A good resource for free topo (topographic) maps. Sometimes you have to piece sections together in powerpoint but it works.

http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?z=19&n=4892560&e=287082&s=100&layer=DRG25&size=l&u=0

June08 update: I had to use topozone for something and I see they’ve sold out to trails.com. It is no longer free. I don’t see the point of trails.com and paying for trip ideas and info. There is so much free information available, who would pay for this service? Besides, it’s bad karma. The outdoor creed is about living free. Paying to be free? Is just does not connect for me.

I’ll see if another site is out there for free maps.

If you go over the the US government USGS site, http://ngmdb.usgs.gov/Other_Resources/rdb_topo.html don’t expect much. I remain deeply dissappointed that with all the tax dollars spent and manhours consumed, YOU STILL CAN’T GET A DECENT MAP from them. Their website also contains too much distracting, bothersome content.

New; here’s a hard to find link to a place on the USGS site for pdf versions of topo maps:

http://store.usgs.gov/b2c_usgs/usgs/maplocator/(layout=6_1_61_48&uiarea=2&ctype=itemList&carea=0000000009)/.do

Here’s another one:

The easiest way is to download a free app for Google Earth, called the Topographical Overlay, that will add a KMZ “layer” of official US topo maps on Google Earth. Once installed you can toggle it on or off. When on, the Topo Overlay displays the standard 7.5 minute topos as one seamless map of the country. See this link for more:  http://www.gearthblog.com/kmfiles/topomaps.kmz