Hello,
I did not see this topic posted on the site, but if it has been addressed already I would appreciate it if someone could direct me to the answer.
I have a new Garmin etrex 30. I live in Washington state and would like to use it to help navigate some trips close to home and hopefully some longer ones. I have never used a GPS before.
I would like to be able to plan out a route at home on my computer and then load it onto the Garmin. I also want to be able to load in the ACA waypoints. Eventually I want to ride the Great Divide route. My question is what maps to purchase for the GPS. The device really did not come with any map detail at all. Garmin has different maps for sale on their site. There are the Topo 24 K DVD maps that are $129 each section. I think to get the Divide and also my home state I would have to buy three of these... I also see that they have a US 100 K that includes the whole US for only $99. In looking around the web I have also seen free maps mentioned but I am not sure how to get these or if they are any good. I would like to know if the free or $99 maps are usually sufficient, or if I need to shell out $387. Although if I have to pay another $387 I will probably send back the GPS and go back to paper maps.
Thank you for your advice.
also checkout
http://www.gpsfiledepot.com/, specifically, their topos. I've been using their Arizona topo, and it's nearly as precise as Garmin's 24k topo, and, it's free!
