Trip planning software

[LonePine]

I've been using Hillmap to plan my trips for years but lately the elevations and profile features stopped working. It looks like it's not being supported. I've tried it on several computers and browsers with the same result. This was a great open source software that I first heard about on HST.

What are you folks using (not drugs) for trip planning (again not drugs)?

[TahoeJeff]

Caltopo.com all day long.

[c9h13no3]

Caltopo.com all day long.

Yep, Caltopo is great. Google Earth is good, along with various USGS & Forest Service websites that have snow pack and stream flow data. Sometimes Gaia will have unmapped use trails, but I quit using the app a while back.

[AlmostThere]

Caltopo to share basic routing with others, and my collection of maps.

[oldranger]

Get Ideas from HST, friends, or other sources then just pull out my paper maps. For quick reference I'll use the HST map online but love paper!

[SSSdave]

No dedicated software. Use USGS topos, geological maps, Google Earth, weather and geo sites, other info Excel. If I need to show a route on a topo I can use Photoshop. If I want to calculate elevation gain/loss, just need to plugin altitudes on an custom Excel sheet. Everything is regularly changing with high tech science. For my recent trips to blooming wildflowers in our deserts, I downloaded onto a 16 gb USB stick maybe 30 each free 1:24000 USGS topos in jpg format. Then copied them onto my new moto G6 that I can put into my daypack and open up in the field with the FX app.

https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/topoview/viewer/ ... /-119.8026

[SirBC]

Caltopo (paid) + Google Earth. With the paid Caltopo you can sync/overlay all of your Caltopo routes/waypoints/maps/layers/etc. onto Google Earth as you move around the map. That is quite helpful. I also print Caltopo maps at 11x17 at Kinkos before trips and also export the route to my phone (Gaia GPS). A luxury purchase to go with this all is a 3D Connexion mouse. It allows for effortless zoom/pan/tilt while flying through Google Earth. I love it. Here are a couple of videos showing navigating Google Earth with the Connexion:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAalBmXmnoI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8vuCOAfUWk

[kpeter]

I use CalTopo and Google Earth. I have also used Garmin Basecamp. I find it kludgy and I forget how to use it from one summer to the next, but it does allow me to pick waypoints carefully on a map using my big desktop and then store them in my little Garmin for the trip.

[SirBC]

I use CalTopo and Google Earth. I have also used Garmin Basecamp. I find it kludgy and I forget how to use it from one summer to the next, but it does allow me to pick waypoints carefully on a map using my big desktop and then store them in my little Garmin for the trip.

Are you not able to export waypoints in Caltopo to a GPX file that can be imported into your Garmin device?

[kpeter]

I use CalTopo and Google Earth. I have also used Garmin Basecamp. I find it kludgy and I forget how to use it from one summer to the next, but it does allow me to pick waypoints carefully on a map using my big desktop and then store them in my little Garmin for the trip.

Are you not able to export waypoints in Caltopo to a GPX file that can be imported into your Garmin device?

I've never tried. I've only used Caltopo for the maps and have never placed a waypoint there. It never occurred to me......

As kludgy as Basecamp is, at least it works seamlessly with the Garmin devices.