0ur opinion: :We?ve mapped every hill and valley. Download data from the MapSource T0P0 U.S. 2008 DVD directly to your compatible Garmin GPS. Now you can enjoy topographic mapping detail no matter where your adventures take you.
T0P0 U.S. 2008 features digital topographic maps for the U.S., including Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico. lt is available in two different formats making it easy and convenient to load data to your compatible Garmin device: MapSource DVD and preprogrammed micro SD data cards.
Product Description:Garmin's United States T0P0 MapSource CD-R0M is similar to U.S. Geological Survey 1:100,000-scale topographic paper maps. lt includes trip and waypoint management functions that allow you to transfer waypoints, routes, and tracks between your PC and nearly all Garmin GPS units (excluding the GPS 100 family and panel-mount aviation units). With MapSource, you can view highways, roads, hiking trails, snowmobile trails, backwoods trails, elevation contours, point and summit elevations, some bathymetric contours, geographic names, churches, and schools. Shoreline detail is included for lakes, reservoirs, small bodies of water, waterways, rivers, and streams. lcons represent boat ramps, dams, marinas, campgrounds, public facilities, mile markers, first aid stations, picnic sites, swimming areas, ski areas, wrecks, fuel locations, and dangerous and restricted areas.
ln addition, nautical navigational aids for the 50 states are provided, including radio beacons, RAC0Ns, and fog signals; river, harbor, and other lights; and day beacons and lighted and unlighted buoys. Shipwrecks, submerged rocks, obstructions, and other hazards to nautical navigation are also displayed.
Note on compatibility: The trip and waypoint management functions of this product work with nearly all Garmin GPS units, excluding the GPS 100 family and panel-mount aviation units. Specifically, the map-download features of this product work with the eTrex Legend, eTrex Vista, eMap, GPS V, StreetPilot, StreetPilot ColorMap, StreetPilot lll, and GPSMAP 76, 162, 168, 176, and 295. Some units may require a Garmin data card to upload map data.
Testimonials
Average Buyer Rating:

Buyer's feedback: 
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* excellent topographic map add-on ...
The Mapsource topo map cd is a great addon for the Garmin GPS units. The original maps that were preloaded on the GPS handheld unit were very minimal and now I have all the detail I need with the handheld unit. I am a paper map kind of a person so I am very happy with the level of detail that comes with this program. Now my GPS has enough detailed information to tell me exactly where I am so I can find myself on a paper map. Excellent simple program.
Buyer's feedback: 
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Mapping in the US
I think it is a pretty good program but it would be good if the contours were a little tighter. It serves well as a road atlas and has mine names on it but is tough to follow hiking trails. It does work pretty well with the Garmin GPS Map 76S unit
Buyer's feedback: 
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* All Talk, No substance ...
I bought this CD to help me plan a hunting trip in Alaska. I had planned on using the computer topo in conjunction with my GPS to plot routes to lakes, valleys, etc, to hunt. The topo maps for the area I am planning on hunting are incomplete. There are large lakes missing from the map, so the CD is limited in its usefulness to me. I have a paper topo of the same area and will be able to make my hunt no thanks to the CD-topo.
Buyer's feedback: 
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Garmin MapSource CD ROM
Compared to Magellan Mapsend the detail provided by MapSource was poor, not up to date and overall poor quality.
Buyer's feedback: 
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* A Good Companion for Paper Topo Maps ...
First, before you buy this product, you should understand that it is NOT intended to replace good, high-detail paper topo maps. Relying simply on a sensitive piece of electronic equipment without a good map and compass in the backcountry is not a well-advised decision. ("Whoops! Shouldn't have dropped my GPS on those rocks." "Darn! Coulda sworn I packed extra batteries!" You get the picture.)
That said, I've found it to be an excellent supplement to 1:24,000 paper maps. The detail is surprisingly good; I recently completed a section of the Continental Divide Trail in Colorado and found most (but not all) of the trail information from the 7.5' maps on the GPS map. It's nice to be able to instantly correlate your position between the GPS and a paper map, and the contour lines simply make it easier to visualize your position. It also shows points of interest like small lakes and rivers, and even old mines and such. The contour lines do not always perfectly jive up with higher-detail maps, but are close enough. There does seem to be a problem with not enough contour lines at higher magnifications, so you won't want to zoom in too close if you want to see the lay of the land on your unit. Position accuracy, however, was very good and appeared just about spot-on with my paper maps.
Installation is easy and the data meshes seamlessly with other MapSource products (well, City Select, anyway, which is the other MapSource product I currently own). My Garmin GPS60CS holds a tremendous amount of topographical information in its 64 MB internal memory; I fit in almost the entire west half of Colorado plus City Select info for numerous cities between Colorado and Michigan.
One big downside to having so much information loaded is that map-drawing times are achingly slow on my unit, especially if detail is set on Most and Declutter is set to Off. I found that by unselecting topo information for areas I didn't need, drawing times were improved substantially, though still a bit irritating. Scrolling to a new area and waiting for the map to catch up can be tedious. I usually leave Declutter on unless I need a particular detail in an area.
I did not have the opportunity (or the need) to map routes using this software. I have done so with City Select and found it simple and effective, but don't know how this will translate into Topo. I've heard and read that the National Geographic maps are better for route mapping, but your results may vary. I suspect that this is due in large part to the fact that NatGeo maps are 1:24,000 in detail, much higher than USA Topo, so errors will naturally be smaller. Thus far I have not needed to map routes, as I rely on my map and compass more than my electronics for detailed positioning (and my pencil never runs out of batteries), with my GPS as a verification device. I can see where this would be an issue, however, if you do a lot of off-trail exploring or otherwise have the need for a detailed, precise route through tricky country.
Value-wise I'd say USA Topo qualifies as very good, particularly in light of the fact that Garmin tends to nickel-and-dime you to death with all of their maps and accessories. However, you can get USA Topo online for 75 or 80 bucks, and that includes topo information for all 50 states.
My conclusion is that as an advanced, standalone navigation tool for backcountry climing, canyoneering, and other off-trail stuff, USA Topo is a poor choice. It's fine for trail-hikers and those that don't go bushwhacking, but still no replacement for a good 1:24,000 paper map. However, if you use it as a supplemental tool and recognize its limitations, it's just dandy.