Please help me find the "right" GPS that shows trails

[Razr]

Hello all;

I've been doing some research on GPS like the Garmin for instance. I have the opportunity to buy a used Garmin GPSMap 60 Cx but I'm not sure if it will fit the bill.

I basically want a GPS that will show me the various trails around Utah, especially those around Moab, the Arches National Park and Canyon Lands as well as the others. I'm worried about possibly getting in the back country and getting lost. I know I could use any GPS with a route feature or tracking ability that will show me how I got to a certain area, then can backtrack to find my way out. I want more than that.

I need a GPS that will show me the actual offroad trails like Poison Spider, Behind the Rock, Golden Spike, etc. and get as close to ground level as possible. Any other features I would consider as a bonus.

Can I get recommendations from users who have a device capable of doing this?

thanks all;

Razr

 

[DOSS]

Any GPS can show you the trails you are wanting.. you just have to find a ROUTE and load that onto your GPS. I don't think that there is any one peice of software that has every single trail out there so you can just load them all and forget it...

Also take the time to learn how to use a map and compass and carry them with you.. batteries fail and it is good to have a backup plan

 

[Spork]

You can download a GPX exchange file with your specific trail and load it. I don't know of any that do it out of the box.

I have a Garmin Venture and pull most my trail files from http://www.traildamage.com/ I load them up using http://easygps.com/ It's allowed me to run trails that are difficult to follow the first time you are on them. An example is Strike Ravine, at the first of the trail it splits off a dozen times and trying to figure out if you take a left or a right at a Y in the road is obvious with the trail loaded.

I also have the Utah topo map loaded from http://www.miscjunk.org and it does show some trails. (as mentioned earlier I have a basic GPS that might tell you what state you are in without it).

 

[Shawn]

Anyone have any experience with the Garmin Dakota? I'm looking at doing the same thing and this GPS seems to be pretty cool.

 

[Rudinater]

Get a Garmin GPS to start with it does not matter what maps it comes with. Then go to http://www.gpsfiledepot.com/ and download what every maps you need. You can down load city/street map and topo maps. You can also get all sorts of overlays for trails and parks.