big gps file of sierra nevada passes and lakes?

[ben .]

hey all

is anyone aware of a big gpx, kml, or something-similar file of the major sierra nevada passes and lakes?

i’ve discovered the magic of google earth but could use some orientation now and then (ok, a lot of the time).

i’ve found a couple JMT or PCT related sets of waypoints, but these are 90% campsite locations or directions like ‘ford a stream here’. they tend to have passes but not lakes, and going through and turning off every ‘good campsite’ waypoint is taking me quite a while.

i’ve googled as many keywords as i can and come up empty. any of you magicians have the secret password? :)

 

thanks

ben

[Lori P]

That would totally take the fun out of things. Maps and compass are faster, and likely more accurate, for me – gps tends to wander a bit.

Navigation skills are enhanced by gps – the gps is not a replacement for a map or the skills to use it. Gps is supposed to augment skills already in place – electronics are quite fallible and get people into trouble often.

Search and rescue personnel are taught both and have ongoing trainings to keep map skills sharp, because they know well (using gps units every training and search) just how screwed up one can get with them.

So no – I don’t know of such a file, and I wouldn’t bother with it if I did. How do I know the person who created the file is correct?

[Jerry Adams]

https://www.pctmap.net/

maps and gpx files of pct through sierras

I carry a map but never use it.  Except in the morning before I take off maybe the map is useful for planning the day because it has more info.  If my gps died, I’d have the map as backup.

I usually do an out and back.  Maybe with some sort of loop.  I always look at landmarks, like ridges and valleys and peaks and remember where they are relative to where I have to go back to.

[ben .]

maybe i wasn’t clear.

i’m not talking about using this information on the trail itself (at least not exclusively).

i’m talking about using it with google earth, caltopo, etc.

i’m a newcomer to the sierra and am trying to get the lay of this sprawling and amazing land (while having a bit of fun with google earth) over the long, soon-to-be cold winter!

thanks for the link jerry. halfmile’s maps are one of the sources i mentioned above – it lists passes and a few of the lakes right on the PCT, but not for the rest of the sierra.

[Billy Ray]

I have several GPS units with mapping. But I have never used one in the Sierra… on trail or off trail. I don’t feel they are necessary or worth the weight. It’s so easy to orient from just the map I rarely even use a compass (trial or cross country).

I know it will happen but sure hope they don’t put together GPS resources for the Sierra. Takes away the adventure. And then I’ll have to look at all the morons walking the conga line trails with their faces glued to their screens… ugh.

billy

[ben .]

guys, i’m not talking about something that doesn’t already exist. if you buy the garmin west coast (or whatever it’s called) map dvd, lakes and passes are well labelled. but i don’t use garmin products. i use caltopo and (recently) google earth.

i assumed, perhaps wrongly, that similar information is already out there somewhere for the sierra in a less proprietary way.

in caltopo, if you zoom in close enough on the usgs maps, it’s easy enough to see names of lakes, etc. printed on the map itself. but hard (well, mostly impossible) to search for them.

i’m not looking for tracks of trails.

either way, and while i’m not looking for this info to use in the field, and i will not be part of a conga line, this thread really is not a referendum on ‘big gps’. that ship has already sailed.

[Jerry Adams]

caltopo.com has good topographic maps but not gps files.  You’re probably aware of this already :)

[Kiel Senninger]

I think you’re asking: “I read a trip report that included a stop at Golden Bear Lake or a base camp in Humphrey’s Basin and now I’m trying to figure out where the heck that is.” If so, most places are searchable in Caltopo (type in the field next to the binoculars at the top of the window). Try those two examples. It works. If it sends you to Wyoming or something, try centering the map in California and searching again. To add a TOPO overlay to Google Earth, follow the instructions on this link: http://geospatialtraining.com/adding-usgs-topographic-maps-to-google-earth-using-arcgis-online/

Before I figured all this out, I tried to find clues to where certain things were. For example, a trip report talks about a stop at Charlotte Lake while also mentioning Kearsarge Pass, Rae Lakes, Bubbs, Creek, Onion Valley TH, and Independence, CA. I wanted to know where Charlotte Lake was so I spent time floating around Caltopo looking for any mention of those places. Independence is searchable on any map, Onion Valley TH must be nearby. Oh, there’s Kearsarge Pass, Bubbs Creek… see what I mean?

Usually a google search of someplace will bring up other trip reports, you’re bound to find one with a screen shot of their route on a map or mention of places you’ve heard of and know where they are.

Also, check out highsierratopix.com  A great resource for Sierra activities.

Have fun and you’ll learn a lot of geography by scrolling through the USGS and Forest Service maps on Caltopo.

[ben .]

hey kiel, yes that’s exactly what i’m talking about. the sierra is a vast but somewhat inscrutable wonderland to newcomers. i’m just trying to get a better awareness of the area and google earth appears to be an amazing way to do that. for anyone that hasn’t tried it, check it out. it’s the best part of the future i’ve found yet;)

caltopo is amazing but i’ve had less luck than you have searching it. works sometimes, but not others, mostly depending on how common the search phrase is, naturally. within google earth itself you can switch back and forth between it and google maps, which does list names of most lakes, but passes and trailheads and smaller features mostly aren’t mentioned.

i downloaded the usgs kmz linked above, but either it’s empty or i don’t know how to view its waypoints in the application. all it seems to contain is an empty folder called 0-0-0, which isn’t encouraging! :)

i guess ultimately what i am looking to do is turn google earth into a 3D version of caltopo. now that would be fun. thanks so much for the info kiel.

[Kiel Senninger]

Bummer. You’re right about the file I linked. Hadn’t used it in a while, however I found one that does work!

http://services.arcgisonline.com/arcgis/rest/services/NGS_Topo_US_2D/MapServer

At the top of the page where it says “View In:” select “GoogleEarth” It will prompt you to download the NGS_Topo_US_2D.kmz file. Opening that downloaded file will start up GoogleEarth with the topo overlay. It will show up in “Temporary places” like the other file. You can change the opacity of the overlay by selecting “NGS_Topo_US_2D” in the “Places” section on the left side of GoogleEarth, then selecting the shading-looking-button by the magnifying glass button at the bottom of the “Places” section, then moving the slider left and right to change the opacity of the topo overlay. I hope that makes sense. Feel free to shoot me a PM if you want. I just tried it right now so the file should be good.

There’s also this option from Caltopo: http://caltopo.blogspot.com/2014/12/feature-week-print-to-kmz.html

Sorry the Caltopo search feature doesn’t work well for you.

[Paul McLaughlin]

you might find this useful:

http://www.highsierratopix.com/high-sierra-map/map.php

good forums as well, lots of Sierra experience among the group

 

[ben .]

hey kiel, ah yes that works! thanks for finding that.

and thanks peter, the high sierra topix forum is full of some sierra wizards for sure.

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