USGS Historical Topo Map Collection

Using historical USGS topographic maps to look for signs of old roads in the Santa Cruz mountains.

I ran across these old maps a few years ago and they helped in identifying traces of old roads I was seeing along the modern hiking / mountain bike trails I ride. Initially, I would study the map on-line and see if I could identify things I was seeing on rides. Then I found I could load the maps into the AvenzaMaps app:
https://www.avenzamaps.com/
and later into GaiaG:
https://www.gaiagps.com/
to have them available off-line with my current location displayed. When I first got that working, it was mind blowing. Here I could be out in the mountains with an 1895 topo map, likely a wonder in it's day, and have live G tracking on that 125 year old map!

About the USGS HTMC:
https://www.usgs.gov/programs/national-geospatial-program/historical-topographic-maps-preserving-past

View/download maps on the TopoView site:
https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/topoview/

Section of single track Canyon Trail built in 1990:
https://www.trailcenter.org/newsletter/2000/winter2000/winter2000-19f.htm

More to come...
Subscribe for more content like this
Comment, rate, share & click the bell icon
And as always, thanks for watching