[pct-l] National Geographic TOPO! online free PCT download

[kdpo at gottawalk.com (Ken Powers)]

If you check around online you should find Topo! State series cheaper than
$100. I used Google and found $80 at GPSNOW. Maybe you can find it even
cheaper.

Another National Geographic series is BackRoads Explorer. I found it for $55
online. It contains topo maps of all 50 states. The hitch is that the
highest resolution maps are not 1 to 24,000 topos (quads) like in the state
series. Back Roads only goes down to 1:100,000.

I just found an additional program called "Streets and 3D, extension" (
something like that). It turns out it is version 4 of  the Topo program.
State series is version 3.4. It costs $20, and requires a state series
program to install. I like the newer interface and it has some neat
features. The most visual is the ability to fly in 3D along a route you have
traced on the maps. You see the mountains other features moving past you as
you fly along. I just got it so I am still exploring the features. It looks
like a good way to checkout the terrain along a trail though.

All these different Topo programs work with each other. I used Back Road
Explorer for 49 states and Topo CA for California. They worked seamlessly
together. The difference was when I scrolled into California I got quads at
the highest resolution.

Ken
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Deems" <losthiker@sisqtel.net>
To: "pct" <pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net>
Sent: Thursday, January 13, 2005 8:19 PM
Subject: [pct-l] National Geographic TOPO! online free PCT download


Someone in the chatter this month mentioned that a download of the PCT for
the TOPO! Map program CDs by Nat Geo was available on their
TOPO.com/MapXchange website. I downloaded it at work and here at home. Tom
Reynolds did a great job of tracing the whole trail on the 4" to a mile
scale. It shows on all map levels.  TOPO! CDs are $100 a state, way too
much, but if you have it you can get the PCT files on line. There's some
other free map downloads if you look around on the website.

http://maps.nationalgeographic.com/topo/file.cfm?fileid=357    pct

http://maps.nationalgeographic.com/topo/      topo home site
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