Caltopo is, in my opinion, the best backcountry mapping software currently available. The fact that it’s free and browser-based makes it even better. If you take a few minutes to learn the software, you will probably never purchase another topographic map ever again in your life. <\/p>\n
This software is used by hikers, nordic skiers, mountain bikers, hunters, climbers, wildland firefighters, biologists, Search and Rescue (SAR) teams, and most anyone who needs a quality map of the backcountry. I’ve been using it for several years now, and it’s miles better than anything else out there, paid or free. <\/p>\n
Here’s what you can do with Caltopo: <\/p>\n
Make topographic maps of anywhere in the world with just a few clicks. (While it’s mostly useful in the US and Canada, the Open Cycle layer has worldwide coverage.) <\/p>\n
Display more than a dozen different map layers, including standard topo maps, aerial imagery, shaded relief, marine charts, historical maps, standard Google map layers, and US Forest Service, to name a few. <\/p>\n
Mix and match layers by adding new layers and changing the opacity. (One blend I like is a satellite layer, overlaid with an topo map at about 50% opacity.) <\/p>\n
Import GPS tracks and waypoints and show them on a displayed map (very handy for backcountry travel). <\/p>\n
Robust yet easy to use drawing features. Draw a freeform line, add a few waypoints for trailhead, campsites, etc, then export these drawn features as a .GPX file ready to use in your smartphone GPS app or GPS receiver. <\/p>\n
Easy printing, at any scale or most any paper size you want, easy to add lat-long or UTM grid lines While the free features will be sufficient for most people, the website does have an optional subscription service. <\/p>\n
Upgrading your subscription to a modest $20 per year gets a few things, including the ability to print on paper other than 8.5 x 11, store and share maps online, and few more whistles and bells, but most importantly, supporting the one guy who makes this site go, who up until a year or so ago ran this site entirely as a free hobby on the side. When you consider that the cost of a single large recreational map can be almost $15, paying $20 per year to keep Caltopo running is an incredible bargain. So, if you find it useful, please consider a subscription. <\/p>\n
The interface is pretty intuitive, but there are a few tricks. YouTube has some excellent instructional videos to get you started. I have a Master’s degree in cartography, made maps professionally for many years, am a former USFS backcountry ranger, and teach wilderness navigation to hundreds of people year, so I would not recommend this unless it was terrific.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The best backcountry mapping software currently available<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":76,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[86],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27558"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/76"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27558"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27558\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27754,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27558\/revisions\/27754"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27558"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27558"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27558"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}