If you are like me, you can’t go backpacking every weekend. When you do get out you want to make it the best outdoor experience possible. One of the biggest keys to having an awesome trip is planning.

I spend lots of time planning for each day on my backpacking trips. I want to know how far will each day be, what will the elevation gain/loss be, what will the terrain be like, and what will I see?

This training video is part 2 where I will teach you how to plan your next outdoor adventure. Most of what I teach in this video can be done using the free version of Topo Maps+ on the iPhone.

I would love to hear what you do to plan your outdoor adventures. Leave a comment on this blog post to let me know. I am always looking for new tips to make my experiences even better 🙂

If you are like me, you can’t go backpacking every weekend. When you do get out you want to make it the best outdoor experience possible. Maybe you want to see mountains, alpine lakes & meadows, go through high mountain passes, and still make it to camp by 4:30 so you can relax and enjoy camp in the evening.  If you try and hike too far or have too much elevation gain the experience just isn’t as fun. Instead of basking in the beauty and wonder of nature while you hike, all you can think about is getting to camp and falling into your bed.  On the other hand, if you don’t push yourself a little you might miss out on some amazing remote alpine lakes or lush meadows with snow covered peaks looming over them.

One of the biggest keys to having an awesome trip is planning.  When you take the time to plan out your trip, you are taking the first step towards creating amazing outdoor memories that will last a lifetime.

In this training video I will teach you how to plan your next outdoor adventure. Most of what I teach in this video can be done using the free version of Topo Maps+ on the iPhone.

I would love to hear what you do to plan your outdoor adventures. Leave a comment on this blog post to let me know. I am always looking for new tips to make my experiences even better 🙂

Topo Maps+ has a few different ways to delete any maps you have downloaded to free up more space on your device.

1. Delete individual maps regions

When you are downloading maps you can tap on already downloaded map regions to delete them.  This works well when you need to just delete one or two regions, but it can be tedious when you need to delete a larger area.

2. Select multiple regions

When you are downloading maps you can tap on “Select” in the upper left corner and then select all of the regions you want to delete.  If you have Topo Maps+ PRO you can zoom out and select larger regions as well.  Your selections don’t have to be areas that are fully downloaded.  When you then tap on the “Delete” button on the toolbar, all of the downloaded maps in the selected regions will be deleted.

3. From My Downloaded Maps

You can see which maps you have downloaded and their sizes by selecting “My Data” and then “My Downloaded Maps”.  Here you will see all of the types of maps you have downloaded, how much storage each map type is using, and the total storage for all of the maps.  If you wish to delete all of the maps you can scroll down and delete all of the maps.

You can select individual maps to see a list of downloaded regions for that map and to delete just that one map type.  You can select the individual downloaded regions to jump to their location on the map.

Topo Maps+ works really well for trip planning. I am getting ready to backpack the Devil’s Dome Loop in the Pasayten Wilderness and here is how I used Topo Maps+ to plan this trip.

Routes For Each Day

First I break the trip up into which trails we will hike each day.  To do this I select the trails on the map and then change the end points on the map to find out how long and how much elevation that section will be.  When you select a trail on the map you can move the crosshairs at the ends of the trail to make a new route.  If there isn’t a selectable trail for where I am going, then I trace out the routes.

Click here to learn more about interacting with trails.

The Devil’s Dome Loop starts with a brutal climb, so I decided to make the first day a bit shorter.  When you save your new route you can see the total elevation gain, total elevation loss, and distance in the elevation profile view.  Once I have a route for the day I change the name for this custom route.

To make the route stand out on the map, I then generally change the color.

I will then do this for each day of the trip.  Now, when I zoom out I can see the full loop, with each day’s segment in a different color.

Waypoints For Points of Interest

Once I have the routes set up for each day, I add waypoints for points of interest on the map.  I do this so that those points stand out on the map, and because waypoints are automatically indexes for route sections in Topo Maps+ PRO.

To add a waypoint to the map simply tap and hold on the map, move the crosshairs to where you want the point, and then tap on Add.

You can customize the name and icon for the waypoint once you add it to the map.

Click here to learn more about waypoints.

Organize The Data with Categories

Next I create a category for the trip and add all of my data to the category.  This lets me keep all of the data for the trip organized.  You can access the Category from “My Data” -> My Categories.

Scroll down to the bottom of the Categories to add a new one.  You can give it a name and either choose a built in picture or add your own.

Next select “Add Items to Category” and select the routes and waypoints for the trip.  Alternately, you can select each item on the map, then select Add to Category, and then select the Category you just created.

Click here to learn more about working with Categories.

Sync My Data

Next I sync my data so that it is backed up and so that I can use all of this data on my other devices.  Often I will do these planning steps on my iPad and then use these data on my iPhone when I go out.

To sync your data just select “My Data” -> “Sync.

Click here to learn more about syncing data.

Check out Flickr Photos

I like to see what an area will look like before I get there.  With Topo Maps+ PRO I can look at public Flickr photos along a trail.

Share With Friends

Once I have all of the data for the trip ready to go I share it with my friends that are going on the trip.  This lets them have this data in Topo Maps+ on their iPhones and for the ones that use Android it lets them import the data into the app they use.  While you can export the data, I generally share it.  When you share data it uses a custom Topo Maps+ share format that preserves more of the Topo Maps+ specific information and it lets me update the data and my friends using Topo Maps+ just get the updated information and not duplicate information.

From the Category for you trip, scroll down to the bottom and select “Share Category”.  Then select “Share Map Data with Friends”.  Finally, tap on the “Share” button.

This will bring up your iOS options to share.  Give this link to your friends.  Those who use Topo Maps+ can use the “Import into Topo Maps+” button on the web page.  The others can use the export to KML or GPX buttons.  Most mapping applications support importing KML and GPX files.

Click here to learn more about sharing data.

Download Maps

Now that I have all of the data for the trip, I download all of the maps for the trip.  Tap on Download in the toolbar and then tap on all of the grids you want to download.

Click here to learn more about downloading maps.

Print Maps

Finally I print out the maps for the area I will be visiting.  I never solely rely on technology so I make sure I have printed maps with me.  When you print maps from Topo Maps+ it will print the custom trails and waypoints you added to the map.  If you don’t have an AirPrint printer you can print to from your iOS device, you can email yourself the file to print and then print it from another computer.

To print a map, select “Prepare” -> “Print Map” -> “Print the map on my printer”.

Next pan and zoom the map to get the area you want to print inside the box.  The actual printed map will use zoomed in images inside the selected box.  Once you are ready to print the map, just select “Print” in the upper right corner or “Preview” to see what it will look like.  I generally print out multiple maps for larger trips like this one.

You can use the “Map Options” to change settings like the size of paper or to change to landscape.

After following these steps I have all of the data for my trip, the maps are downloaded and ready for offline use, and I have printed maps of where we are going.  Now its time to hit the trail and have a great time.

In Topo Maps+ you can sync all of your created data (routes, tracks, waypoints, tags, regions, etc) as well as your purchased maps and subscriptions between all of your iOS devices and Mac.  Syncing your data lets you plan a trip on your iPad or Mac and then use that data on your iPhone.  Also, when you sync data, a copy of your data gets pushed to the Topo Maps+ servers.  This is a good way to make sure there is a backup of your data.

To sync your data, tap on the “My Data” button in the top left of the screen and then select “Sync My Data.”

To sync your data you must have a Topo Maps+ account, so if you are not yet logged into your account or if you don’t have an account you will see the login screen.  Fill in your email and password and tap on the “Login” button.

If you need to create an account just tap on the “Create Account” button, fill in your email and password, and then tap on the “Create Account” button again.

Once you are logged in, Topo Maps+ will sync your data to the Topo Maps+ server.

When you are hiking, most likely you don’t want Topo Maps+ using extra battery to keep your data in sync.  By default Topo Maps+ will automatically keep your data in sync when you are on a WIFI network (i.e. at home) and it will not sync your data when you are on a cellular network.  You can change this setting and the setting for automatic sync in the Topo Maps+ settings.

You can have as many of your iOS devices sync with the server as you want.  Devices sync with the server and not directly with each other.

Topo Maps+ 4.1 is now live in the App Store with some great new features.

Notes

Do you ever need to remember something about a waypoint or route.  Maybe it is how to find an amazing huckleberry patch to make the perfect pancakes.  In Topo Maps+ you can take notes on waypoints and routes.  Read more here.

Dates for Tracks

When you view tracks you can now see the date for when that track was recorded.

Change to GPS Auto Center

When you turn on the setting to auto center the map on GPS updates, Topo Maps+ will wait until the new GPS point is at least 10 meters from the old GPS point to update the map.  This will let you scroll the map without auto center jumping you back to your current location.

Waypoint Popover 

When you select a waypoint on the map you now get a summary popover.  When you tap on the popover you get the full details for the waypoint.

Changes for Topo Maps+ on Apple Watch

• Routes on the watch now show more coordinates so they don’t skip corners.
• On the Apple watch, trail overlays don’t show up if they are turned off in the app on the phone.
• Fixed zooming on Apple Watch

Performance and Bug Fixes

• Performance fixes for scrolling the map.
• Fixed a case where low resolution maps would render instead of high resolution even if you have an active map pass.
• Fixed a few crashes that can occur while scrolling or zooming.
• Fixed a case where trails picked up the wrong location when it was on a vertical line.
• Fixed a crash with importing files.
• Fixed sync progress not updating.
• Fixed a case where the map can deadlock and freeze the app.
• Fixed a case where the recording buttons would be faded out.
• Fix for battery draining more with recording tracks.