Where to get the best/most detailed map

SDDiver5

Expedition Leader
Hey Fellas,

Starting to research and plan my next trip. I'm going to the Eastern Sierras, more specifically Mammoth Lakes and Laurel lakes area. I have been searching this site and the internet and finding some awesome information. I will have a downloaded map/route on an iPad using MotionX but for organizational reasons, and so I have a backup, I want a hard copy map. When I lived in Northern AZ I had a great map that was provided by the forest service and detailed Coconino National Forest. I ordered one for Inyo National Forest but I wanted to know what other detailed map companies there are out there and what you guys recommend. Any and all advice/tips is appreciated! Thanks!
 

1leglance

2007 Expedition Trophy Champion, Overland Certifie
If you want digital you can download Adobe PDF reader and the Terrago Toolbar and download all the free cool maps you want from our gov.

Search USGS Map locator & downloader and right click on any point you want and look at all the free maps that are aval for that spot...amazing.
 

JimBiram

Adventurer
Check the Caltopo website as well.


Every Day is a Good Day Surfing...Some are just Better Than Others

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 

doug720

Expedition Leader
There is no one map that contains all types of roads, trails and terrain. I have many maps, paper and electronic, old and new, land based and satellite views.

I look at the map of where were headed, check Google Earth and other sat views for comparison. Check out getting an older wi-fi Ipad for storing and viewing maps. You can find them for a $100 bucks and they will store maps and sat imagaes of all the areas you want to visit, record tracks, elevation and much more. One you use an Ipad, no car GPS cuts it!

And never turn down old maps. You will be surprised how much information has been deleted from current maps, and it gets worse every day. Old towns, sites, mines, roads, trails, names and much more is left of current maps on purpose to keep people away.

We have been all around Mammoth, and now frequent the area around Bridgeport several times each year, lots of great country.
 

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robgendreau

Explorer
Doug and Jim are spot on; the best map depends on your specific need. CalTopo is great in that it sources all types. And BTW, you can access lots of its stuff from GaiaGPS. Used to be easier to do that in Motion X; not sure the state of that art right now.

I'd say that in the Inyo eastern Sierra area the USFS topos are most accurate and up to date, especially since there have been many many road closures and realignments. The MVUM maps show much of that, but they're annoying to use. But the Mammoth one is available on PDF Maps by Avenza for free. Some commercial mapping companies do maps for those areas as well, mostly for wilderness travel; Tom Harrison, eg, has one for Devils Postpile, and one for the Mammoth High Country (also available on PDF Maps). The official Inyo NF map is good. I also like the Benchmark Atlas for California, both digital and paper. It's quite up to date in those areas; I've used it a lot recently there. Not as detailed, but nicer for some uses. They also sell a US 395 strip map through PDF Maps, or I think in paper.

The Mammoth ranger station has tons of info. You can get most any map you need there. The AAA SoCal Eastern Sierra map is also a nice one for the region.

There's almost too much. Gotta be the most mapped places in CA.

Rob
 

highdesertranger

Adventurer
well, as a prospector for detailed paper maps usgs 7.5 are the way to go. as doug said older maps are great, usgs 15 min pre 1970, they show places that are no longer shown. forest circus maps are tourist maps unless you ask for the maps they give to rangers, those are ok. you must remember that all of these maps that second parties sell are usgs based. what they print up nowadays is not what is there but what they want you to have knowledge of. so if you really want a good map of an area get an older 15 min usgs to really see what's in an area. highdesertranger
 

SDDiver5

Expedition Leader
Bump for my old thread I forgot about.

Thank you for everyone's advice. I like the Benchmark Atlas and Maps. Looks like the are avail on iPad and paperback. I recently got an iPad, Wi-Fi, 16gb (not the greatest), but I plan on using it mainly for maps and nav.

I downloaded MotionX because that's what everyone is stoked on and everyone talks about but I gotta admit, I don't think I like it that much. I'm going to download some other popular ones on EP and play around with them.

I also ordered a hard copy very big Inyo Map from the USFS which I really like but it doesn't show the exact areas I want. Mainly Laurel Lakes up in Mammoth and the surrounding area. That's my goal for this spring/summer. Make it to laurel lakes for a few days.

Anyways, thanks again everyone!
 

SDDiver5

Expedition Leader
Bump.

Still looking for good maps if anyone has anymore suggestions. I think having a hard copy map is so much cooler than having a GPS.

Didn't get to do much exploring this summer as work freaking exploded and I have been incredibly busy.
 

seeNik48

Adventurer
We use the Avenza app on an iPod mini using only GPS, no data. True, you have to buy the good ones but there are some free ones, especially for ATV trails and national parks for an overview. Also, USGS topo maps are free. I also googled BLM for Utah and downloaded a whole catalog of free pretty decent maps for each ranger district. Oregon has free maps of counties, several maps for each. They are mainly streets but work if you need something without info overload. Some maps are referenced meaning GPS tracks you and some aren't. The Utah BLM are and for sure the USFS and Nat Geo TI maps are.
 

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