1. You can customise your route by topographic maps
It’s time to haul out the topographic maps for your next off road adventure and you
have no idea where to get them from. Fortunately, you can purchase and download
current maps of the area you are going to and have it loaded into your GPS or cell
phone so that you can see where you are going. If you are fortunate enough to have
a compatible phone you can have a navigation app loaded to your phone that can be
used with the maps you have just downloaded. You need to be smart about the apps
that you use though, because some of them have limited features and you don’t
want to be stuck in the middle of nowhere with incorrect information.
If you are able to pre-test the app you are using then you should do it within or close
to your neighbourhood. Topographic maps will help indicate the lay of the land and
tell you where all the high spots are, as well as pin point any steep regions that
might be tough to cross if you have a 4x4 for example. The apps you load should
also be able to plot out routes for you along the way. You can customise your route
so that it’s a bit tougher than a flat route, so you can really challenge your off road
skills a bit. If you have had enough of being off road and you just want to get home,
then you can plot out the quickest possible route back home if you really want to.
It’s important to know how to read a topographic map in case you have the plain old
paper maps from back in the day, however, a good app will help you read the map
without any hassles and you might not even need to see the lines on the map to
know what is going on. Each line will represent a specific height at every point along
that line and when the lines are close together that means you have a very steep
slope and is probably not something you could cross easily in an off road vehicle. You
can avoid those rough areas if you need to and plot a safer route that might be
flatter and more suitable to your driving skills.
Not only can you work out what direction to go, but you can figure out how long it
will take you to get there at your current speed. You can mark out pit stops and get
directions to each one as you go, and the whole idea is to have the freedom to go
wherever you want.
Oliver Ethan is a technical author. He provides useful advice through his articles on
topographic maps, latest gadgets, off road maps and mobile apps.