National Geographic National Parks Explorer 3D

Item # 750420

$49.95

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REI Member Refund (typically 10%)

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With full maps of 25 National Parks, National Geographic® National Parks Explorer 3D software lets you build custom maps for your next adventure.

Software package contains both PC and Mac versions for full compatibility across platforms, making it easier than ever to plan, print and play!
Includes fully interactive Trails Illustrated Maps™, complete with popular trails and additional travel and recreation information for each park
Users can highlight any selected trail to get elevation profiles, GPS waypoints or view the trail in 3D; users can also draw their own trails
3-D rendering technology creates virtual relief maps that you can "fly through" or view alongside 2-D maps, letting you preview your hike and views
Traveling tool zooms and scrolls the map in any direction; each map has four zoom levels, including a National Geographic Atlas level
Software can determine the exact latitude/longitude and elevation of any point on the map, a feature that helps easily create usable GPS waypoints
Enhanced 3-D digital shading emphasizes changes in elevation, making the maps easier to read and use; shading toggles on and off
Add routes, symbols and text to customize your map; attach note boxes, web links and photos to the objects you place on the map
Select the exact area you need and print a photo-quality custom map on any ink-jet or laser printer or plotter
Transfer your custom waypoint and route information directly to or from most handheld GPS units
Print waterproof trail maps on National Geographic Adventure Paper (sold separately) to take along on your trips
Powerful search function finds trails, camps and campgrounds, lakes and ponds, parks, cities and towns, USGS 7.5' quad names and much more
Export images in standard raster formats (JPG, GIF, etc.) for use in other applications
Share trail files with other TOPO! users on National Geographic's mapXchange website, letting you find new and exciting routes
Each National Park map also includes a PDF document with additional travel and recreation information specific to that park

Includes the following National Park locations: Acadia, ME; Arches, UT; Big Bend, TX; Bryce Canyon, UT; Canyonlands, UT:Needles & Island in the Sky; Channel Islands, CA; Death Valley, CA; Glacier/Waterton, MT/Alberta; Grand Canyon, AZ; Grand Teton, WY; Great Smoky Mountains, TN/NC; Isle Royale, MI; Joshua Tree, CA; Kings Canyon, CA; Mt. Rainier, WA; North Cascades, WA; Olympic, WA; Redwood, CA; Rocky Mountain, CO; Sequoia, CA; Shenandoah, VA; Theodore Roosevelt, ND; Yellowstone, WY/MT; Yosemite, CA; Zion, UT
System requirements: PC - Windows 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000 or XP; 486 DX/66 MHz or higher; 64 MB RAM + 8 MB video memory; CDROM drive; Mac - OS 10.2 or higher; 350 MHz G3 or better; 128 MB RAM + 16 MB video memory; CDROM drive; works with all color and black-and-white printers supported by Windows and Macintosh; works with most popular handheld receivers manufactured by Garmin, Magellan, Suunto, Eagle, and Lowrance. Direct link requires input and output capabilities and a PC cable (all sold separately).

Made in USA.

Item 750420

National Geographic National Parks Explorer 3D Customer Reviews

REVIEW SNAPSHOT®

by PowerReviews

National Geographic National Parks Explorer 3D

4.0

(based on 1 review)

Reviewed by 1 customer

Displaying review 1

Aug

2009

4.0

Good, helpful, insightf, but not perfect

By GC0110

from North Carolina

About Me Value Oriented

Pros

Adaptive and Versatile
Easy To Navigate
Engaging
Lots Of Information
Trails draw themselves

Cons

Can't install to hard drv

Best Uses

Comments about National Geographic National Parks Explorer 3D:

What I like:
1:24K scale with all of the trails very visible, along with other features such as streams, etc. clearly visible. The high tech features, such as getting a 3-D view of the route by doing a fly over, or being able to get a bird's eye view of the topo terrain is also way cool, and quite valuable. e.g. I was looking for some hikes to do recently, using 1:100K topo software, and had a hard time visualizing what the trails would be like and if they were within my stamina level for elevation gain. I could find very little that looked appealing and that my aging knees could handle. With this software I found a number of other hikes that look like they are at my level.

I also love being able to just move the cursor in the vicinity of a trail and have the route drawn automatically snap to it perfectly. No more agonizing of trying to do it free hand, and going astray. The search feature, for finding trails within the park also is a great tool.

Cons: I've been using Nat. Geo's Topo Explorer Deluxe software, and find that for a world class company they don't design stuff well. My biggest beef about this Smokies software is that you can't install it to the hard drive. Instead you have to run it off the DVD which makes for slower operation as the computer has to access it every time you move the display much.

I also thought, or hoped, that it would cover a bit more terrain, such as Nantahala and the Blue Ridge parkway, which it sort of says it does. It doesn't. It's the Smokies, and that's it. The outskirts, which the Blue Ridge impinges on, is part of the software, but once outside the park's boundaries, there's nada.

Neutral: the quirkiness is something you have to get used to, and once you understand it, there's a logic. One of the biggest quirks is how you move the cursor across the map. Saving and opening files is also atypical and takes a little getting used to.