For anyone interested in basic Caltopo map making…

I loves me some Caltopo.

All I do is right click and add waypoints on the trail I plan on hiking.  It helps to highlight the trail and they are exportable to a GPS if necessary.

After selecting ‘print to .pdf or .jpg’ and it opens up in a new screen, Caltopo will give you the option to add UTM or Lat/Long grid lines.  I always add UTM grid lines and set my preferences in Gaia to UTM as well so everything is matchy matchy.

I’m pretty comfortable with the map at this point and never mess around too much with the layers.

I previously made a donation to a SAR group in California at Caltopo’s suggestion.  I see that since then, they’ve modified their business model some.

http://caltopo.blogspot.com/2015/09/caltopo-goes-commercial.html

And here’s the page with the rates

https://caltopo.com/join

In the past, I created 11×17 maps on Caltopo for free and printed them at Staples/OfficeMax/wherever.  I see now that’s no longer an option at the free level and that you can only create 8×11 maps.  Since I’m now the proud owner of a medium format printer, I’m definitely upgrading to the Basic package.

Very nice quick-start tutorial, Sr Al! :^)

One little annoying thing to keep in mind for UTM grid line ‘matchy-matchy’ (lol, I like that one) in Caltopo…

Many (all, nearly all?) USGS maps still use NAD27 datum for the UTM grid lines on the maps that have them (some do, some don’t). In the Caltopo ‘Configuration’ toolbar it might be set to WGS84 datum, in which case there is an annoying/cluttering/confusing offset in the grid lines. Setting Caltopo to ‘NAD27’ will eliminate nearly all of this, although for some reason there is still sometimes a little offset.

Of course, if you really, really need accurate GPS coordinates to match up with the map for what ever reason, all devices must be set to NAD27 datum as well. This will put you within ‘pissing distance’, depending of course upon how badly you’ve gotta go. :^)

Thanks for the heads up.

Thanks for doing this. I spend lots of time at work dreaming routes in CalTopo :) I have yet to try printing but will be needing it this year. I’d also be interested in learning from advanced users.

these are great tips!  Caltop is second to none!  The new snap to line feature is rad…

Nick, what’s your job?  I need a job where I can play with Caltopo!

Research gets monotonous sometimes! I’m always ready to minimize it whenever someone walks by…

Should say that I used your tutorial a couple weekends ago. Used it in conjunction with the PDF Maps app and it actually helped me catch a couple missed turns that day!

Excellent!  Great to hear Nick!

Great tutorial, thanks! I had been printing already, but I didn’t know you could snap to trails/roads/etc. That saves a lot of time and improves accuracy!

Having used some expensive/complex geospatial programs (Arc, R), I am continually surprised and impressed at how simple CalTopo is to use and how many features they pack in.

I used the PDF Mapper/CalTopo system again this weekend in the Sierras. I put a couple pindrop markers on the map in PDF Mapper marking important junctions, potential campsites, etc. Does anyone know a way to export/backwards import these in any way? I have no experience in PDF Mapper except for very recently. If not, no biggie–I can just try and match them up with my eye onto CalTopo. Just looking for a quicker way.

Has anyone tried importing a map to the PDF Mapper (now called Avenza Maps) app recently? It’s now telling me that in order to import geospatial maps (like those from CalTopo), I need a $30/year subscription. If this is true…alternatives? A little bit of research has turned up: DIY Map GPS, Maps n Trax, TopoMaps+, and MotionX GPS.

Yeah, the latest “upgrade” to PDF Maps (now Avenza Maps) limits you to 3 imported maps at a time unless you shell out for the subscription. The free version is still usable – you just need to pick and choose which few maps you want to carry with you for a given trip.

I’ve found MotionX GPS to be very capable and accurate however it has a profoundly horrible interface. My $.02 is to shell out the $10 for Gaia GPS and import tracks/routes planned in Caltopo.

YEah I’m a little perturbed by the 3 map limit… but that is typically all I need.  I can store my pdf maps on the cloud and import as needed.  I can’t see shelling out $30 per year.  I may have to check out gaia gps.  People seem to be happy with Gaia GPS, so it may be worth a shot

Gaia is great on the iPhone but from personal experience not well supported on Android. Gaia does not invest much effort on fixing issues with the Android app on the newer OS versions (particularly Nougat). I reported an issue and their response was that they weren’t able to test on all Android variants which is understandable for them. But I wouldn’t pay for an app that wasn’t well supported on my phone.

I much prefer Backcountry Navigator (BCN) for Android having used both Gaia and BCN.

Yeah, I’ll have to look into Gaia GPS (“Offline Topo Maps”) too and see if it’s worth it. I like more detailed maps for cross-country stuff, and three usually doesn’t cut it re: Avenza. Anyone have any experience with DIY Maps GPS, Maps n Trax, or TopoMaps+?

I have an update re: Avenza Maps aka PDF Maps and getting around their lame pricing structure.  Its possible to erase your Avenza maps app, and download the old one.  Here’s a post on how to do it from an Aussie’s website: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/restore-pdf-maps-functionality/

I did this and it worked like a charm, and I have the old free version again.

Dang!! I don’t have an Android, and my iPhone isn’t jailbroken. I’m gonna hunt for a similar workaround for Apple products, but in the meantime if anyone has found a solution…

Check out Maprika

A friend of mine uses it with an iPhone and I use it with a Samsung S5. Not a whole bunch of features but really ingenious using Caltopo or even scanned/photographed maps. There’s a bit of a learning curve for setting up the “anchor points” for scanned/downloaded maps, but nothing spectacularly difficult.

Thanks, Bob. I’ll definitely check that out.

You’re welcome, Nick.

Also I should mention that I previously used Backcountry Navigator and the battery drain was significant. MUCH lower with Maprika, tracking or not. Of course if you’re using hardcopy maps and employing the phone for the occasional position confirmation it will last a lot longer. I can go 3-4 days in airplane mode even with BCN if using it only for position checks.

Sorry. Maprika is garbage. Horrible experience trying to align anchors when the basemap shows almost no features in wilderness areas. Crashed twice while I tried to do so with a single test map too. Deleted with gusto.

I really like caltopo’s “fixed slope shading” overlay for my winter trips so I can reduce avalanche risk when I’m on the field.  I use it in conjuction with Avenza maps app on my iphone.    It’s worth clarifying that the new 3 free maps restriction of Avenza Maps app only applies to maps of your own (like the ones created on caltopo).  if you download any maps from avenza’s store there is no limit as far as how many maps you can have at any given time.  All USGS topo maps are available for free in their store.