Author Topic: OS Map West Coast USA  (Read 1885 times)

OS Map West Coast USA
« on: 17 June, 2016, 04:24:18 pm »
Any recommendations for OS mapping for West Coast of USA - more hiking than biking anticipated?
Pete Crane E75 @petecrane5

Re: OS Map West Coast USA
« Reply #1 on: 17 June, 2016, 07:18:39 pm »

rr

Re: OS Map West Coast USA
« Reply #2 on: 17 June, 2016, 08:18:15 pm »
Or closer to home The Map Shop ring them up and they'll find exactly what you want, of it exists

Re: OS Map West Coast USA
« Reply #3 on: 18 June, 2016, 04:01:18 am »
How do you wish to access the maps?
Tried-and-true paper?
Published in an atlas for each state?
From a CD, viewed on big screen and printable onto paper?
On-line, viewed on big screen?
On-line, viewed on mobile device?

The USGS maps mentioned by Ripio are the ones compiled by the federal government.  Updated from time to time, but paper ones not always current. 
Most of the federal agencies which administer public lands - forests, etc. - publish paper maps (folding) of their various regions.  So, each national forest would have its own.
There is an on-line route to get to the USGS base information and download it. 
In other areas, folks use the USGS base information and update it from time to time.  In Washington State, "Green Trails" is such a source.  They use a scale slightly smaller than the USGS, so pages are smaller; hiking trails (current routes within a year or so) are green lines.  Other states likely have similar.
Several companies - DeLorme is one - use the USGS map bases, compile and print at a smaller scale; similar to what I've seen of OS but not quite as detailed.
"Topo!" is a CD-based product that gives you all of the USGS, as of the date the CDs were burned, at several map scales; versions for PC and Mac.  Nice feature is that you can print your own map is an area you want is on the seam between several of the paper ones.  There are some overlays that can be found, by hunting around, that put trail information (updated, sort of) on top of the Topo images.
The various google-related map backgrounds (access on large screen or small) have optional displays for roads, hiking, etc.

Any part of the western USA you have in mind in particular?


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Re: OS Map West Coast USA
« Reply #4 on: 18 June, 2016, 04:35:49 am »
Any recommendations for OS mapping for West Coast of USA - more hiking than biking anticipated?

If you're looking for a map to plug into something like a Garmin take a look at http://garmin.openstreetmap.nl/ or maybe check out the Garmin store - their maps will be more expensive but if you're willing to pay you can get 1:24000 maps for something like $99, and that will cover multiple states.

If you're wanting something with maps to use on an Android phone I've had limited (but broadly positive) experience with ViewRanger. You can buy a whole load of US maps for less than 20 (although I forget if the 20 was pounds or dollars, or whether VAT is included or not). It allows you to download map tiles locally so you can still see what's going on if you're in an area with no cell service.

My interest is east coast but as far as I can tell you can get maps for the entire US.

Depending on what kind of scale you want there might be a local map producer. For my local state forest I use a map made by a local mapping company (again, east coast so this particular one is no use to you) and I've been very happy with it. At the last count I had four copies of it.
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Re: OS Map West Coast USA
« Reply #5 on: 19 June, 2016, 08:08:07 pm »
For Garmin maps, also try https://www.gpsfiledepot.com
It has maps based on a variety of sources, including USGS.


Re: OS Map West Coast USA
« Reply #7 on: 04 July, 2016, 07:45:38 am »
btw, I just noticed today that I had downloaded a free Android app on my phone which has USGS topos on it.  Cost would have been free, but I might have just been limited to one state at that rate.  So, there is another way to get to the information.