BY: MJ + PJ
This post is about how to use digital maps when there is no cell/mobile network coverage in your area. Our tablet is not mobile connected, nor does it have GPS. This provides a distinct disadvantage when it comes to any offline form of navigation. For this reason we relied on our phones in airplane mode (to save battery and to not be charged for roaming internationally) in which GPS is still active (it is receptive only, no broadcast).
When we were preparing for our visit to Wyoming in 2017 to view the total solar eclipse, we spoke with a ranger on the phone about camping options. He recommended downloading the Avenza Maps app and then the relevant digital maps so we didn’t get lost… not because we sounded incompetent, but because people underestimate Wyoming and the network of backroads and they would rather not have to search and rescue people. (Half a million people live in Wyoming. Half a million vehicles entered Wyoming the weekend of the eclipse in 2017. Do the math on that.)
The basics of Avenza Maps is that it is a (free) interface that can host a library or catalogue of maps of your choosing. From hiking trails to waterfalls, to continental maps of road networks, to nautical maps, to hunting or historical maps. Big deal right? Well, no. With a map opened on a device with GPS you have your location projected on the map (if you are within the scope of the map) and so you know where you are, and where you are not. You can zoom in and around these maps, manipulate various levels of accuracy, search within some maps, as well as measure linear distances with an inbuilt tool. Many of the maps are free, but the more detailed and potentially more specific ones you have to buy – some are single maps and others are packages of maps. Which means you don’t have to have a shoebox full of maps with you. You can upgrade within Avenza to Plus or Pro versions if it suits your needs.
Something that Google Maps has is the ability to download a map of a region which is fully searchable and projects your location onto the map even when in offline mode. The default layer is best, with terrain and satellite layers blurring many features out at a smaller scale. The best thing is they are free – all you have to do is be connected to WiFi, find and then zoom to the area you will be in (blue box shows scale limit), and download the map. Your device must have GPS!
While there is nothing like having a paper map in your hand and blocking half the windscreen of your vehicle and feeling the wind try to wrestle it from your hands, digital maps with GPS can be far more compact and useful. You will learn to love the blue dot.
The other NAVIGATION post discusses being network guided.
