Trip Planning

Does anyone know of a website where you can plug in the beginning/end of a trip and get some kind of map showing the elevations along the route--something like the elevation maps they publish for the Tour de France?

Take a look at RockyMtnRay's post here which mentions the Mountain Directory - we got them for when we had the 6-cyl Jeep.

I don't know of any online maps that show elevations, except Google Earth which will show terrain. Click on the "download" link on the upper-right side of the page.

Maybe some of the GPS maps have them.

Don't know if this is what you are after, but using Google Earth if you trace along your route with your mouse it will give you the elevation as you go along. I ride road bicycles and find this very useful to know what sort of hills to expect...I hate surprises! Hadn't thought of using this to learn about trailer routes.

Thanks for the prompt replies. Should give us exactly what we're looking for for our first long trek to Washington next June--863 miles up 5. With TV near it's tow limits, wanted to get some idea of what we could expect.

I've been using DeLorme's TopoUSA for years, not an online map, but it's worked well on both laptops and desktop machines. It shows trails, dirt roads, etc. and let's you plan routes on regular highways, as well. It even has a profile mode that shows a side view of elevations, as well as a map cursor that has an altitude readout on the screen.

Went to the site, but was overwhelmed with all the choices. Can you give me a link to what you recommend we buy?

[B_and_D]

We've driven to Seattle many times (but it's been a while) and Oregon many, many times. The worst grade that I can recall is around Ashland, OR. We towed the TM home from Salem when we bought it, and it wasn't that bad with our Chevy 1500 with the four of us in the truck. Sure, it slows you down some, but we were going a lot faster than everyone else with their big 5th wheels, etc. and putting very little strain on the engine. There are many lanes on that stretch of the highway (I think maybe 3 or 4) that allow travelers to sort themselves into various highway speeds from left to right. My DH always worries more about the downhill part and the brakes more than making it to the top.

There are some steep grades between Redding and the Oregon border, but I always remember that grade in Ashland as the worst (and they get snow there in the winter). From what I recall, between Grant's Pass and Seattle there aren't many steep grades.

Originally Posted by Shandysplace

Went to the site, but was overwhelmed with all the choices. Can you give me a link to what you recommend we buy?

This link is to Topo USA 7.0. I've been using v. 3.0 for a number of years, now, and it's really nice being able to "see" the terrain shapes, both through contour lines and shading. In addition, it can show a 3D view with the vertical portion exaggeration running from 1x to 8x, to make the elevations more visible.

I presume that 7.0 is even better. Looking at the above page, it appears they've added some new features I'd like to have, including 3D flyover, draw your own trails and roads, adding USGS quads, campsites, boat docks, etc. -- perhaps it's time for me to update. Don't forget to look at each of the tabs on that page, as there are important details you might otherwise miss.