CALTOPO TUTORIAL // Backcountry Mapping Made Easy

Caltopo Tutorial - Backcountry Mapping Made Easy

Caltopo is a free mapping tool that helps you create great high quality topographic maps. With Caltopo you can create routes and waypoints for your next backpacking or backcountry hiking adventure.

In this video tutorial, I will show you the basics of the interface, how to create markers (points), plan a route and print high quality topographic maps using some of the common base map and overlay features. We will also analyze a route using the elevation profile tool and terrain statistics.

[Outdoorsadventure]

Good information. Thanks for sharing. 🙂👍

[chancecarl]

Amazing video! You have a very effective way of explaining things without adding additional confusing info. Appreciate the effort that went into this video!

[retired]

Excellent tutorial. It shows you put a lot effort into this to help all the rest of us. Thank you!

[WildWestTrail]

dude great tutorial. cal topo is such an important tool for backcountry exploration. this is what we used when we mapped out the wild west trail. thanks for sharing!

[tweedytreks]

Excellent video and clarification. I'm much more confident in utilizing this tool now.

[rawhideadventures]

Finally, I found an in depth explanation that I can understand. Thanks good sir.

[maryholler]

Great video. I can’t wait to start making my own maps.

[tsmith]

Great presentation. Concise and clear...good job!

[richfanman]

This was an AWESOME instructional video. Thanks so much.

[carlwilliams]

Edit: I spoke too soon! If I click on the route, it brings up a different menu then the one you showed. It does give an option to extend. However, when I click on it, every street and trail on the map turns bright yellow, and my route disappears!

!Excellent tutorial! Very clear and concise. I was trying to find out how to extend the route. I searched through the calitopo material, and watched two other tutorials, without success. 14:47 You nailed it, and it's so simple I feel a little silly! But then, there are so many options on these apps, It can be overwhelming. Sometimes you can't see the forest for the trees! Great job and I'm definitely a subscriber!

[gl]

Thank you!! You covered about anything hikers would want to know

[jsbedrozo]

Thank you so much for this, Sir! Very helpful!

[WildWonderfulWeekends]

Excellent video... great information and very well presented.

[cctvmanbob]

Great video !
Thank you very much ..

[Athreehourtour]

great video thanks so much for doing this

[phillipg]

Really enjoyed this and coincidentally I’m using it for Adirondack back country bushwhacking :) and a 46er familiar with your Wright Peak example. Great content!

[OPMfan]

Thanks for the detailed tutorial on how to use CalTopo. When I took a Land Navigation class at REI, the instructor used CalTopo. But he never taught us how to create Maps. This tutorial fills that void. Quick question, does CalTopo give you the option to save maps in GPX format?

[alejandro]

Thanks for your useful posts. Question, I just found these apps. Does your tutorial work with trial version?

[gausselim]

This was awesome... great tutorial. I've been trying to find a details backcountry map service for my phone, instead of using Gaia, Avenza, or All Trails. I take it that once the maps are downloaded, it should be easy enough to pull up on my phone and use the GPS locator to see my location?

[smokejumper]

Thanks for the great video, I just found out about CalTopo and trying to figure it out now. Video is a great for getting me started. I did scroll though the comments and see that you kind of bounced around my question for you though, and my question is, if I import the map into Avenza, will it be geo-referenced, I teach map and compass as well as gps stuff to a lot of fire folks, but they always want the ability to have a geo-referenced map. Some just dont feel comfortable without the blue dot.