Have my first gps (Garmin 78s) and would like advice on gps maps. I mainly kayak inland rivers in Florida. Would like a maps that allows me to identify rivers, put-ins and potential take-outs with details of roads for shuttling. Guess the more details the better. Thanks, Ted
How about the Go Paddling
How about the Go Paddling heading above where you can find launch sites. Or even better is the American Whitewater Association website under River Info. It has very good maps with detail but of course it probably has no coverage in flat Florida rivers.
get topo maps
– Last Updated: Jan-26-14 7:30 PM EST –
For most paddling, topo maps are more useful than the marine charts. I think the device you have came with the marine charts?
Topo maps for the US are provided by the government, and as such, the basic data is free (but companies can charge for formatting it for specific devices and such). You might be able to get them for free at http://gpsfiledepot.com/. I have installed them from there on to my Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx.
Keep in mind, geography (especially related to rivers) changes over time, so topos won't be exact..
Topos and Birds Eye
I use free topos from the gpsfiledepot in combo with Garmin BirdsEye sat subscription. Most rivers I do are wide enough to not be completely choked with trees, so being able to see a picture of the area can help.
Check out Google Maps sat images for where you planning on kayaking to see if the BirdsEye is worthwhile in the areas you want to go.