Garmin Topo U.S. vs. U.S. Inland Lakes maps

It's time to add some back roads and lake detail to my Garmin GPSmap 76Cx. After a good deal of side by side comparison (using Garmin's online map previewer) of familiar places (large and small) I'm reaching the conclusion that the Topo U.S. maps offer more useful detail than the U.S. Inland Lakes maps.

Topo seems to have the same base map of country roads and bodies of water as Lakes. The additional details of land features and small streams will be a plus. Lakes, on the other hand offers large lake navigation details which are rarely of interest to me.

Most of my fishing trips are in the eastern 2/3 of Virginia.

What have I missed?
What are other handheld Garmin owners using?

Corker , sounds like to me that you already have the answer. I dont think that you are missing anything.

corker...I don't know...but let me know what you come up with...i have the exact GPS. thanks

I decided to order Topo & will report back in a couple of weeks after it comes in, gets installed, and hits the road and water.

thanks

I use Fishing Hot Spots Elite. While for larger lakes it is really great, it stinks for smaller lakes and rivers. In fact it is no better than the base map that comes with a GPS. So I am curious about what you come up with.

I have the 76C and with the Topo maps I like it more. There so much detail on for travel also. That I use more then my Hotspots maps now.

Pete

I did the online demo with Garmin...and none I found did any better than the baseline map already on my 76cx. Unless I missed something.

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Originally Posted by poppop

I did the online demo with Garmin...and none I found did any better than the baseline map already on my 76cx. Unless I missed something.

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Either you already have an advanced base map or the demo isn't showing you what I see.

When I look at my neighborhood using the 76cx base map, all I see is the major highways--no secondaries and no neighborhood streets. It's 2 to 5 miles between routes. Using the demo for Topo or Lakes, I can see the secondaries and all the streets. When I move the pointer out into the country and look at the most remote places I fish, the base map may have as much as 10 mile gaps at any zoom level. The Topo or Lakes demos take me down to the dirt roads leading to or surrounding my fishing holes. They also show me every little country road to take getting into these places.

After I get & load Topo, I'll report the actual improvement I get on the 76.

Corker...I was referring to the map of High Rock Lake not being any different than the base map.......mine does the same as your on land based roads...I find myself going across the map and it doesn't even show the road I am on. But on High Rock..it shows the lake...without any contours or anything.