dweese Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 So I'm looking at a copy of Ontario Back Road maps last night at my brothers and it was kind of neat as it shows everything from fishing holes to sled trails. So I'm following some of the trails around Madoc that i know and it looks really good. So for a goof I look at Prince Edward County which I know the OFSC map is way off. And hummm the damn map was almost 100% bang on. The trail numbers where wrong, well not even close but the trail location was right where is should be, for almost all the trails. There where a few this year that have been closed and rerouted and none of the ice crossings are shown but book is the 2009 edition. So how in the world can a company that produces a road and trail map create a book with OFSC trails that is more up to date than the OFSC's own trail guide? I'll have to scan the page and email the OFSC with that question. They can't say their trail guide is based on what the club gave them. Because some how the Back roads people got correct OFSC and there is no way they would publish a map that shows a trail system with out getting data from the head office that controlles the trail system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canuck Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 I wasn't aware that such a book existed. Thanks for the info. Interesting query re: 'source of data'. Anything that helps the organization produce accurate maps ( I mean guides) is greatly appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlowTouringGuy Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 I'd love to hear more about "Ontario Back Road" maps. For sled trails, maybe, but I really enjoy driving about the back roads of Ontario and absorbing our history as well. Where are they available, what do they cover, etc etc............ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mossy Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 I'd love to hear more about "Ontario Back Road" maps. For sled trails, maybe, but I really enjoy driving about the back roads of Ontario and absorbing our history as well. Where are they available, what do they cover, etc etc............ Looking for sheep farms again? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slomo Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 I'd love to hear more about "Ontario Back Road" maps. For sled trails, maybe, but I really enjoy driving about the back roads of Ontario and absorbing our history as well. Where are they available, what do they cover, etc etc............ I find this site interesting.... http://www.ghosttownpix.com/ontario/ Click on the link to 'central' http://www.ghosttownpix.com/ontario/regions/indexcent.html ...you'll have been to at least a couple of these places on your sled, perhaps without knowing it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slomo Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 Another good service we have used in our travels around the country: http://www.milebymile.com/ Choose your province, highway number and direction of travel and it details towns, points of interest, etc. Load up your pages on disk or thumb drive and you can use them in sequence on your lap top or one of those new smaller devices if you were stunned enough to buy one before the 'ultimate' format emerged.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slomo Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 Get car sick? No Problem! Launch the boat (or attempt the world's longest water run on your sled) and follow the Trent Severn System using this guide: http://www.cruising.ca/trent/index.html Directions,(both bottom to top and reverse) locks, highlights etc. which can also be saved to storage media and run sequentially as you need it. Or hours of fun just cruising the Trent on your computer! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mossy Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 I find this site interesting.... http://www.ghosttownpix.com/ontario/ Click on the link to 'central' http://www.ghosttownpix.com/ontario/regions/indexcent.html ...you'll have been to at least a couple of these places on your sled, perhaps without knowing it! In the central location there is a place called Crooks Hollow. I have been there! My father in law lives just up the road. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolf Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 I'd love to hear more about "Ontario Back Road" maps. For sled trails, maybe, but I really enjoy driving about the back roads of Ontario and absorbing our history as well. Where are they available, what do they cover, etc etc............ They have a web site listing retailers in your area....http://www.backroadmapbooks.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dweese Posted April 9, 2011 Author Share Posted April 9, 2011 Any good outdoor store will sell them. I think MEC has them, I know Bass Pro does as well. I think Canadian Tire and WalMart has them in the hunting fishing area. They list every road even the ones not support by the local town, the OFSC trails, ATV trails, ski hills, golf courses, fishing hot spots, hyrdo and gas line access roads and a bunch more, for Ontario broke up over 4 or 5 books. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawnj Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 I have 2 or 3 of these books for ontario and use it along with topo maps, and gps when hunting, or even fishing. Nice to have a larger paper version of an area you are, or plan to visit and plan out where you may want to go. I think they make a version on an SD card for your gps, I seen them at the sportsmans show last year. I'm pretty sure same as the book version, (not 100% though) I was considering either buying one for my garmin or getting the ontario topo for it.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Quimby Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 If you have rode the rail trail out of Haliburton, you would have either gone through or been close to many of these places. Donald, Irondale, Essonville, Furnace Falls etc. That rail line was a mecca for "opening up" Haliburton in one era and many towns sprung up from the rail line as stops. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dweese Posted April 9, 2011 Author Share Posted April 9, 2011 I have 2 or 3 of these books for ontario and use it along with topo maps, and gps when hunting, or even fishing. Nice to have a larger paper version of an area you are, or plan to visit and plan out where you may want to go. I think they make a version on an SD card for your gps, I seen them at the sportsmans show last year. I'm pretty sure same as the book version, (not 100% though) I was considering either buying one for my garmin or getting the ontario topo for it.. Yup they are from Garmin and from what I read in the front cover of the one my brother had it sounds like its the book as a GPS map packge so it should be just the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArcticCrusher Posted April 10, 2011 Share Posted April 10, 2011 Any good outdoor store will sell them. I think MEC has them, I know Bass Pro does as well. I think Canadian Tire and WalMart has them in the hunting fishing area. They list every road even the ones not support by the local town, the OFSC trails, ATV trails, ski hills, golf courses, fishing hot spots, hyrdo and gas line access roads and a bunch more, for Ontario broke up over 4 or 5 books. I got my from Fortino's. They even show the portage routes (canoe) that link lake to lake passages snowmobilers use in winter (non OFSC). Have not tried them yet. Bought the book a couple of years ago and did not realize all the good info in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawnj Posted April 10, 2011 Share Posted April 10, 2011 I was on gps city and gps central website and seen the backroad mapbooks for gps on there, one site had more info but you can also go to their own site for info. It doesn't look like from what i can see that you can get a Ontario version on DVD,yet. You can get them on SD card though. I think by comparing between the ontario topo and the backroad map version, there is more useful material on the backroad version that some of us may use. If there is a version on DVD (and I'm gonna contact them) I may get one for my Zumo. I do still want to see the snowmobile tracks of Reved's if possible too. When I saved the snowmobile map to gps it saved on its internal hard drive as when I remove the SD card, the maps are still there, so I could probably still get the backroad version on SD card and still select Reved's maps and see them both, may be too much clutter, not sure, maybe someone else will have some info on this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nutter Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 So I'm looking at a copy of Ontario Back Road maps last night at my brothers and it was kind of neat as it shows everything from fishing holes to sled trails. So I'm following some of the trails around Madoc that i know and it looks really good. So for a goof I look at Prince Edward County which I know the OFSC map is way off. And hummm the damn map was almost 100% bang on. The trail numbers where wrong, well not even close but the trail location was right where is should be, for almost all the trails. There where a few this year that have been closed and rerouted and none of the ice crossings are shown but book is the 2009 edition. So how in the world can a company that produces a road and trail map create a book with OFSC trails that is more up to date than the OFSC's own trail guide? I'll have to scan the page and email the OFSC with that question. They can't say their trail guide is based on what the club gave them.Because some how the Back roads people got correct OFSC and there is no way they would publish a map that shows a trail system with out getting data from the head office that controlles the trail system. So how do you think the OFSC ends up with the data they use for the GPS tracks and provincial TOP map, and how district 3 ends up the data they use for the district 3 map ? Also lots of people have published maps and GPS tracks including OFSC trails without the OFSC or local clubs being part of it, how much copyright do you think there is with something like that, or how hard would it be to prove they used your data to create their map ? Redpine mapping had the OFSC map on GPS, and were selling it for quite some time before the OFSC took them out as a competitor by making them a partner. Also the OFSC doesn't "control" any trail system, they are simpley the governing body and provincial support put in place by and self governed by all 232 OFSC clubs in Ontario. Best bet for your inquirey would be to ask the OFSC, District 3 and the local club and go from there, this way you have all three levels all aware of the issue if they are not already. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dweese Posted April 11, 2011 Author Share Posted April 11, 2011 So how do you think the OFSC ends up with the data they use for the GPS tracks and provincial TOP map, and how district 3 ends up the data they use for the district 3 map ? They draw it by hand, every looked at a district 3 map? Also lots of people have published maps and GPS tracks including OFSC trails without the OFSC or local clubs being part of it, how much copyright do you think there is with something like that, or how hard would it be to prove they used your data to create their map ? Redpine mapping had the OFSC map on GPS, and were selling it for quite some time before the OFSC took them out as a competitor by making them a partner. Yes lots of maps, and anyone with a GPS can go ride the trails and for my club in about 10 hours could have the whole trail system mapped. But I don't think the people that made this book are out pulling thier own GPS tracks. They are getting their data from somewhere and building the map from there. So where did they get these tracks? Not from the local club, because its better then their own map, from OFSC or D3? Doubt it, because the D3 and OFSC interactive guide are nowhere near being correct. The Redpine maps didn't even show this club in older versions. I haven't seen this years, but if its OFSC data, its going to be the same as the interactive guide. The freebie here doesn't have the trails yet, but I have send mine on to Reved to get updated for next year in to his map. This is the only map I've seen anywhere that is as close to being right, as the real thing. So thats what I found funny. It would be intersting to see where they got their data from. Best bet for your inquirey would be to ask the OFSC, District 3 and the local club and go from there, this way you have all three levels all aware of the issue if they are not already. Already working on that, problem is all contacts for the local club are out of date, and I've already contacted D3 about trying to get an updated contact for the local club and no one every got back to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skidooer Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 Also lots of people have published maps and GPS tracks including OFSC trails without the OFSC or local clubs being part of it, how much copyright do you think there is with something like that Umm, none. Why would you even think copyright applies here? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlowTouringGuy Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 Thanks for all the great info, folks ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildman Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 I have back road mapbook sd card for my rino, when u buy it they give u a pin# to unlock a downloadable version 2 ur puter. It is based off gamins topo series software. Very useful tool, I have used it all over ontario, it has more info than a person would think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blakesnowcrest Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 Thanks for all the great info, folks ! X2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildman Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 I guess I should clarify, I use it all over ontario for hunting and 4wheelin, not for snowmobiling, I know they are missing allot of trails on the ofsc side of things. It is a great tool for an avid outdoors person when it comes to exploring new areas, and saves a ton of time looking for something that is not there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slomo Posted April 12, 2011 Share Posted April 12, 2011 You can sometimes find free depth and contour maps of lakes at this site once you sign up: http://www.anglersatlas.com/ that can be printed out to 8.5 X 11 or 8.5 X 14. At first glance it looks to be dominated by B.C. and Alberta info, but do a map search and you'll find quite a few lakes in Ontario and elsewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawnj Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 Got my backroad map on SD card the other day in the mail. Slipped it in my Garmin Zumo and works great. Lots of info shown and lots of topics to search for. Have only played with it at home so anxious to try it on trail or road. I ordered it from World of Maps in Ottawa and they mailed it same day. You can load it to the gps's internal memory I guess too but I think I will just run it off the sd card. I talked to the guy at backroad map books and he said the sd card has room for adding more on it too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lep Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 Great map,have had one for a few yrs along with a few other provinces.When on a driving exploring vac everyone should have one.Up nord its great when out on the 4wheelers etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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