BajaNomad

maps

mac - 12-19-2018 at 07:08 AM

Hello - I am new to this fantastic forum and have been trying to find the info I am after without bothering anyone.

But to no avail - I would like to purchase a road map of Baja - I like maps very much anyway and enjoy pouring over them before my trip (Feb2019)

To contradict myself........ I would also like to ask which is the best in-car navigation system for maps

Thank you all very much

David K - 12-19-2018 at 09:44 AM

The last good paper road map was the 2010 AAA Baja map. The last good topo map book was the 2009 Baja California Almanac.

Satellite navigation has several options. LB Maps is one. I have the Earthmate AP on my smartphone and it was helpful using it with a Garmin inReach device.

David K - 12-19-2018 at 09:46 AM

Have you seen my 30 maps made this year? They are in the Road Conditions forum on Nomad. Feel free to copy them if it helps.

JZ - 12-19-2018 at 10:57 AM

Quote: Originally posted by mac  
Hello - I am new to this fantastic forum and have been trying to find the info I am after without bothering anyone.

But to no avail - I would like to purchase a road map of Baja - I like maps very much anyway and enjoy pouring over them before my trip (Feb2019)

To contradict myself........ I would also like to ask which is the best in-car navigation system for maps

Thank you all very much


Gaia or Back Country Navigator for offroad. They are apps you run on your phone. Both are much better than Earthmate. I prefer, BCN, but it is Android only.

Google Maps for paved roads. Gaia and BCN do have paved roads as well. Just not the fancy turn by turn directions.

All three allow you do use maps offline w/o cell service, but you have to set them up to do so. Old school standalone GPS's like Garmin are complete trash compared to modern GPS apps on SmartPhones.


Do offroad trip planning on Google Earth. Export it to your phone app.



[Edited on 12-19-2018 by JZ]

mtgoat666 - 12-19-2018 at 11:02 AM

Quote: Originally posted by mac  
Hello - I am new to this fantastic forum and have been trying to find the info I am after without bothering anyone.

But to no avail - I would like to purchase a road map of Baja - I like maps very much anyway and enjoy pouring over them before my trip (Feb2019)

To contradict myself........ I would also like to ask which is the best in-car navigation system for maps

Thank you all very much


For paper, national geographic sells a 2 map set of baja. Guia Roji sells a few paper road maps of baja. Available online.

I like the nat geo set.

HeyMulegeScott - 12-19-2018 at 11:05 AM

David K has some great maps.

We use a combination of Google and Garmin for navigation. You can download the Baja as offline area to your phone. We also have a trusty Garmin Nuvi GPS with North America maps that includes Mexico. You can go to iOverlander and download their entire Mexico database which includes campgrounds, restaurants, stores, places to get water etc. and upload it to your GPS and Basecamp desktop PC app for free. Works great no cell signal needed http://app.ioverlander.com/places/search.gpx?country=MEX&...

Screen shot in Basecamp with ioverlander data-


We also have a Garmin InReach for offroad navigation and two-way sat. communication.

[Edited on 12-19-2018 by Three2tango]

pacificobob - 12-19-2018 at 11:37 AM

Quote: Originally posted by David K  
The last good paper road map was the 2010 AAA Baja map. The last good topo map book was the 2009 Baja California Almanac.

Satellite navigation has several options. LB Maps is one. I have the Earthmate AP on my smartphone and it was helpful using it with a Garmin inReach device.


a few years back i bought 2 National Geographic maps BC &BCS. although they were printed on very high-quality water/tear resistant paper they turned out to be remarkably crappy maps. they did however show where mex hwy 1 was located.

JZ - 12-19-2018 at 11:55 AM

Quote: Originally posted by Three2tango  
David K has some great maps.

We use a combination of Google and Garmin for navigation. You can download the Baja as offline area to your phone. We also have a trusty Garmin Nuvi GPS with North America maps that includes Mexico. You can go to iOverlander and download their entire Mexico database which includes campgrounds, restaurants, stores, places to get water etc. and upload it to your GPS and Basecamp desktop PC app for free. Works great no cell signal needed http://app.ioverlander.com/places/search.gpx?country=MEX&...

We also have a Garmin InReach for offroad navigation and two-way sat. communication.

[Edited on 12-19-2018 by Three2tango]


Garmin was cool 10-15 years ago. It's outdated now. Much easier to use apps now.


[Edited on 12-19-2018 by JZ]

KasloKid - 12-19-2018 at 12:02 PM

If you're old school and have a Garmin Nuvi GPS, City Navigator North America will work fine for highway use. Ensure it includes Mexico. Hard to get in USA that's included with a GPS purchase, but you can download from Garmin's web site. This map is routable, meaning you can input an address or destination and it'll lead you there.
https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/p/1456#overview

Printed maps... seems that David K has it covered....

Bob and Susan - 12-19-2018 at 12:24 PM

i have these in the car...

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Baja-California-Mexico-Map-Pack-Bun...

David K - 12-19-2018 at 12:28 PM

Quote: Originally posted by Bob and Susan  
i have these in the car...

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Baja-California-Mexico-Map-Pack-Bun...

Yes, these are beautiful, BIG maps but not a lot of travelers info (like the AAA maps which have mileages on every road shown and gas stations located). They were made in 2008, I recall? The good thing is they are still available whereas the AAA and Almanac maps are out-of-print and pricy now.

willardguy - 12-19-2018 at 12:45 PM

Quote: Originally posted by pacificobob  
Quote: Originally posted by David K  
The last good paper road map was the 2010 AAA Baja map. The last good topo map book was the 2009 Baja California Almanac.

Satellite navigation has several options. LB Maps is one. I have the Earthmate AP on my smartphone and it was helpful using it with a Garmin inReach device.


a few years back i bought 2 National Geographic maps BC &BCS. although they were printed on very high-quality water/tear resistant paper they turned out to be remarkably crappy maps. they did however show where mex hwy 1 was located.


lol.. I too have a brand new set of these I don't think i've ever opened, I just dug em out of the car and sure enough they're beautiful maps, but pretty useless. im thinking take a sharpie to em and add Davids stuff and they'd be nice maps!:P

David K - 12-19-2018 at 01:40 PM

Thanks Willard,
I would like to finish covering all of Baja and be able to splice them together. Just a lot of work because I am trying to use all my notes and place exactly all the roads I have traveled and logged. I still am missing the Sierra Juarez and a few sections.

Taco Feliz, who created my book's cover art, was kind enough to splice three or four of my maps together (not easy because they are not all the same scale) for my Baja Bound article on the Seven Sisters road.



[Edited on 10-27-2021 by David K]

HeyMulegeScott - 12-19-2018 at 06:57 PM

JZ - Your phone uses GPS and cell towers (if available) to calculate position. My Garmin InReach is more accurate because it includes a digital compass, and barometer. It's not an either or since you can pair the Garmin to your phone and iPad and still have a more robust backup with 2way sat communication.

KasloKid - Yeah the Garmin Nuvi is old school that keeps on working. The maps have been updated, include Mexico, and have worked well in Baja for the past two years. I wouldn't want it as my only GPS but we have at least four other options.

JZ - 12-19-2018 at 10:13 PM

Quote: Originally posted by Three2tango  
JZ - Your phone uses GPS and cell towers (if available) to calculate position. My Garmin InReach is more accurate because it includes a digital compass, and barometer. It's not an either or since you can pair the Garmin to your phone and iPad and still have a more robust backup with 2way sat communication.



Very long time boater. We've been to 90% of the islands in the Sea of Cortez. Owned a dozen GPSs over the years. The apps on my phones crush them all. I use Navonics on the water and BCN on dirt roads.

No cell service required. GPS is incredibly accurate. Today's smartphones have built in barometers for altitude.

The smartphone is what controls the drones I fly. The drone finds it's way back to us from miles away using the GPS on the phone. It can even transmit back to the drone your current elevation in real time as you go up a mountain. The drone can keep the same height ratio for filming.

On a boat, it shows you w/in 10 feet accuracy of where rocks are.

And we haven't even discussed how much easier these apps are to use. If you are using a Garmin GPS or Garmin mapping app in 2018 you still believe in dinosaurs.

Inreach is decent, and its 2-way text capability is awesome, but Garmin bought them. Hope they don't screw that up.


[Edited on 12-20-2018 by JZ]

mtgoat666 - 12-19-2018 at 11:02 PM

Quote: Originally posted by JZ  
Quote: Originally posted by Three2tango  
JZ - Your phone uses GPS and cell towers (if available) to calculate position. My Garmin InReach is more accurate because it includes a digital compass, and barometer. It's not an either or since you can pair the Garmin to your phone and iPad and still have a more robust backup with 2way sat communication.



Very long time boater.

GPS, blah, blah, blah

On a boat, we know w/in 10 feet accuracy of where rocks are.


10 ft accuracy for mapped navigation hazards? Your trust of apps and map accuracy of navigation hazards may get you in trouble some day.

JZ - 12-19-2018 at 11:12 PM

Quote: Originally posted by mtgoat666  


10 ft accuracy for mapped navigation hazards? Your trust of apps and map accuracy of navigation hazards may get you in trouble some day.


Well, sitting at home on your couch you are guaranteed to be safe my friend. So don't worry, worst case for you is a hang nail from chit posting.



mtgoat666 - 12-19-2018 at 11:27 PM

Quote: Originally posted by JZ  
Quote: Originally posted by mtgoat666  


10 ft accuracy for mapped navigation hazards? Your trust of apps and map accuracy of navigation hazards may get you in trouble some day.


Well, sitting at home on your couch you are guaranteed to be safe my friend. So don't worry, worst case for you is a hang nail from chit posting.



Jizz,
For “a long time boater,” you sure haven’t learned much.

thebajarunner - 12-20-2018 at 09:29 AM

The latest AAA map you can find
then find the areas you plan to visit and copy off David K's maps for those quadrants.
Easy, cheap and probably the most accurate you will find

We used them this year for Pacific coast travel from San Ignacio all the way up to Punta Falsa and beyond...
Very good to have along.

4x4abc - 12-20-2018 at 09:36 AM

Quote: Originally posted by David K  




where did you find Rancho Lazaro?
Nothing on Google Earth

HeyMulegeScott - 12-20-2018 at 11:18 AM

Quote: Originally posted by JZ  
Quote: Originally posted by Three2tango  
JZ - Your phone uses GPS and cell towers (if available) to calculate position. My Garmin InReach is more accurate because it includes a digital compass, and barometer. It's not an either or since you can pair the Garmin to your phone and iPad and still have a more robust backup with 2way sat communication.



Very long time boater. We've been to 90% of the islands in the Sea of Cortez. Owned a dozen GPSs over the years. The apps on my phones crush them all. I use Navonics on the water and BCN on dirt roads.

No cell service required. GPS is incredibly accurate. Today's smartphones have built in barometers for altitude.

The smartphone is what controls the drones I fly. The drone finds it's way back to us from miles away using the GPS on the phone. It can even transmit back to the drone your current elevation in real time as you go up a mountain. The drone can keep the same height ratio for filming.

On a boat, it shows you w/in 10 feet accuracy of where rocks are.

And we haven't even discussed how much easier these apps are to use. If you are using a Garmin GPS or Garmin mapping app in 2018 you still believe in dinosaurs.

Inreach is decent, and its 2-way text capability is awesome, but Garmin bought them. Hope they don't screw that up.


[Edited on 12-20-2018 by JZ]


Your phone uses gps and the network (if available) to improve accuracy. If you have a DJI drone the gps, barometer, and compass are all built into the drone. Your phone is just controlling functions.

I guess the guys in trophy trucks down in Baja doing 100 mph out in the desert in zero visibility using their stand alone gps units don't realize you have a better solution with your phone.

JZ - 12-20-2018 at 11:45 AM

Quote: Originally posted by Three2tango  


Your phone uses gps and the network (if available) to improve accuracy. If you have a DJI drone the gps, barometer, and compass are all built into the drone. Your phone is just controlling functions.

I guess the guys in trophy trucks down in Baja doing 100 mph out in the desert in zero visibility using their stand alone gps units don't realize you have a better solution with your phone.


Both the phone AND drone have a barometer, gps, and compass The phone tells the drone what height and location it is at so the drone can follow you as you climb or descend.

Wi-Fi networks can help improve location accuracy if, say, you are inside a building. That's an added benefit over a standalone GPS, not a knock on Smartphone GPSs. Smartphone GPS accuracy (w/o a network connection) today is about 5 meters. New Broadcom chips are hitting the market that will take that accuracy down to 1 meter.

Nice attempt at trying to move the goal posts with the TT reference.

In sum, Garmin was good 10 years ago.



[Edited on 12-20-2018 by JZ]

David K - 12-20-2018 at 11:59 AM

Quote: Originally posted by 4x4abc  


where did you find Rancho Lazaro?
Nothing on Google Earth


29° 24.489'N, 115° 2.416'W

I drove by it twice in 2017. Here is from my Nomad Trip Report (#4):


So, after taking photos around San José, I drove back up the hill to Mile 19.4 for the coastal road north. Zero my trip odometer...

0.0 Junction Coastal Road and Faro San José road from Hwy 1, Km. 168 (near Cataviña).
4.3 Steep, eroded grade up (4WD).
5.0 Second grade up.
13.1 Los Morros. White picket fence around house. Rocky beach.
16.8 Enter Arroyo Lazaro from the south.
17.2 Rancho Lazaro
20.9 Road to beach, 0.3 mi, rocky. See photo of Acantilado los Candeleros.
22.6 Junction with inland road (2 miles from Puerto Canoas)

This coastal route (22.6 mi took 1.5 hours to drive). Now, I will turn around and drive it south...

0.0 Junction coastal and inland roads, go right, fresh grading. The grading doesn't last or was washed out by this season's rains. 1:36pm
1.7 Road right to a rocky beach with an impressive cliff, see photo.
5.2 & 5.4 driveway to Ranch (Rancho Lazaro) in Arroyo Lazaro.
9.5 Los Morros, white fence. 2:16pm
10.5 Steep grade up.
16.2 Steep grade up.
17.5 Big grade down.
18.2 Big grade down.
22.6 Junction Faro San José/ Cataviña graded road. 3:05pm

On my map, the mileages are all to the black darts, which include some roads beyond the above logs.


Rancho Lazaro is where I wrote in 11.5


This sign (near Canoas) pointed the way to both Rancho Lazaro and Los Morros:





[Edited on 10-27-2021 by David K]

TMW - 12-20-2018 at 01:20 PM

When we went by there last month it looked abandoned. On previous trips I've seen people there but that was a couple of years ago..

David K - 12-20-2018 at 01:36 PM

Things change all the time. I was there in April of 2017 and as the road goes around the ranch perimeter, I also did not see people that day but the home looked 'normal' and not busted up as you see at Guayaquil, or Guillermo Prieto, or El Arco, all abandoned towns... except for maybe one rancho set up in the middle at the last two.

Any road guide is only accurate the day the author was there... I hope to be asked to do updates every year or two, like the auto club used to do. If not me, my work is designed to easily be updated or added to by anyone. There are many more roads in Baja than I traveled the past two years... but I tried to hit all the popular or interesting ones I could in the time I was researching. I think a recently researched guide is still valuable. Heck, Gerhard & Gulick's Lower California Guidebook was researched in the 1950s and it was still a valuable guide for decades later. Guides also serve to document the way things were, for history.

Eatmorefish - 12-21-2018 at 11:13 AM

JZ, what map did you load into Gaia, or did you just use the stock one? Thanks.

JZ - 12-21-2018 at 12:35 PM

I use Back Country Navigator. Use the stock satellite and topo maps.

Load all my tracks on top of those. Created the tracks with Google Earth and exported them.

BCN and Gaia Apps ?

jaymtb - 12-23-2018 at 10:51 AM

Do either of these Apps on Android allow you to store offline maps on the SD card, to avoid filling internal memory?
Thanks

JZ - 12-23-2018 at 12:13 PM

Quote: Originally posted by jaymtb  
Do either of these Apps on Android allow you to store offline maps on the SD card, to avoid filling internal memory?
Thanks


Yes for BCN. StuckSucks probably knows for Gaia.

https://crittermap.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/215564103-U...


[Edited on 12-23-2018 by JZ]

4x4abc - 12-24-2018 at 12:20 PM

Quote: Originally posted by David K  
Quote: Originally posted by 4x4abc  


where did you find Rancho Lazaro?
Nothing on Google Earth


29° 24.489'N, 115° 2.416'W

I drove by it twice in 2017. Here is from my Nomad Trip Report (#4):



The map maker was especially creative south of San Jose de la Piedra. Bahia Corbin? A. El Jakerú? C El Butchero? Playa Christie? Punta Baja Bob? Ha!