Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I bought this product to make a few maps in preparation for a backpacking trip (I wanted maps that showed a day of hiking and the elevation profile to go with it). It took some coaxing and a whole lot of trial-and-error printing to get maps very close to what I wanted.
I found the printing feature to be difficult to use and poorly documented. I also came away with the impression that though I'd learned how to use the program while working with it to print these maps, the printing is unpredictable so I expect that the next time I use it will involve much of the same trial-and-error guess work
I would recommend this product to anyone who is planning on going to a number of these parks (it's cheaper than buying separate maps for each park) and anyone who wants very specific hiking maps because it is possible to make such maps using this program. If you want to use the fancy map paper, it's probably a good idea to print drafts on regular paper to get the map you want.
Also, before you use the program download the update from the software website. The program doesn't work well without the update.
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Designed to take you into the wilderness and back, The National Geographic TOPO! National Parks Explorer 3D puts up-to-date, illustrated, digital maps at your fingertips. Each map features four zoom levels, including a National Geographic Atlas level, so you can plan your exact route. This interactive software lets you automatically highlight a selected trail on the map to see the elevation profile, get GPS waypoints, view the trail in 3D, or draw your own route off the beaten path. This software covers the following parks: Acadia, ME; Arches, UT; Big Bend, TX; Bryce Canyon, UT; Canyonlands, UT - Needles and Island in the Sky; Channel Islands, CA; Death Valley, CA; Glacier / Waterton, MT / Alberta; Grand Canyon, AZ; Grand Teton, WY; Great Smokey Mountains, TN / NC; Isle Royale, MI; Joshua Tree, CA; Kings Canyon, CA; Mt. Rainier, WA; North Cascades, WA; Olympic, WA; Redwood, CA; Rocky Mountain, CO; Sequoia, CA; Shenandoah, VA; Theodore Roosevelt, ND; Yellowstone, WY / MT; Yosemite, CA; Zion, UT.When it comes to viewing your maps, the 3D option lets you either fly along a trail or get a 360 degree view of any point you've mapped. Not sure if you've got the best view? No problem! The resizable split screen enables you to view the maps in 3D and 2D mode simultaneously. You can even customize the maps with digital photos, notes, and symbols. After you've created the ideal map for your trip, print in color or grayscale on your home printer, add latitude/longitude or UTM grids, or center on the area you want-- it's all up to you.For added convenience, the National Parks Explorer 3D is designed to be used with your GPS device. You can transfer waypoints and routes between the software and your handheld GPS unit or simply store, organize, and manage an unlimited number of waypoints in the software. And to make sure your trip is as fun as possible, each map features a PDF with additional travel and recreation information for that area.
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