Garmin MapSource US TOPO CD-ROM for Garmin GPS Units, 24K West National Parks (010-10448-00) |...

Garmin MapSource US TOPO CD-ROM for Garmin GPS Units, 24K West National Parks (010-10448-00) | MapSource Topo for East National Parks

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Garmin MapSource U...

	Garmin MapSource US TOPO CD-ROM for Garmin GPS Units, 24K West National Parks (010-10448-00) Garmin Garmin average customer review:based on 28 reviews view larger image
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MapSource 24K TOPO- National Parks series of CD-ROMs!
24K TOPO is designed to provide interactive viewing of detailed topographic maps. 24K TOPO is vector-based and provides outdoor enthusiasts with innovative object oriented-cartography. Descriptive details for features typically found on topographic maps can easily be viewed with a simple key press. Cursor movements over the map provide descriptions for topographic contours, trail names, summit elevations, points of interest information and much more. The user has the ability to pre-plan their daily adventures from the comfort of their own home, using MapSource on the PC. Then they can download waypoints, routes and tracks to their Garmin GPS, including units that don't accept map data! This new cartography will provide recreational backpackers, experienced and novice hikers alike, and general outdoor enthusiasts with terrific topographic detail needed for their individual journeys. The topographic data is comparable to the 1:24,000 scale paper maps provided by the United States Geological Survey, which is the most detailed topographic data available.

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Detailed and Accurate Enough, But Expensive

Unfortunately, the Garmin hiking GPS units do not have detailed maps, so I needed to buy this particular software for all the eastern National Parks (and the Adirondack State Park). The area covers most every park from Florida to Maine. You do need to purchase a small memory card that is inserted into the battery compartment of your Garmin handheld for data storage. I bought a 2 GB Sandisk card to make sure I had plenty of memory. The maps are at a scale of 1:24,000 (from USGS maps) and are not extremely detailed, but will get you to wherever to want to go (and return). There are plenty of accurate points of interest (POI) such as visitor's centers, camping and picnic areas, wilderness campsites, ranger stations, restaurants and lodges, trail names, summit elevations, peaks, roads and hiking trails, etc. You can even download specific quadrants of areas to your liking without having to download extra information you might never need. I have been able to share trails and waypoints from friends and download them into my handheld for easy use. It's not the most detailed mapping data, but it is enough to get you where you want to go (and back again).

The Mapsource program has a ton of valuable tools for use on your PC (or MAC). Most all of your hiking and mapping needs can be accomplished on your computer before (and afterwards) so you can save all the valuable data you need or have acquired. In fact, there are almost too many tools to grasp, making this a worthwhile (if slightly over-priced) piece of software.

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MapSource Topo for East National Parks

Before you buy, make sure it covers the area you are expecting. It's narrower than I was expecting, and therefore it's a little pricey. the parks it covers, it does quite well.

good for the parks only

The detail for the parks is really good although not all parks are shown such as several state parks in my state are missing. But I suppose that is to be expected with a National Park edition. As usual with Garmin map products, if you look at other than the parks some streets will just not be there or only partially.
Not all trails are shown either in the Parks.

reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

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