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Free Online Mapping

I have always thought there should be free topographic maps.  The government created them for the people using our tax dollars, so they might as well be put out there for everyone.  Some may remember the once magnificent Topozone.  About 7 years ago you could get huge maps on Topozone that you would take multiple monitors if one wanted to view the whole thing.  Then they shrank the maps making them much less awesome, and finally trails.com bought the site and ruined the whole thing.  I now hate trails.com even more then I already did.  May this post run them out of business.There are many different types/overlays of maps.  I have found satellite images, aerial photographs, and topographical maps to be the most useful in my outdoor pursuits.

There are two ways I have come across to acquire free topo maps (there are actually three, but the boss said I get in trouble if I explain the finer points of software piracy).  There are sites that offer free online maps viewable in the web browser, and programs you download.

Websites: Just a window that opens in a web browser, one can zoom in on what one wants to see.

TerraServer - Is owned by Microsoft and has been around a long time.  It is sponsored by the USGS and MSN Virtual earth.  The topo map you see is based on the zoom level.  Also has aerial photos.

backcountrymaps - Similar to TerraServer but used Google Maps and overlays topos (there are actually a half dozen sites that do this same thing).

Programs: A separate program that is downloaded and installed on a computer

Google Earth - I love Google earth.  About 4 years ago when no one but geeks new about the program,  you could really freak someone out by describing their backyard to them.  Google earth uses satellite images, with the ability to turn on terrain creating a 3D view of the landscape.  While the satellite images can be useful to a hiker, in most places there just isn't quite enough detail.

That is where GPSVisualizer comes in.    I've only used it for Google Earth overlays but there are many other cool tools on the site. In the Google Earth Overlays section there are many choices to choose from including USGS Topos, Canadian Topos, Areal Photograph, Landsat, etc.

One specifies a center point using latitude and longitude.  Then choose the dimensions of the overlay. The type of topo displayed depends on the dimensions chosen.  Anything less then 15km x 15km displays 1:25,000.  I recommend setting the Ground Overlay type to static, so you aren't re-downloading the image every time.  Topo's and Aerial Photographs don't exactly update once a week, many are over a decade old... make that two decades.

NASA World Wind - A very cool open source program.  I don't think the controls are quite as intuitive as Google Earth.  It's designed to be completely navigated by the mouse and keyboard.  This can make things rough until you get the hang of it.  The advantage that World Wind has over Google Earth are the automatic overlays. It has every overlay available on GPSVsualizer built in.   Also if you ever want to hike on the moon or Mars...they've got that covered too.

The one disadvantage of doing maps this way is size.  Most home printers are a little smaller then what I like.  Personally I don't mind taping a few sheets together, and sometimes it's nice to break your trip down.  You don't have to unfold a big map every time.  In the morning just pull out the part that you need, and stow the rest in your pack.

Related Posts: Mappery

Edit:

Andrew added a comment on another nice method of getting  maps in a PDF from from the USGS.

Some stuff I've done (click to enlarge):

Whole route for a climb of Gannet Peak.  Numbers are mile markers, letters were landmarks.  Had a paper with lat/long for all points.

Some 3D views of the above map: