Good Quality Printed Topographic Maps

[Michael Palozzola]

I'm looking to get my hands on a set of good quality printed topographic maps for the south Florida area. Anyone have specific companies or brands that I should look at?

[Swamp Hunter]

My maps are from 1971. IMO the older, the better because new trails are not being cut and the old trails are disappearing.  Much of the landscape stays the same. If you want old trails, old camps, forts or old railroad trams, you need the old maps.

 

I used to buy USGS maps from Jets Outdoors but they are gone. Maybe Bass Pro?

[Jelf]

See if this helps.  It is an online topo map.  If you use Firefox, then you can print through your browser.

http://www.mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4.php?ll=25.962979,-81.049355&a...

I am the developer of Gmap4 which is an enhanced Google map viewer that can display topographic maps for the USA and Canada.

The Gmap4 homepage has lots of info to quickly get you up to speed.

Homepage: http://www.mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4.html

Joseph, the Gmap4 guy

[Swamp Hunter]

I like your map Jeff. It has most of the old trails which I like to explore because they are no longer used. Your map is missing the newer designated trails such as the Florida Trail made by the hikers inside Loop Unit.  Years ago, the hikers annexed part of the Slab Road Trail/Sawmill Road coming off of Paces Dike at the Loop Road sometime after ORVs were pushed out and then I guess they blazed a new trail straight to Oasis instead of following it to Fiftymile Bend and Hunters Hammock. 

 

But IMO thats cool because you can get a Florida Trail map or a designated ORV trail map anywhere. I love exploring the old trails and keeping them open.  Thanks for posting.  Im going to save this one for sure. Your map also shows the old railroad logging trams.

[vivian]

Thank you Joseph that is an easy to use and very useful tool for hiking or paddling!

[Amazon Bill]

I like the map. Its a good topo viewer too. Thanks

[Swamp Hunter]

Something I would like to mention about the new designated trails. Im not concerned what it looked like from the air, Jeffs map is proof positive that old ORV and logging trails are now disappearing as the swamp easily heals. The new designated roads however are permanent as well as an impediment to water flow and the NPS keeps making new roads that nobody wants.  This is the result of the lawsuits. A must read. http://www.angelfire.com/clone/rsauleda/

[Swamp Hunter]

Quoted from Ruben P. Sauleda Ph.D.
  

"All of the damage that has been done by all of the off-road vehicles that have traveled
the Big Cypress in the past is inconsequential compared to the damage that this rock
road has done and will continue to do in the future by impeding water flow, eliminating
the disturbed habitat so necessary to the maintenance of species diversity and by the pH
changes that will occur as the water flows across the rock road. Changes in pH in the
water as it flows across the road can cause damage to the plants adjacent to the road.
I would like to see the study that was done to determine the environmental impact
of this road. I spoke to one of the Rangers and she indicated that the measures that
were being taken to prevent the roads from being washed away were not working.
Does this mean that as the rock washes away into the surrounding habitat that more
rock will be used to rebuild the road?? This will be a blight on the Big Cypress.
The buggy trails heal in a short time as can be seen from the trails leading away from the
west side of Monument Lake that have been closed only a few months but, the rock roads
will not heal. The rock road will eventually be abandoned by Park Service due to a lack
of interest as the politics change or the money runs out. The ugliness and damage
will remain. This folly will be Park Superintendent John Donahue's legacy. History
will judge him."

 

[Swamp Hunter]

Back to the subject of Topo Maps.  Im used to working off my 1971 USGS maps and I have no problem transferring coordinates from my old maps (using a kit of clear plastic overlays and a straight edge), to my Garmin GPS.  But I am having trouble transferring form Google Earth or from the maps just posted by Jeff.  The coordinates are not matching up. Im kinda still learning my GPS. What am I doing wrong? Are my units settings wrong?

I am using postion Format hddd' mm.mmm' 

Map Datum WGS 84

 

I would appreciate any help. Thanks.

[Jelf]

Thanks for the kind words everyone.

Here is something you can try. 

Find the same spot on your paper maps and with Gmap4.

Get the coords from your paper map.

Point your cursor to that spot on the Gmap4 map and rightclick.

Do you get the same coords?

Gmap4 always gives coords in the WGS84 datum.

Now look at the bottom left corner of your paper map.  I bet it says "1927 North American Datum".  If so, then when you use the lat lng tick marks around the edge of the map to get coords, you are getting coords in the NAD27 datum.

But, your GPS is setup to use the WGS84 datum.  Since your GPS thinks you are giving it WGS84 coords when you enter the NAD27 coords you got from the paper map, your GPS puts the marker in the wrong spot.

On my older Magellan GPS I have a screen where I can display 2 types of coords for the same spot.  Sometimes I set that screen to show both WGS84 and NAD27 for the same spot.

Also, there are lots of sites online where you can convert your NAD27 coords to WGS84 before entering them into your GPS.

Joseph, the Gmap4 guy

[Swamp Hunter]

Thanks Jeff. Ill let you know if this solves my problem.

[Swamp Hunter]

Find the same spot on your paper maps and with Gmap4.

Get the coords from your paper map.

Point your cursor to that spot on the Gmap4 map and rightclick.

Do you get the same coords?

No, they are different

Gmap4 always gives coords in the WGS84 datum.

Now look at the bottom left corner of your paper map.  I bet it says "1927 North American Datum".  If so, then when you use the lat lng tick marks around the edge of the map to get coords, you are getting coords in the NAD27 datum.

You are correct, it says NAD27.

But, your GPS is setup to use the WGS84 datum.  Yes

Since your GPS thinks you are giving it WGS84 coords when you enter the NAD27 coords you got from the paper map, your GPS puts the marker in the wrong spot.

You are correct my maps are NAD27 but the coordinates when entered from my paper maps into my GPS are in the correct locations.

 

I want to enter some coodinates from your Gmap4 cursor rightclick but they are different and not in the correct location when I try to enter them in my Garmin.

Actually sometimes I cannot even enter one of the digits, I think the 3rd digit. It wont take it..

 

I had this same problem last year with GoogleEarth.

 

 

What an I doing wrong???  Please help.

 

Could it be my settings? I have the Garmin etrex VISTA HCx Its set to 

Position Format hddd' mm.mmm' 

Map Datum WGS 84

[Jelf]

Dal;e,

Let's do this.  Please find a spot on the Gmap4 map that we can use for a test.

Double click that spot.  The map will re-center at that location.

Now click Menu ==> Show map URL

Please post that URL in this thread.