USGS Topo maps

[bdubb78]

Any recommendation for the best place to buy (both price and availability) the USGS topo maps for hunt areas? The USGS store appears to have everything and be cheap, but without being able to preview the map, I am unsure if I am buying the map(s) that will cover my needs for a given hunting unit. Alternatively, I came across huntdata.com which makes it easy by just selecting the unit, but it costs more and is only useful for that unit, whereas a standard USGS map might offer the surrounding areas, too. Open to all advice for finding the best paper map backup option. Thanks.

 

[timberman56]

go to geocommunicator.gov and print out what you need for free

 

[ColoradoHunter719]

you should try OnXMaps. You will have access to Topo, SAT and Hybrid maps with plenty other layers. It will cost you about $35 per one State or $99 for all the States. Cannot find cheaper maps. You can use it with any smart phone and have the option to download maps for offline mode. Look into it...

V/R,
ColoradoHunter719

 

[Keeptrying]

We printed ours off for free and coated them in packing tape. Pretty inexpensive, and we were able to combine the areas we wanted on one map.

 

[belly-deep]

I swear to god hunters are the cheapest people on the planet.

I use mytopo.com

For 14.95, I don't have to make them myself.

 

[Nameless Range]

Because our Government loves us, they give every topo ever made to the public for free.

http://historicalmaps.arcgis.com/usgs/

They are Georeferenced PDFs, so you could use them as basemaps in different GPS software, such as Avenza. Or just print them out yourself.

 

[Gut Shot]

You can get them from the source.

https://store.usgs.gov/

 

[hank4elk]

I am a map guy,always have been.Have a file cabinet half full. A friend gave me a collection of some of the 1st ones done in a leather bookbinding that have a watercolor tone to them,from 1880's.
Just got 4 new & replacements from USGS.
Yeah I can print them & wear them out in a day.Got lots of faded/torn ones too.

I get mytopos done for specific areas I now hunt regularly,particularly when several maps are needed to cover the area. Like right where 4 meet..lol.
They don't tear or wear out on the seams,& are hard to sun fade.

 

[bdubb78]

Thanks for the replies, everyone. Belly-deep you made me laugh for sure on that one. I spend $400 for boots without thinking much of it, but yes, I want to save money where I can on backup plans. It is amusing what we all decide is no big deal to spend on, but where we want to MacGyver life.

I already am running OnX maps, both from the phone and with a chip from my standalone GPS as plan B, but I want insurance for a total technology fail, thus saving coin on something that will likely just ride in my pack (hopefully!). I will probably just use huntdata or mytopo and be done with it at this point. I prefer the large plastic map than patched together printouts, although those would get it done. Many thanks, everyone!

 

[opyff]

Download the Avenza app and you can download as many maps as you want for free or buy some of the nicer maps

 

[Keeptrying]

I swear to god hunters are the cheapest people on the planet.

I use mytopo.com

For 14.95, I don't have to make them myself.

Couple problems with that. First off the maps that show public land boundaries are $20, not $15. That is also for one map. For the area we are hunting this fall we would need four or five of those. That is of course if we use the USGS standard of 1:24,000. That detail works well for us, any less and I feel like it isn't a good payoff in detail versus area. Another issue is map dates. For our area Mytopo shows a map from 1980. Not sure how accurate that is, but I like that USGS let's us file through different dated maps. It's not a matter of being cheap, it is a matter of getting what I want.

Not everyone is technologically proficient enough to get out of that site what is really useful. In fact, my wife had to show me how to operate the site and our printer to get the quadrangles to print on four pages. Once you figure that out it is pretty slick. I think it's 72% size gets them on four sheets.

 

[bdubb78]

Keeptrying--

Nearly every area I am interested in on the USGS store site, at a 1:24,000 level of detail, is dated 1963 or 1982. You have to jump to 1:100,000 to get into a "modern" 2016 map. Nonetheless I can see your point about wanting more detail and having the flexibility of printing. It's something to consider.

 

[Keeptrying]

How interesting. It must really vary. Our area has 1:24,000 from 2015.

We use a Garmin GPS with OnX in Wyoming. Have the printed BLM and FS maps there. South Dakota Game and Fish interactive mapping systems on our phones for here. Just something nice about a big printed map that you can lay out on the table and scribble on.

 

[Irrelevant]

download off the USGS for free, stick it on a thumb drive and have office depot print it (2'x3') for $20.

 

[belly-deep]

Couple problems with that. First off the maps that show public land boundaries are $20, not $15. That is also for one map. For the area we are hunting this fall we would need four or five of those. That is of course if we use the USGS standard of 1:24,000. That detail works well for us, any less and I feel like it isn't a good payoff in detail versus area. Another issue is map dates. For our area Mytopo shows a map from 1980. Not sure how accurate that is, but I like that USGS let's us file through different dated maps. It's not a matter of being cheap, it is a matter of getting what I want.

Not everyone is technologically proficient enough to get out of that site what is really useful. In fact, my wife had to show me how to operate the site and our printer to get the quadrangles to print on four pages. Once you figure that out it is pretty slick. I think it's 72% size gets them on four sheets.

I guess for $14.95 I get to enjoy the luxury of not having to print 8.5 x 11 sheets off my computer and coat them with clear tape. And the website is really easy to use. Like. Really easy. Once I did it, I was a little mad at myself for not getting their maps sooner.

But to each their own.

download off the USGS for free, stick it on a thumb drive and have office depot print it (2'x3') for $20.

That is still more difficult and expensive then ordering custom maps online. They just show up at your door, waterproof paper and everything.

 

[Keeptrying]

I was referring to the USGS website. Takes a little finesse to get what you want. Mytopo does seem easy to use.