Ever wanted topographical maps of a particular area? Had a hard time finding just what you were looking for? It simply couldn’t be easier as National Geographic has the entire United States covered – for FREE.
Visiting the National Geographic website provides a full map of the United States. Double clicking any area begins to zoom in. In the upper left-hand corner there are controls to continue to zoom in or out as needed. As an area is zoomed multiple quadrants can be seen(below).
Clicking on these red areas(above) will bring up a Topo Map of that area(below).
Above is an example of a printable pdf that opens once an area is selected. The printable pdf is actually a total of 5 pages. Page 1 – shown above – shows the quadrant being looked at. The remaining 4 pages can be printed and combined to provide an enlarged detailed view.
What is a topo map and what is it used for?
Now – you may be wondering to yourself, “Self, what is a topo map and what is it used for?” Well, I will tell you.
Topo maps show the Earth’s terrain, elevation, and landscape using shades of color and lines. Some features of terrain are noted with symbols or small pictures. Generally, man-made objects such as roads and structures are also displayed. Ponds, lakes, and wooded areas can also be determined. Distance can be determined between two areas which could prove extremely useful when hiking, backpacking….or bugging out.
Visit the National Geographic website for more information.
Bad ass! Been looking for this for a long time! Thanks
Very awesome! Thank you.
– Keep Looking UP
You are welcome JBernDrApt!
This is great info. And quite timely as we just bought a really nice lensatic compass at a local gun show. Now I can learn orienteering and other map and compass skills.
Glad you found the information helpful.
It’s a good resource ..
A known source resolution allows for accurate distance estimation, where landmarks (3) can be used to determine where you ARE .. so you can plan which way to go to get where you want to GO, and estimate the distance and difficulty of the trip and therefore time.. While I am working on it, I don’t know what I need to know to do Land Nav without help in spots. I’ll get there.
I’ve saved a lot of PDF’s from here as reference.
If you don’t have access to a printer ow would like it printed on one piece of paper or laminated and either folded in paper or rolled if laminated in your choice of resolution and print sizes I like the following:
http://www.mytopo.com/map.cfm Satellite, topo, ot combined etc etc
Smaller paper maps are pretty cheap, where larger laminated maps are not. Choose whatever fits your budget.
GG58
Thanks for the link GG58.