MyTopo Terrain Navigator Colorado Topographical Map CD-ROM (Windows) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I have Maptech's Terrain Navigator for Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Arkansas, Missouri, New Mexico and Colorado. It is by far the best topo program I've used. I'm able to place comments on a map, pinpoint locations, use my Garmin 60Cs to track movement, and a variety of other things. I have used it for my business, and it's become indispensable for us.
I have tried Nat'l Geographic's topo program for Utah, and it doesn't have quite the number of features of Maptech. Nor is it as easy to use. The only gripe I have when comparing Nat'l Geographic's program to Maptech is that a person is able to copy the Nat'l Geographic map CDs directly to your hard-drive, rather than to have to find a CD for any given map.
This program contains copies of the actual USGS maps in 1:25k and 1:100k formats. The data seems very up-to-date (I've compared the Maptech maps to hard-copy maps at REI), and you're able to zoom in quite a few levels.
I highly recommend this for any state and for any outdoor endeavour.
(ADDENDUM - ONE YEAR LATER: You can now add the CDs and their maps directly to your hard-drive, like the "National Geographic" program mentioned above. So, even higher kudos to Maptech!)

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Whether you're a backwoods junkie, or a weekend warrior, Maptech's Terrain Navigator can help you get the most out of your hikes and other off-road adventures. With up to 4000 topographic maps of Colorado, Terrain Navigator has your trip covered, and then some! You never have to worry about carrying around cumbersome notepads and stray wads of paper in your backpack again. With Terrain Navigator, you can plot out all your trips out on your PC, then download your routes and notes onto your Pocket PC device. When you return from your trip, all the notes you've taken, along with the routes of your spontaneous day trips, can be uploaded back into your PC, and voila, you've created a detailed log of your trip directly onto the map. Maptech has scanned each of the more than 58,000 USGS topographical maps of the United States into high-quality images onto CDs that you can easily upload into your PC. Terrain Navigator's advanced search functions help you find the exact map you need in a matter of seconds. You can then use your PC to view maps in 2D or 3D, plot your trip with your own trail markers and notes, and print out your maps, along with your annotations, from any standard desktop printer. Terrain Navigator will also give you a report about the trip, including the total distance and total elevation loss or gain of your prospective route. You can even break your journey down by each leg of the route. With Pocket Navigator software (sold separately), you can then download the routes you plan to take onto your Pocket PC device. When you return home, you simply upload the maps from your pocket device into your PC, and all the details you'll ever need about your trip have been saved, including the exact routes you took, your comments on the weather and terrain, comments on the food you ate, the number of mosquito bites you suffered, and whatever else you've chosen to note. And while you're miles from nowhere, you can use your Pocket PC to help you take full advantage of your freedom. Say you want to explore a valley you've just discovered, but it's a cloudless 85 degrees and you don't want to carry your forty pounds of gear down the trail. Simply use your Pocket PC to mark your coordinates on your map with a note that says "Stuff left here," and off you go, forty pounds lighter and a whole lot quicker. Search Features Advanced search functions allow you to find the map you need instantly. Can't remember the exact region? No problem. Simply plug in the name of the river or summit that you do remember, and you're all set. In addition to searching by more than 50 types of place names and even by zip code, Terrain Navigator also allows you to search by latitude and longitude, or with the graphical index map. Print Features Maptech's print quality is outstanding and is comparable to the original USGS paper topos. All Maptech maps can be printed out using standard office printers, with or without the USGS borders and legend, latitude/longtitude grids, UTM grids, or compass alignment guides. And once you annotate your personal map, you can print it out either as a flat map or in 3D. Terrain Navigator also allows you to print adjacent maps together in a single, seamless printout. What's more, you can print cross-sections and line-of-sight profiles with the latest high-resolution elevation data available. GPS Features Pocket Navigator software integrates mapping and GPS technology on a Pocket PC. You can also turn your notebook PC into a moving map display by connecting it to a GPS. Terrain Navigator allows you to upload and download marks and tracks between your PC and your GPS receiver (though you can not download maps onto your GPS receiver). Coverage Colorado What's in the Box Set of CD-ROMs with a total of 300 to 4,000 topographical maps covering the entire state.