Here are some notes on planning my route.

  • As of July/August 2014, I’m rebuilding my laptop files/programs after some hardware problems, so I’m re-thinking what I store on my computer.
    • I am not going to install Delorme Topo 10.
      • It occupies 10GB. It does have some content my other maps don’t have, but much of the additional content is for trails that don’t really exist. It requires Windows.
    • For topo quadrangles - CalTopo
      • I used to download topo quadrangles from the USGS Map Store. I’m switching to online use of CalTopo. I might occasionally download a topo - perhaps a historical edition of a map to see roads that aren’t shown on current maps. If CalTopo goes offline, I can go back to downloading USGS quads. For now, I’ll avoid having the local data. The down-side is that I can’t plan my trips when offline, but that is an infrequent need.
  • Handheld GPS - Garmin Etrex 30.
    • Garmin has bigger units. Small is better for extended hikes. This one runs all day on a pair of rechargeable AA.
    • Used with Garmin Basecamp software.
    • Used with Garmin Topo US 100K
      • I could go with the Southeast 24K series for more detail. I couldn’t fit everything on the GPS unit. It might be nice to have higher map detail, but the GPS positioning isn’t that accurate.
  • Convert Google Maps route (URL) to GPX - GPS Visualizer - Convert Input
  • GPS/GPX to Google Maps - GPS Visualizer - Make a Map or VeloRoutes
  • Convert GPS data file formats (e.g. KML to GPX) - GPS Babel
  • Reduce the detail (fewer points) in a GPX file - GPS Babel
  • I haven’t tried this, but it looks interesting for finding out who owns private land around a summit: http://www.huntinggpsmaps.com/store/hunt-mobile-apps
  • Collected National Park maps: http://npmaps.com/