Free topo and trail maps for your Garmin GPS
If you’re a Garmin owner and aren’t aware of all the free maps available for your unit, you’re in for a treat. Detailed 1:24,000 scale topo maps are available for most states in the US, as well as for some foreign countries. We’re also beginning to see transparent trail maps that can layer on top of topos.
Sources for free Garmin GPS topo maps
- GPS File Depot – The best source for US topo maps, this site also includes a limited selection of international maps, forums, and tutorials. If your state isn’t listed, be sure to check out the regional maps before giving up.
Mapcenter – The best repository of international maps, although you’ll see more highway maps than topo maps.UPDATE: This site is no longer available.
Trail maps too
A new trend has community mappers creating transparent trail maps that layer on top of topos. Here are a couple of notable ones:
- Northwest trails – covers Washington, Idaho, Oregon, Montana, Wyoming, British Columbia and Alaska
- Southwest trails – covers Arizona and New Mexico, with plans to expand to Utah and Nevada
I’m hoping this trend expands to the entire US, especially since Garmin seems to put a low priority on trail data.
Searching for maps
Sometimes a map creator posts a map to his own website, and you won’t find it in one of the above repositories. It’s always worth searching for the name of the area you are looking for + Garmin + img (the file extension used by these maps). You can also experiment with adding terms such as map, topo or contour to your search.
Installing free maps to your Garmin GPS
There are a couple of easy ways to install these maps. If you have MapSource, many will self-register. GPS File Depot has installation instructions for PCs and Macs. If you don’t have MapSource, you can get it for free.
Garmin is adding drag and drop capability to their newer handhelds, so you can rename a .img file to WhateverNameYouWant.img and simply drag it into the Garmin folder. This works as of Oregon firmware version 3.10 and Colorado beta version 2.94.
There are other procedures you can use if you don’t have one of these models and just have a .img file. Here’s one using MapSetToolkit.
Pretty cool, huh? Now grab a map and get outside!
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Yes i have several img files and NO i do not see a gpsmapsupp.img file on the unit in the garmin folder? I see “gmaptz 591kb, gmapbap 49,824kb, and gmapprom 3,101,824 kb, if that’s any help.
Thanks.
You should be able to just drag and drop the .img files over, and not have to fuss with MapSource.
I am trying to transfer and Alaska Topo map from GPSFileDepot to my Garmin Oregon 450 with mapsource. I can build the mapset on mapsource, but when I go to transfer the map, I keep getting the message that ” the request could not be performed because of an I/O device error”. Do you have any suggestions on how to correct this error?
I think your best bet is to ask at the GPS File Depot forums…
http://forums.gpsfiledepot.com/
I have downloaded the AZ map and it has been great for dirt bike riding. great detail for charting out routes. Thanks
I am looking for a marine map for the san francisco bay and the sacramento delta. I want to play around on my sea doo’s and I don’t want to get lost in the maze of the delta. Any recomendations?
I’m use a Garmin 60csx
Mmm, I’m a landlubber, so I’m not the best person to ask. I can’t think of a lot of options, short of buying a Garmin marine chart card (assuming the have coverage for an inland area like that). Another option would be to get a newer generation handheld that can use custom maps and aerial imagery. That would allow you to add scanned marine charts and aerial photos.
Can aerials or satellite images be loaded to the Garmin 60CSx.
Where are instructions how to do this?
Yes, but it’s not the ideal solution…
http://gpstracklog.com/2008/04/moagu-brings-us.html
Better to get a newer model that can use Garmin Custom maps or BirdsEye aerial imagery.
Which of the newer models allow birdseye aerial imagery, do you know?
Yes — All Colorado, Oregon, GPSMAP 62/78 series units and the Dakota 20.
Hi, I really need step by step help on loading topo maps on my Garmin Oregon 200.
I have the GPS and cable to hook to the PC.
Please advise.
Regards, Richard
http://www.gpsfiledepot.com/tutorials/how-to-load-maps-on-my-garmin-gps-unit/
How about maps for Western North Carolina. I have searched for trail maps and can never find any. I have downloaded the topo maps, but without trails, they are next to useless.
There’s this, but the trail coverage will be hit or miss…
http://gpstracklog.com/2010/12/free-mytrails-map-now-covers-37-states.html
But you can find many popular (and even obscure) trails if you’re willing to search for them and load the .gpx file to your GPS. See the Tracks 201 section of this post…
http://gpstracklog.com/2010/03/handheld-gps-101-tracks.html
Rich,,
I am an avid hiker who owns a Etrex Legend, but has always relied on old school map and compass.
I have wanted to upgrade to be able to use maps feature on the GPS receiver, and am excited about the possibility of the free map feature listed on you website.
Which specific Garmin models can use this free map feature, it still isn’t quite clear to me. Thanks, PM
Generally, any unit that doesn’t have a no under “Ability to add maps / storage” on this age will work…
http://gpstracklog.com/compare/garmin-handheld-gps-comparison-chart
I’ll add that there are some additional advantages in the more recent (Dakota, Oregon, 62 series) lines. These include the ability to add custom maps and aerial photos, and some advanced track navigation functionality…
http://gpstracklog.com/2010/07/navigating-tracks-on-the-new-garmin-handhelds.html
http://gpstracklog.com/tag/garmin-custom-maps
Hope that helps. Feel free to ask more.
i recently got my garmin 60csx in the mail. i had already downloaded mapsource then a simple ohio map. it wasn’t what i wanted, it didn’t have state game land marked out along with the topo map, so i decided to go with the NE USA part 3 that had everything i needed and a couple extra states. as i look back all three files saved as exe’s on my computer. i followed the instructions and went to utilities, then manage map product, like it said only to find that i need a 25 or 8 number code to unlock either of these maps… both of them said free on gpsfiledepot, any ideas what i should try next?
thanks in advance!
i figured it out, the yellow triangle-looking thing at the top of the screen in mapsource turns your cursor into a selector to select the quaudrants of the map you would like for export, thanks anyways -shaun
Shaun,
Sorry for the delayed response (I’ve been traveling). Glad you got it figured out. In case it helps — On the 60CSx, you can load multiple maps, but you’ll have to send them to the GPS at the same time (it will erase previously sent map sets when you send a new one). Just select the maps you want, then use the drop down box to change maps, select more, etc. Then send them all to the GPS at the same time.
what if i want to put them on seperate maps on different micro-sd cards, will this illiminate that problem?thanks for the reply
Yes, it will, but you can load them all to the same card and then switch between them using the map setup screen.
thanks for the help rich!
I have a Rino 530 and would like to have access to as many detailed logging roads as possible for the washington area…do you have a particular map down load you can reccomend? also, is there a satellite immages that could be used with that model of garmin?
If you’re talking about Washington State, check out these… http://www.gpsfiledepot.com/maps/state/wa
The Rino doesn’t have the easy aerial imagery capability of the newer series, but you can do it with MOAGU.
I have the garminphone can I use this type of map on it. Want to go geocaching using this gps divice
Looks like you can. Here’s one example…
http://forums.t-mobile.com/t5/Garminfone/TOPO-Maps-on-Garminfone-Here-s-how/td-p/412341
openstreetmap project is providing free maps of the whole world
http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/OSM_Map_On_Garmin/Download
Thanks for the reminder.
I recently bought an Etrex Legend Cx that has cities and western states topo on an SD card already loaded. I can see all the maps are enabled, but I cannot figure out how to access the topos. I see the roads fine, but no topo. I thought that maybe I had to turn off the city navigation maps, but it took like 10 solid minutes of scrolling thru every single maps on there, and it did not work. Then 10 more minutes of solid scrolling to turn them back on. Is there an easier way to access the maps at the bottom of the list? And how do I view the topos?
Thank you VERY MUCH.
This is geared to the 60 series, but it works on eTrex models too…
http://gpstracklog.com/2007/08/switching-betwe.html
See if that works and let us know if you can enable them this way.
Do you have topo maps for southern Africa? it’s for a garmin dekota 20
Try here for free ones…
http://mapcenter.cgpsmapper.com/catalogue.php
Or here for a paid version…
http://www.garmap.com/Catalog/View.aspx?cid=19&vt=2&tag=
Hello, i think my question is much more elementary than the discussions on this board. Gps is at this time totally foreign to me. My husband and I maintain an equestrian trail that surrounds a corp. of engineer reservoir. Currntly, the trail is approx 20 miles, and we are continually adding loops and milage to the trail. I want to be able to create a simple trail map whereby i can name the different loops and points of interest, state the milage of the loops and main trail, and be able to continue to add new loops to the map. I cannot come to grips as to what would be the best gps machine and software to purchase to my needs. Any tips and advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Most recent handheld GPS receivers with a high-sensitivity chipset will do fine. Here’s a good starting point…
http://gpstracklog.com/buyers-guides/handheld-gps-buyers-guide
There are some very good deals available through tomorrow…
http://gpstracklog.com/2011/11/the-best-thanksgiving-weekend-gps-deals.html
As far as maps go, if you’re not going to sell them, you may be able to use National Geographic TOPO. You’d have to check the license on it but I believe that is permitted. You might have to Photoshop in some info, but you could show the trails with it.
Hey there,
Here’s a story idea: with Christmas coming, lots of people will have new GPSrs and maybe some of them will discover they don’t have as many uses for them as they thought they might.
This spring, based on your recommendation, I upgraded from my old Geko to a Dakota and I’m very happy with it. While I bought the Dakota primarily for mountaineering and backcountry skiing, my first real test was a ten day conference in Stockholm. I thought having a street map on the Dakota might help me navigate my way around the city.
Since I was unlikely to visit Stockholm frequently, I was unwilling to pay for commercial maps. After a bit of web hunting, I found openstreetmap.org. This is the user-built street mapping equivalent of Wikipedia.
I downloaded the Stockholm map (already in Garmin format) and easily transferred it to the Dakota. I found the map to be incredibly detailed and accurate. And it was supplemented by hundreds of POIs which made finding restaurants, etc, exceptionally easy. (I should note that Stockholmers are invariably polite and almost all speak English, but I was loathe to ask directions, since these would invariably involve Swedish street names, which are invariably long and incomprehensible to me.) The Dakota flawlessly followed OSM data to provide me with efficient routes to my destination, and frequently located pedestrian routes avoiding roads.
Happy with my Stockholm Openstreetmap experience, I decided to see what was available for my home in Canada. And the answer was – not much. So I set out on my bike to map every foot and bike path, park, body of water, etc. in my home town. Once I had loaded the data from the GPS to computer and then to Openstreetmap’s in-browser editing screen, it was easy to map all the missing features. And other OSM users run sites dedicated to making this data available to Garmin users.
So now I have both free topo maps (from Ibycus) and routable street maps (from OSM)on the Dakota. My wife and Inavigated a month long road trip using OSM maps exclusively. While we noted a few glitches, the maps were mostly dead accurate.
So why not post an article encouraging your many readers to join OSM and start mapping around their homes by foot, bike, or auto? It’s a great way to learn how to use a GPs, to create more detailed maps that you can actually use, to explore your neighborhood, get some exercise, and to benefit other GPS users.
The OSM site contains many tutorials and experienced users are more than willing to answer questions. There’s no limit to how much detail one can map, and I think the Europeans are well ahead of us.
http://bestofosm.org/
THX!
G.
You are a wealth of knowledge and info, thank you!
My question is that I just bought the etrex 20 and bought the 24k western us DVD. On my MacBook, the maps look good, but on my etrex they are nowhere near like the desktop version. I zoom in and out but can’t seem to get the details I want. I followed instructions until it said download complete.
Am I missing something?
What details are you not seeing? Are you seeing all contour lines, trails, roads, place names, etc.?