How to Use Trails.com Topographic Maps

Trails.com has an enormous collection of topographic maps of regions all across North America that you'll find invaluable in planning your outdoor venture. Use them to plan hiking routes, familiarize yourself with the terrain of the region you'll be visiting, or just for the fun of it.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Trails.com subscription (recommended)
• Computer with access to the Internet
• Credit card (if purchasing a membership)

Make the Most of the Trails.com Topographic Maps Feature

1. Open the Trails.com homepage (see Resources below) in your Web browser.
2. Enter your login information if you already have a Trails.com account. If not, consider signing up for one. You don't require one to use topographic maps on Trails.com, but it's highly recommended.
3. Locate the 'Topo Finder' link and click on it. You will be redirected to the 'Topo Maps-Topographic Maps' page. From here, you will learn how to use Trails.com's topographic maps feature.
4. Scroll down the page to find the 'Browse Points Of Interest' heading.
5. Select a link from the short list of popular outdoor sites in the continental United States. You will be redirected to a basic topographic map of the area you chose.
6. Use the scale (shown in both miles and km) to determine the size of the area you're looking at.
7. Find the 'Map Controls' menu.
8. Use the 'Map Zoom Level' feature to zoom in closer or zoom out from the map's current size. Click on a bar closer to the minus sign to zoom out; click on a bar closer to the plus sign to zoom in.
9. Select an option on the 'Map Size' link to increase or decrease the actual size of your topographic map.
10. Use the 'Map Layer' drop-down menu options to view your topographic map 'Topo (un-shaded),' 'Topo (shaded),' 'Aerial Photo (un-shaded)' or 'Aerial Photo (shaded).'
11. Choose an option from beneath the 'Map Tools' heading to save a topographic map, email one to yourself or someone else, print or download your topographic map.
12. Click the 'Show' link accompanying the 'GPS Controls' heading to view the GPS controls for your chosen topographic map.

Tips & Warnings

• Find help at the Trails.com 'Help' pages (see Resources below).
• Try a free 14-day membership to Trails.com. You aren't obligated to purchase a full subscription when it expires, and it will allow you the same access that paid members have to Trails.com for 2 weeks.
• Set up an email account with one of the Internet's free email providers and use it whenever you register for any Web site. This will help keep your primary account secure and safe from advertising and spam.
• Safeguard the integrity of your Trails.com account by logging off every time you finish using the site, particularly if you're doing so from a shared computer.
• Erase your Web browser's cache and history the second you complete and send credit card transactions over the Internet. Check your browser's 'Help' menu if you're unsure exactly how to do this.