BWCA/Ontario Maps

[Frenchy19]

I am new to this site and to the world of handheld GPS units, and I am looking for maps of the Boundary Waters (BWCA) and Quetico (in Ontario) that have portages and campsites listed.  Also, I am a Mac user. 

I know I can purchase maps from Garmin (I just got a 62s), but at a hundred bucks a pop, I thought I'd ask around before spending that much cash.  Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

[Seldom]

I don't see anything in the Canada map section, and I know that marine maps for the US are few and far between.  Most folks buy from Garmin.  The problem is bathymetry data.  If you have a paper map you can scan, or a JPG of an area, you could try making a Garmin Custom Map.  A tutorial for that is here:
http://www.garmin.com/us/products/onthetrail/custommaps

[maps4gps]

If you check under Minnesota you will find a BWCA Campsites & Portages mapset.
I believe 'My Trails ... & POIs' added a lot of data for BWCA about a year ago.
Canadian map authors seldom use this site.  Did you Google for Quetico or Ontario mapsets?

[Frenchy19]

Thanks for the suggestions...I'll probably try the Red Pine Mapping product that was recently made available for Mac users.  It's about 1/2 the price of the Garmin and contains all of the Quetico as well.

[jbensman]

I found some Quetico campsite and portage data: http://w3.cs.jmu.edu/arch/hobbies/camp/maps/quet-pcd/code/index.php

I emailed the owner to ask permisison to add the data to My Trails.  Since My Trails is  non commerical use, I am not sure if I need permission (site said permisison needed for commerical use).  But I am asking anyway.

[Frenchy19]

jbensman-thanks; I will look into this possibility!

[schweady]

If you check under Minnesota you will find a BWCA Campsites & Portages mapset.

I use an iMac. Do you know how I might get this Windoze only mapset installed on my 62st?

[Boyd]

Windows maps can be converted for use on your Mac, but the ONLY way to do this requires the use of a Windows machine. Maybe you have a friend with a Windows computer or maybe a computer at work?

First, install Basecamp on the Windows machine unless it's already installed: http://www8.garmin.com/support/download_details.jsp?id=4435

Next download/install the map you want to convert, and confirm that you can view it in Basecamp. Now download/install Garmin mapconverter: http://www8.garmin.com/support/download_details.jsp?id=3898

Run mapconverter and you will see a list of all maps installed on the Windows machine. Select the one(s) you want to convert. After converting you will have one or more file folders with a .gmapi extension. Copy these folders to a USB flash drive, DVD or external harddrive. You could also use a network if your Mac is connected.

On the mac, install Basecamp first: http://www8.garmin.com/support/download_details.jsp?id=4449

Finally, connect the flash drive to your Mac and double-click each .gmapi file. MapManager should open and ask if you want to install the map.

Yes, it really is that complicated. No, you cannot convert a map without using a Windows computer (or Windows running on your Mac with BootCamp or Parallels).

[schweady]

This is perfect. A fishing buddy is the computer instructor at the high school from which I recently retired, so it is certainly doable. I tried downloading that mapset in his lab a few months back and had my flash drive ready and everything, but could not figure out what to do with the resulting .exe files, etc. Looks like it will take a bit of time, but not all that complicated. Especially when I look back at all of the convoluted things we had to do to make those Windoze machines at school do what we wanted.

Thanks!

[Boyd]

Great, let us know how it works for you. It might take a little time to download and install the maps and the software, but the actual process of converting the map should be quite quick, and they will install quickly on your Mac after you've downloaded and installed Basecamp too.

FWIW, my 2008 MacBook Pro developed hardware issues that were making it unreliable so I just replaced it with a 13" MacBook Air. I've had some misgivings about Apple recently but have to say this is one *really* impressive little computer. CPU almost 2x the speed of my 2008 Mac and the 256GB SSD (solid state disk) is blinding fast - maybe 5x the speed of a hard drive. All of this in a computer that cost half of what I paid in 2008. 

[schweady]

Well, I finally got around to following your instructions, Boyd. It actually was pretty easy and took only a few minutes, but the results were certainly disappointing. I was glad to have gone through the process for future reference, but -- thankfully -- I had previously found multiple solutions which are far superior.

On both computer platforms, I wound up with an opaque map that had dozens of straight line markings similar to tracks but not. Turns out to be just a map that includes markings for portages and campsites, but they aren't waypoints or tracks so keeping it seems rather pointless, especially with no obvious way to change the opacity.

Thanks anyway, for your very clear directions.