#Topo maps for garmin basecamp pdf#
#Topo maps for garmin basecamp update#

(These maps may work for older eTrek/Legend series of receivers, but you may have to experiment a bit.) There are numerous commercial map products available from Garmin, but there's also a large number of free alternative basemaps available for those that are willing to search the web. One of the best features is the ability to load custom maps into the device. I currently use a Garmin Oregon 300 GPS Receiver and find it be a terrific device. Alternatively, you can pay a subscription fee and just get maps directly from Avenza (worth the fee).

#Topo maps for garmin basecamp pdf#

Avenza Maps - If you're cheap (like me) you can use geo-tagged TIFF files or PDF maps exported from a tool like CALTOPO but honestly that's almost as complex a configuration as the GPS receivers below.AllTrails - I haven't used their mobile app, but the trail information online has been incredibly useful in planning routes.Offline maps are available via a subscription. Gaia GPS - This is an incredibly popular GPS app but wasn't available on Android when I started using mapping apps, so I went with OsmAnd instead.You can download maps for offline backcountry use, including topo lines, hill shading, slope angle shading (useful for winter travel to see possible avalanche terrain), and Wikipedia information many of these features require a nominal subscription fee. It's overly complicated and I find the interface sometimes incredibly frustrating to find what I want to do, but it's a really powerful app. OsmAnd - I've been using OsmAnd for quite a while.

#Topo maps for garmin basecamp update#

I decided I should update this article with the apps I use for backcountry navigation but I kept all the links down below in case anyone still has an older GPS receiver and wants to download maps to them. I still bring my Garmin Oregon on hikes from time to time - typically when it's REALLY cold out and I don't trust the cold and my phone battery, but more often than not I use my phone and its apps for navigation. Well, now in 2022, cell phones have amazing battery life, great screens, reliable GPS receivers, and far less friction than any dedicated GPS device can provide.

My Garmin served a very useful purpose when I bought it: it provided invaluable GPS positions overlaid on a really useful map and this was at a time when cell phones really didn't have good GPS receivers (at least my Samsung Captivate didn't) or good battery life. I went out hiking the other day and realized that, while I still use my trusty Garmin receiver, for the less intense hikes I just bring my phone along.