Posted by Todd Caudle on April 13, 2008 at 12:43 AM
Maybe the R.I.P. is a bit too strong, but I noticed today that topozone.com is now part of trails.com, and after burning through a 14-day free trial, it'll cost $50 a year to access those great USGS quad maps that we've been doing for free for years. Bummer. I know a lot of us now rely on Google Earth and all sorts of different mapping software, but I'm gonna miss having a free and accessible topozone.com as a go-to place for my every mapping whim.
Posted by Momo Vuyisich on April 13, 2008 at 2:17 AM
I highly recommend the DeLorme mapping software. It costs $40 for all Western States, and is very accurate and easy to use.
Posted by Mel Ladewig on April 13, 2008 at 2:28 AM
is very accurate
I cannot agree with that point. Delorme is OK, but often missing major geographical features.
The alternative is the national geographic application. Of course $100 per state is a bit steep, but you'll have permanent access to those USGS topo maps.
Posted by Jack Brauer on April 13, 2008 at 1:29 PM
I never used TopoZone, so I guess I don't know what I was missing. A lot of people over on Summitpost seem bummed about this.
As for DeLorme topo software, I bought it once and promptly returned it. The maps were NOT at all accurate, basically useless for hiking, and potentially dangerous... Hard to believe they're allowed to sell that crap.
I paid the $100 for the National Geographic TOPO! software, for Colorado. Best $100 I ever spent.
This comes as a real shock to me.
I've been using TopoZone for years now. In fact, I just printed some maps for a recent foray into the middle of nowhere NE Arizona. It's heartbreaking to come back home and read this.
Living on the cusp of four states, the N.G. maps aren't a viable option for me. Thanks for posting the sad news, Todd. It's better than finding it out on my own just before another big trip.
Discussion
4 repliesI cannot agree with that point. Delorme is OK, but often missing major geographical features.
The alternative is the national geographic application. Of course $100 per state is a bit steep, but you'll have permanent access to those USGS topo maps.
As for DeLorme topo software, I bought it once and promptly returned it. The maps were NOT at all accurate, basically useless for hiking, and potentially dangerous... Hard to believe they're allowed to sell that crap.
I paid the $100 for the National Geographic TOPO! software, for Colorado. Best $100 I ever spent.
I've been using TopoZone for years now. In fact, I just printed some maps for a recent foray into the middle of nowhere NE Arizona. It's heartbreaking to come back home and read this.
Living on the cusp of four states, the N.G. maps aren't a viable option for me. Thanks for posting the sad news, Todd. It's better than finding it out on my own just before another big trip.