Hey gang, I just picked up a Garmin 60csx and am wondering if there are any good maps out there with Washington state forest roads. I do a lot of riding into the wild out here and want a map that will show me what's ahead. Does that exist? thanks
The Garmin "TOPO U.S. 24K - Northwest" is the best I have found. I don't think I have loaded a track that I couldn't create an autoroute to duplicate it with this mapset. I'm sure I will run into one sometime but it is the best off road map database for the Pacific NW that I have found so far. I am using it on a Zumo 550.
Few people like topo in hand helds because of too many lines. City Nav or old Roads & Rec both will show 90% of all roads and trails. The big question is when will there be a map set showing the now Legal roads after each forest complets their Route Designation process.
Thanks for the help. I'll be comparing the city nav with the topo 24k this week. I currently have topo 100k which shows a lot of the mountain roads. Is the 24k more detailed? I've heard mixed reviews about this.
Yes they have more off road detail, most of which is fully routable. Something the Topo U.S. 100k does not support. I actually have the Topo U.S. 24k West DVD not the Northwest series that can be purchased on an SD memory card. The DVD covers WA, OR, CA & NV.
There's no way they can do this because even if it were correct when published, it would change without notice. You are at the mercy of the USFS, unless your M/C and skillset is faster then they are which isn't hard to do....
The NW trails maps are pretty handy for exploring the Pacific Northwest. http://www.switchbacks.com/gpsmaps.aspx
This is what I use as well. Great info there. I overlay it on my topo software for the best of both worlds.
I've used both the NW Topos and NW united states files at GPSFileDepot and they are fantastic (they are also free). However, I cannot compare to the Garmin topo files as I have done all in my power to not buy their maps. My only wish was for the auto routing features. I did however find that when I used these files with my gazatteer, it was a great companion for navigating the maze of forest service roads in central Oregon.
Just got a 60CSx and have no idea what Im doing. Do I have to install the supplied software before I can download these maps? Cause it "stops responding" everytime I put the disk in...... Might be time for a new computer.
Ah ha I finally got the cd to load. I downloaded the NW trails map but I cant open it with the program provided..... any ideaS?