Garmin Topo US 24K

by Garmin

Product Description

Garmin's new TOPO U.S. 24K gives you the highest level of topographic detail available. They have taken 24K topo data for the U.S. and have made regionalized coverage available on a preprogrammed microSD cards with SD adapter. These new TOPO U.S. 24K regions will help ensure you're ready for your next backpacking, hiking or camping adventure!

Note: MicroSD card and DVD are pictured, yet the DVD is sold separately.

Product Details

• Shipping Information: View shipping rates and policies
• ASIN: B004RZ00P4
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Proper routing, poor topo-details, December 4, 2008

By 

Heiko Strehlow (Milpitas, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Garmin MapSource TOPO! US 24k West Topographic Coverage for California and Nevada (microSD/SD Card) (Electronics)

I received these topo-maps about two weeks ago and used them for road navigation (car) and trail navigation (MTB) so far on an etrex Vista HCx. My overall impression is mixed I have to admit.
From the start:
Installation is nice and easy, just pop in the micro-SD, power up the Garmin and the gadget will do the rest. In less than 5 minutes the map-set is completely configured and ready to go. I like this much better than the hassle with the DVD and transfer via USB cable which takes aeons. I made a backup of the SD card, yet I don't know if this will work the reverse way if I have to restore the SD. I recently read that this might cause problems but I don't have any experience with this.
Using it on the road it works well, fast calculation, precise directions. But this is definitely not what I bought it for.
So I took it to Lake Chabot (Anthony Chabot Regional Park) and... I was lost. Not a single one of the trails going round the lake was indicated. I rode into the golf course trying to get through somewhere, had to go back. Next through a nearby village, again, no trail indicated. Asked a resident and she told me where to get back on the trail. Fine. At least I was able to use the compass with the map to get back to my starting point. All in all: disappointing.
One week later up to Mission Peak. This time I was smarter and took a map of the Regional Preserve with me. And again, none of the trails indicated on the Garmin. Without the map I would have probably again been lost. Garmin and the map together worked well, but honestly saying the map alone would have been sufficient.
There are however some trails correctly indicated in parks and preserves which I can tell because I rode them earlier. But you'll better make sure that trails are displayed on the Garmin BEFORE you go there. Otherwise take a paper map with you. Well, I know you should always do this when hiking in the mountains where no official trails exist. But for park trails??
A downside of the SD card: you cannot use it on your PC for route planning, track or waypoint readout or whatever unless you have another map set on CD with the MapSource-SW. Think you can download MapSource from the Garmin homepage and activate it with the code of the SD-based maps? No way! Aaaaargh!!!

Summary: If you need a supplement of topo-maps when you already own MapSource it is probably alright because you can easily check on your PC and plan your trip before hitting the trail. Or you can check if there is any trail indicated at all. For the actual price it is still alright, but always make sure you have a paper-made backup with you if you are not 100 % sure that you can rely on the etrex.

30 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not what I expected. Check product limitations., September 29, 2008

By 

Jeri J. Boe "JB" (Bend, OR USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Garmin US TOPO! 24K Topographical Maps of Washington and Oregon (microSD/SD Card) (Electronics)

This software was purchased to be used with the Garmin Rino 530HCX units, but this review may apply to other units as well, so beware.

First to note: You can only use this on one unit, and you are not able to backup the software for safekeeping or for use on more than one unit if you happen to own more than one. One card per unit. If you overwrite it, you loose it. You cannot use this card for viewing on your computer, or back it up for safekeeping. It has a lock code that prevents you from using it in any manner but inserting it into the gps unit. Technical support will not help you with this issue.It does not state any of this on the box. It is a micro SD card with an adapter, so it is small.
Second: On the Rino 530HCX, this product only gives the elevation contour of the area, with roads and some trails. No DEM shading, no 3-D modeling, etc. These limitations are not noted on or in the box, or anywhere on the Garmin website. Technical support said the flat contour map may be more detailed than the US topo map on CD, but they were not specific as to the differences, if any.

I visited the Garmin website, and it did say it had limited capability, and gave a few examples:

From the Garmin website:
" "Limited capability" may mean that a unit may be able to draw all the map features from the MapSource software, such as roads, lakes, nav-aids, depth contours, wrecks, etc., but the interactive capability of the maps may be limited. For example, you may not be able to "find nearest marinas" or look up additional text about a specific mapping feature. "

So before you purchase this product, or any other software product of this nature from Garmin, realize that they may not be fully disclosing all of the pertinent information.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolute GeoCache Heaven !, January 3, 2009

By 

hdtravel (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Garmin US TOPO 24K Topographical Maps of United States Mountain Central Region (microSD/SD Card) (Electronics)

For the first time Garmin is beginning to roll out 24K Topo maps on very convenient microSD cards. ( includes SD card adapter ) No computer needed, just put it in your unit and go. No fuss, no muss !

All I can say is it is about time !

They are starting with the western states and going east. If your state is not covered yet, please be patient. They are all coming.

This is the highest level of mapping detail available for your Garmin unit. They work best on the new Colorado and Oregon series units as you will see see 3-D views and color terrain shading on these units only. Very Nice !!

These are a must have for hikers, geocachers and any outdoor enthusiasts.

Highly recommended !!

2115|R1CJSDA07ST1Y5;2115|R2QF1UCP4Y111D;2115|R2I26DLHBB8E0B;