What TOPO map program??

[cheezeheadMember]

I have an Etrex Legend C GPS. I am hoping I can talk the wifey into letting me get the MapSource Topo for my GPS. I am also interested in mapping the local Hunter Walking Game Trails in the area and to use with the Ruffed Grouse Society(I am a Committee member of the local chapt.)

My goal is to make a Map of all the trails if possible. What program is the best to use and is user friendly? And not to expensive. I have looked
at the National Geographic Topo and know there are many more. Any suggestions? Thanks for any and all input! 😀

[GrouseTalesParticipant]

I’m very fond of a program called “ExpertGPS”. You can find it at http://www.Expertgps.com.

ExpertGPS utilizes maps which are stored on the internet. The actual program file is small and can be easily downloaded from the internet. When you actually need maps, you connect to the internet and it retrieves the maps of the area you want.

Besides topo maps, ExpertGPS lets you pull up aerial photos. All your waypoints and plotter trail markings can be easily places on the aerial photo, or topo map.

Now here’s where ExpertGPS stands out…. The program lets you scan in photographs, and once calibrated, your waypoints and trails show up on the photo. This is how we’ve made nice custom trail maps for most of the WGA events. We simply take the DNR’s park map from the internet, scan it into the program, calibrate the map, then all our temp caches show up on the map.

Whenever I’m grouse hunting, I usually have my Legend running in my pocket. When I get back to the cabin, I download all the data into Expert GPS and look at the topo’s and aerial photos of the area I was in. This is really nice when scouting new areas, and you just aren’t sure where the heck you were.

Sounds like a fun project!

[cheezeheadMember]

Thanks for the info! I’ll look into it!

[Author]

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