I need a FSTopo overlay for Google Earth

[Webfoot]

Up until recently I was using a CalTopo FSTopo overlay in Google Earth, which due to its detail and white background was perfect for printing custom maps. However CalTopo recently removed Google Earth overlays from their free service. I know I can still download individual Forest Service Topo sectors as PDF files but this is much harder to work with. Is there another option for an automatic and continuous FSTopo overlay in Google Earth?

[aiwetir]

Just to clarify, are you talking about the standalone Google Earth application or a Google Maps overlay?

[Webfoot]

The stand-alone Google Earth application.

[adamschneider]

CalTopo's KMZ overlay generator still works; it's just not advertised, and you're now limited to 16 tiles at a time:
http://caltopo.com/kmz.html

[miah66]

Yet another reason to upgrade to pro. Only $20/yr for 50 tiles, $50 for 200. I buy that much in maps every year easy.

[Lurch]

Am I missing something? The very link that you posted allows a geotiff download. GE Pro (which is free now) allows you to import a geotiff.. Literally just File > Import... Let it do it's thing to create a superoverlay, and it's done.

[miah66]

The only downside I can see to Lurch's method (which is really cool, though not as easy intially as the caltopo method due to having to install the file and navigate complex GE Pro) is the fact that FS topo data maps (newer ones) are just absolutely terrible. The brown contour lines and useless clutter, barely visible trails, make them mostly unusable for me. At least the FS Topo that Caltopo uses as it's basemap is pretty clean.

[kepPNW]

If the topo is more important than the FS, you might like this...

http://ge-map-overlays.appspot.com/google-maps/terrain

[Webfoot]

Am I missing something? The very link that you posted allows a geotiff download. GE Pro (which is free now) allows you to import a geotiff.. Literally just File > Import... Let it do it's thing to create a superoverlay, and it's done.

FStopoSample.jpg

Thanks! I was not aware of that capability. However I now see that the maps are not the same, as miah66 noted. I was using the CalTopo FSTopo layer because of the clean white background that allowed me to print these without using up tons of toner. Perhaps I can process these TIFF files to achieve that goal. Any other suggestion for an easy-to-print topo layer?

[aiwetir]

The only thing that I've been able to find specific to those white USFS maps is with GaiaGPS on the web (I use it on my phone) they offer a 2D rendered layer called USFS Raster via CalTopo. It may be a pro account thing only, but they are there.

To save toner, I download all the maps/aerials/topos onto my smartphone