ADVENTURE CYCLING WITH GPS
Adventure Cycling offers GPS waypoints that you can download and use on a PC or handheld computer to build routes for a GPS device. The GPS data is not very useful by itself -- it is far too limited. However, a GPS unit together with the paper maps of the Adventure Cycling Route Network (ACRN) can improve your navigation, both on and off the road. One member calls it a "home entertainment device" that helps pass long hours on the road.
To download our GPS data select the route at the right.
Then click on "gps" in the summary. (See detail)
Share your experiences, ask questions, and maybe answer a few on the
Adventure Cycling GPS Forum.
Disclaimer: Adventure Cycling strives to keep its waypoint information up to date. However, features are continually changing, so the data
may not reflect the latest modifications and/or additions. You are solely responsible for safe navigation and the prudent use of this data.
What Are the GPS Files?
The waypoint files are keyed to the maps of the routes in the Adventure Cycling Bicycle Route Network. We have made waypoints for each turn in the narratives and each facility in the service directories. Every waypoint has a comment that describes a town, an intersection, a service, or another point of interest.
All the waypoints of one section -- one paper map -- are in a single file and each route is contained in one folder. Adventure Cycling is in transition to distribute the entire route network in a single format, GPX. GPX is a public XML text format that virtually all GPS data programs can read. (Due to the update schedule, when the files are downloaded, multiple file types may download in addition to GPX. You may ignore these files and use the GPX one.)
Some software possibilities include:
Before downloading, please note:
- To use these data, you will need (1) a GPS unit that has upload/download capabilities, and (2) a PC-to-GPS interface data cable so that you may transfer the data. Please check your GPS manual to see if your unit is capable of uploading/downloading data and to make sure you have the proper equipment.
- To transfer these data to a GPS unit, you will also need a GPS mapping program. The major GPS vendors and many others sell GPS data programs. Most run on Windows PCs or on Macs with Windows emulation software (we use MapSource™ with Parallels Desktop 3.0 running Windows XP Pro). They fall into two categories:
- Graphical programs show waypoints and routes on maps -- proprietary maps from some vendors and general-use maps from others.
- Text programs show lists of waypoints in text format. Some users may find the text format less intuitive than clicking on a map, but
the small size of the program and the text files is a great advantage on the road with a handheld computer, for which maps may be
too big. The text programs are generally cheaper than the graphical ones. Some are free.
More details about using a few popular programs are available in our GPS Data User Guide. Also available is a Quick Start Guide for those already familiar with this type of program.
To decompress the Zipped files, you will need a decompression program, such as WinZip, PKZip, or StuffIt Expander. Other shareware programs are available from download sites such as CNET.com.
For more about consumer GPS units and programs, see Joe Mehaffey, Jack Yeazel, Sam Penrod, and Allory Deiss' GPS website. The news group news:sci.geo.satellite-nav is a good place to meet GPS-equipped cyclists and experts.
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