
The Georgia version of this set is Terrible. I already own National Park version which is great. I was planning on staying on Cumberland Island and doing some hiking and that National Park isn't on the National Park cd set, so I bought the Georgia set. Well, Cumberland Island is on the set but it only shows some of the trails. Parts of the Map are crooked. Some of it doesn't line up with other parts. It looks like it was scanned it from a bunch of seperate pieces of paper by a 8 yr old.

If you can only afford one, buy national geographic's topos
I live in Idaho, and actually, really, go into the wilderness. The level of detail provided by garmin's u.s. topo offering is honestly not sufficient for accurately setting waypoints. National Geographic's state series is indeed sufficient (in fact it's the best for Idaho). Not to be cruel, but being able to download inadequately detailed map source is not nearly as important as being able to download truly accurate waypoints. Buying both packages would obviously be the best solution, but really you can set up all the detail you need (for getting in & out) using just national geographic (whereas you can't with garmin's u.s. topo stuff).

Critical note: I strongly recommend not carrying *just* electronic maps if you really, truly, go into wilderness. Electronic toys aren't foolproof - they break through no fault of your own, they get dropped, can get destroyed if you fall, etc. Paper maps should *also* be carried - ideally ones printed out just for your current trip.

The garmin hardware itself is truly impressive. Their mapsource topo offerings, on the other hand, need a lot of work. It's as if the people who did them never visited the U.S., and/or never really went into many of the U.S.'s real wilderness areas.

National Geographic TOPO Colorado, Thumbs Down
The Colorado Map series does not display the same detail as a real 1/24000 official USGS map. I wonder which Colorado maps that National Geographic scanned? Hopefully I might be able to use the GPS and way points with my Garmin GPS 72, however the software setup does not list the Garmin GPS 72. I must have received last years version. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

National Geographic's TOPO! CD-ROM set for South Carolina contains every topographic map you could possibly need for the state. The set includes two CD-ROMs with 560 scanned USGS maps enhanced with digital 3-D shading. Maps feature 1:24,000 USGS 7.5-foot scale with seamless statewide coverage. You'll be able to interact with the maps in more ways than you would think possible.

Select the exact area you want to print and create a custom map. Personalize your maps with your own colorful text, symbols, and routes. Print trip-ready maps with custom elevation profiles, UTM or latitude-longitude grids, scale bars, and north arrows.

It's an excellent planning tool for backcountry adventures or road trips. Draw freehand routes and upload to a GPS, then reference thousands of preloaded GPS waypoints.

National Geographic's TOPO! CD-ROMs are compatible with Microsoft Windows 95, 98, ME, 2000, and NT and work with all printers supported by Windows. You can transfer maps with most popular handheld GPS receivers manufactured by Garmin, Magellan, Eagle, and Lowrance. Magellan products include Magellan 315, 320, and Meridian XL. Garmin products include Garmin eMap, eTrex series, GPS 12 series, StreetPilot series, II GPS series, and III GPS series. The eTrex Venture and Legend function when TOPO's GPS settings are specified as the eTrex. For the eTrex Vista receiver, specify TOPO's GPS settings as the eTrex Summit. Direct link requires input-output capabilities and a PC cable (sold separately). ... Read more

Features

• Excellent planning tool for backcountry adventures or road trips
• Features 1:24,000 USGS 7.5-foot scale with seamless statewide coverage
• Personalize your maps with your own colorful text, symbols, and routes
• Transfer maps with most popular handheld GPS receivers manufactured by Garmin, Magellan, Eagle, and Lowrance
• Compatible with Microsoft Windows 95, 98, Me, 2000, and NT and with all printers supported by Windows

Reviews (10)

Simple, but effective backcountry tool
Love the backcountry? For those of us who love the backcountry in Utah, this is an outstanding tool for the modern wilderness traveller. Combine this with a GPS and a large-format printer, and you've got the sweet system for customizing, then printing out maps you can use in the field. This has saved me SO MUCH MOOLA over buying (and wrecking) 2 or 3 quads for each weekend's adventures.

It's pretty simple. You can trace routes and add text annotations, measure the length of routes and construct an altitude profile; define a printer area and print it out. It works much better to drop the print output (Tiff) into Photoshop and adjust it for your printer. Printing on 8-1/2 x 11 paper doesn't get you much, but printing on 11 x 17 or 13 x 19 makes really nice maps. The Topo "Scan" is not as fine as it would be "really nice" to have, but is about the information you can see (unaided) on a standard Topo map.

Working with the Etrex GPS unit is easy. Mark waypoints on the computer, upload them to the handheld unit.

Overall, it works really well and is easy to learn and use. It requires a bit of an investment up front, but for the serious off-trail traveller, it is money well spent....

Not what I expected
I wanted to use TOPO to map the trails in the parks around South Eastern VA. by importing the GPS tracks obtained from walking/riding the trails. TOPO would almost do what I wanted, but its disappointing lack of editing and viewing tools made it impossible to accurately draw or display the routs.

If I import the tracks as individual waypoints, the waypoints are displayed as HUGE diamonds on the map that overlap and make it impossible to follow the track. The max zoom is insufficient to clearly display the tracks, but the magnify option zooms in nicely. The only problem is the magnify option also magnifies the waypoint icons, so they still overlap. For the Mid-Atlantic map, these waypoint diamonds are about 200 feet corner to corner.

If I bring the tracks in as complete routs, there is no way to make small changes to fit the track to the minor inconsistencies in the elevation map. For example, when the GPS shows me walking a mostly flat section and TOPO has me descending into a ravine; if I remember navigating around the edge of the ravine, it's obvious the track in that area needs to be tweaked to miss the ravine. I might be able to draw a new track if the lines of the existing track were a little thinner, but as with the waypoints, at max magnify the lines are very thick and obscure the topo lines. When I try to start a new track, the draw tool functions as a track selector over the existing (too thick) track, so I can't correct what is already there. The only option is to delete small sections of the map and try to redraw them from memory or a print out. This process might work, but I think I could do it a lot faster in a paint program.

There doesn't seem to be any way to turn off a waypoint or track display completely, since all the waypoints are ultimately displayed in the "All Waypoints" master list which won't turn off. Strangely, if I delete a waypoint in a custom rout, the waypoint is also deleted from the master list, so once a waypoint is added to a rout it can't be removed without also removing it from the entire map.

Overall it's a nice program and probably works fine for mapping out long, straight paths. It's useless for my purposes, though. They need to add some better editing and viewing features, such as interactive rout editing with drag handles on the waypoints, and some control over how and when the waypoints are displayed.

Georgia version is terrible
The Georgia version of this set is Terrible. I already own National Park version which is great. I was planning on staying on Cumberland Island and doing some hiking and that National Park isn't on the National Park cd set, so I bought the Georgia set. Well, Cumberland Island is on the set but it only shows some of the trails. Parts of the Map are crooked. Some of it doesn't line up with other parts. It looks like it was scanned it from a bunch of seperate pieces of paper by a 8 yr old.

If you can only afford one, buy national geographic's topos
I live in Idaho, and actually, really, go into the wilderness. The level of detail provided by garmin's u.s. topo offering is honestly not sufficient for accurately setting waypoints. National Geographic's state series is indeed sufficient (in fact it's the best for Idaho). Not to be cruel, but being able to download inadequately detailed map source is not nearly as important as being able to download truly accurate waypoints. Buying both packages would obviously be the best solution, but really you can set up all the detail you need (for getting in & out) using just national geographic (whereas you can't with garmin's u.s. topo stuff).

Critical note: I strongly recommend not carrying *just* electronic maps if you really, truly, go into wilderness. Electronic toys aren't foolproof - they break through no fault of your own, they get dropped, can get destroyed if you fall, etc. Paper maps should *also* be carried - ideally ones printed out just for your current trip.

The garmin hardware itself is truly impressive. Their mapsource topo offerings, on the other hand, need a lot of work. It's as if the people who did them never visited the U.S., and/or never really went into many of the U.S.'s real wilderness areas.

National Geographic TOPO Colorado, Thumbs Down
The Colorado Map series does not display the same detail as a real 1/24000 official USGS map. I wonder which Colorado maps that National Geographic scanned? Hopefully I might be able to use the GPS and way points with my Garmin GPS 72, however the software setup does not list the Garmin GPS 72. I must have received last years version. ... Read more