[MCaver]

Does anyone have the TOPO! software from National Geographic? I'm seriously considering buying this, at least the Washington edition, and want to make sure it's worth the money and really does what it says. Any drawbacks to it? One of the main features I'm looking for is to be able to write notes over the map that I can turn on/off. Does it allow this? How up to date are the maps, especially concerning Forest Service roads? Any other software out there that's better? TOPO! Software

[Brian Curtis]

I use topo!. The images are just scans of the USGS topos, so the roads are only as up to date as those maps are. You can write notes on the map that can be turned on and off. The map I posted of the Enchantments the other day was done with topo!. You can also exchange the overlays with other topo! users. I'm using the regional series, not the full state version that has the 3-D shading, so I can't speak to that version. I use it so much that I loaded the CDs onto my hard drive so I wouldn't have to load CDs all the time and the access time would be faster. I recommend it. There are several competitive packages out there and I haven't tried them out.

[MCaver]

So the state editions have features the regional don't? I vaguely remember someone talking about the 3D effects (nd not liking it). Comments from users/owners?

[Map Lover]

I really like Topo!'s state version and recommend it. The maps are the same as you'll find on topozone.com, but a lot quicker. The maps were made from the 60's to early 90's, so lots of roads are out of date, overgrown, or there are new roads. In conjunction with Greentrails (whose manmade features like roads are more up to date) you have all you need. It helps to have a color printer, with ink that won't run if it gets wet. You can search for a feature. For example, type in "Rainier" and you get Mount Rainier, the town of Rainier, and several other things with that string in the name. The state version has 4 map sizes. Only two are all that useful: 100,000:1 and the 7.5' USGS maps. But they also have the pretty out of date 250,000:1 and 500,000:1 for zooming purposes. Don't bother with the regionals. For not that much more money, you get seamless maps for the whole state. The software features are nearly the same. Only problem is you can't share .tpo files with your buddies with the regional maps (Olympics, North Cascades, Central Cascades...). If you love the mountains and virtual mountain travel, you'll enjoy having all the topo maps at your disposal. You can load the entire 7 CD set on your computer, which avoids all the CD swapping. I haven't used any other topo software except topozone.com.

[IBEX]

I started with the regional CDs and recently went for the state wide disks. TOPO doesn’t advertise that the state wide stuff has less resolution at the normal setting than the regional program. The result is that when you covert your regional data to state wide the text is slightly overlaped. The shading looks neat but it harder to see the contour lines in the dark areas. Then again you can turn the shading off if you wish. Some other advantages include scrolling favorites and better search. Of course, you get full coverage of the whole state. I wanted the Olympics and Mt Adams and I didn’t have those regional disks.

[-lol-]

[Scrooge]

I do get the feeling that National Geographic changed the emphasis on the TOPO map levels with the interests of its ten million members in mind, at the expense of the outdoor-users who were the customers for the Wildflower Productions version. :angry:

[MCaver]

Thanks for all the information, guys. Looks like I'm in the market for the state version! I assume there's more than just Washington for states? I might be interested in Oregon eventually, and maybe some others for trips I have planned -- Montana, Wyoming, Utah. I might have to build up a Topo collection like my Green Trails! I am constantly marking my dilapidating atlas with photo locations and notes. I can't wait to transfer all this info to a digitazed map and keep a running repository of my favorite photo spots in the northwest! I don't suppose the maps have trails on them? Green Trails needs to release a digital version!

[Malachai Constant]

if you are a real cheapscate you can download the USGS DRG maps on the net, I put a link in my ALW map post. They are available from a geology prof at the UW. You can display them with shareware Oziexplorer (Try GOOGLE to find). This will interact with a GPS. I have downloaded the state and made my own CD's. They are public documents without copyright. I also use TOPO! and it is more convienent. The advantage of the other is you can also load the aerial photos from Terra Server and calibrate them. Another program Expert GPS will do this auto but I have not tried that.

[Tom]

mcaver, if you want oregon you might want to consider mapquest terrain navigator. you get washington AND oregon (plus interactive 3d which is more than just a gimmick) for $129. http://www.4x4books.com/mttn.htm