GPS for hikers

Last updated February 24, 2009

When selecting a GPS for hiking, two key criteria come to mind. It’s likely that a hiker will want a unit that’s good for navigation, and will not want to have to hold it out at arm’s length for the entire hike, which means that...

Reception is important for hikers

I recommend a unit that will get great satellite reception, so I’m going to limit my recommendations to models with a high sensitivity chipset, such as the SiRFstar III or MediaTek chipset. With these receivers, you can stick them in your pocket, or a mesh pocket on a day pack, and you are still likely to have adequate reception. Some of this is dependent upon how the satellite constellation is configured for your location on any given day, but overall, I think you'll be happy with the performance of these units.

Navigation and maps

The other important thing is getting a receiver that is set up to navigate. Not all GPS receivers can accommodate topo maps. If you're content with a receiver that won't let you add detailed maps, check out the Garmin eTrex H. Otherwise, stick with the ones below.

Be aware though — none of these units come with any kind of detailed map. If having a map on the screen is important to you, I recommend that you buy Garmin'€™s TOPO U.S.  The maps are not as detailed as a standard USGS 1:24,000 scale topo, but I find them quite useful. If you want to check it out yourself, you can use Garmin’s MapSource Map Viewer to zoom in on any part of the U.S., and see how it would look on your GPS screen. Also, if you're living in AZ, CO, MS, MT, UT or WY, check out these free 1:24K topo maps.

Budget GPS for hiking

The eTrex Venture HC (pictured) has a sunlight-readable color screen, and the ability to accept detailed topo maps. The retail price is $200, but as of this posting the Venture HC can be found for around $130.

Mid-range GPS for hiking

I’m going to recommend the Garmin eTrex Legend HCx as a mid-range unit. Stepping up to the Legend HCx you get expandable map memory, plus it supports turn-by-turn routing, making it useful for city navigation in your car as well. You’ll need a mount, City Navigator software, and preferably a power cord, but then you’re set up for turn-by-turn routing. The retail price is $269.99, but as of this posting the Legend HCx can be found for under $190.

The top of the line GPS for hikers

There are a couple of units to consider here. Both offer a barometric altimeter and electronic compass.

The Garmin Oregon 400t, pictured at left, represents Garmin's first foray into touch screens in a backcountry GPS. The interface is intuitive and is a joy to use. Pre-loaded with topo maps of the entire U.S., this unit offers grab n' go convenience.

The Delorme PN-40 can accommodate aerial imagery and real USGS topos. It has a smaller screen and comes with powerful but complex software. The aerial photos make it a good choice for western U.S. residents, who get to hike in more open landscapes than those of us in the east. An added plus is the ability to do highway navigation with no additional purchase.

Finding the best deal

You should find some good deals on the review pages for these units. Also, be sure to check out our GPS Deals site for current offers to reduce your cost even further.

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Comments

[Kevin]

I need a little help in deciding which GPS to buy for kayaking and hiking. I have it narrowed down to the Garmin 60 csx and the 76 csx. Other than the fact that the 76 floats and store's more information, what other advantage may one offer over the other ?

Thanks

Kevin

[Rich Owings]

Kevin,

The only other difference that comes to mind is form factor. Many people, myself included, like the way the 60CSx fits their hands, and the fact that the buttons are at the bottom. All other things being equal, I'd go with the 60CSx, unless the ability to float is something you really want. Memory isn't a big deal. You can always put in a bigger micro-SD card, though I doubt that it will be a major issue unless you want highway maps on it too.

Rich

[keith]

Can anyone recommend an inexpensive handheld GPS for hiking and kayaking, that can be used in China and Australaia?

[Jessica]

I work for a non-profit that is doing a hike through the Grand Canyon to support our children's hospital housing. Last year we tracked our hiker's progress on our website with a GPS unit with limited success. I'm looking for suggestions for a GPS that will work well in the canyon and that we can transmit the data points to our web. Thanks in advance!

[Rich Owings]

Jessica,

The typical consumer handheld GPS has no transmitter, so that option is off the table. Most tracking devices send signals via cellular carrier. With limited (no?) cell phone coverage in the canyon, that will be problematic too. I wonder if you could connect a sat phone to a GPS. Another option might be to have someone on the rim with a Garmin Rino. Your in canyon hiker could have a Rino that would transmit position data to the one on the rim. I don't know for sure if you could then download the hikers track. If so, that could be posted manually. The sat phone is probably the best bet for live tracking, but you might want to ask NPS personnel about coverage. Tthen you have to figure out how to transmit position data too. HTH.

[John]

If I'm looking at one of the Nuvi or TomTom car navigators, can I also use it for hiking? Do they store my route for later download to my computer?
Thanks

[Rich Owings]

John,

You can use a nuvi for hiking, but remember - it's not waterproof, nor is it "ruggedized" like a handheld. You can add topo maps to a nuvi, but you cannot download or upload a track - a record of where you've been. You can transfer waypoints to a nuvi, but not a multi-destination route. The latter will be a new feature of the upcoming 700 series nuvis.

I don't have as much experience with TomTom but I don't know of any topo maps you can add to them.

[Don V]

which gps do you recommend for hunters?

[Rich Owings]

Don,

All the units recommended above would serve a hunter well. My personal preference would be the Garmin 60CSx, due to the larger screen and better layout of buttons. But one of the eTrex H-series is more compact, if you're going to put it in your pocket.

Next month, Magellan is introducing a new touch-screen line that will allow the display of 1:24,000 scale National Geographic TOPO maps. If the units are any good, I'm sure my recommendations will change at that point. You can read more about them here
http://gpstracklog.typepad.com/gps_tracklog/2007/08/more-on-the-mag.html
and here
http://gpstracklog.typepad.com/gps_tracklog/2007/08/more-details-on.html

[Quinton]

Rich,
Do you know if Garmins Colorado 400t(or any other handheld)will accept 1:24K scale Topo's? If so, the 400t "sounds" like the perfect new GPS I've been waiting for. I would sacrifice total area if I could download more detail of a specific backpacking area. Thanks, Quint

[Rich Owings]

Quinton,

The Colorado series will likely only accept Garmin's 1:24K maps, which are limited to some national parks and a few other areas. Here's a review... http://gpstracklog.typepad.com/gps_tracklog/2005/11/garmin_us_topo_.html

The DeLorme PN-20 and the new Magellan Triton series (except the lowest model) both accept 1:24K maps, but neither is as good as a Garmin (IMHO).

[David Barth]

I am looking for a handheld for my daughter who will be hiking this summer from the southern most point of England to the northern most point of Scotland (~1000 miles in length). She will not have access to a laptop once on the trail. Is it possible to plan her entire trip before she goes, and download it to the GPS? I know she'll want good battery life as she will be camping for a lot of the trip. Is there a GPS that could support this trip? If so, which one would you recommend?

Thxs, David

[Rich Owings]

David,

I'd suggest a Legend HCx. The "x" means expandable -- it will accept micro-SD cards (purchased separately), allowing her to load detailed topo maps to the device. You'll also want to get Topo Great Britain maps...
http://www8.garmin.com/cartography/mapSource/topogb.jsp

And yes, she can plan the entire trip before and have it loaded into the GPS. The battery life on this unit is better than the Colorado or 60Cx and the weight is less than a 60Cx.

HTH

[Jack]

Are you still recommending the 60CSx as the best for hiking? Are they still limited to Garmins Topo maps?

[Rich Owings]

Yes, and they are limited to Garmin topos. You might want to read this post on the Colorado and note that the newest beta firmware fixes the reposition waypoints issue...
http://gpstracklog.typepad.com/gps_tracklog/2008/03/garmin-colora-1.html

If viewing multiple tracks isn't important to you, the Colorado may be a good choice.

[Cindy]

Rich,
My husband and I bought some property on top of a mountain in WV. We were looking at getting a GPS unit to help us post the property markers to a topo map of the area, so we can ensure that we are not going over to someone else's property, plus help not to get lost, it is all wilderness. What unit would be the best for our needs?

[Rich Owings]

Cindy,

I would recommend a Garmin with a high-sensitivity chipset, which will give you better accuracy. The 60Cx and 60CSx are more reliable than the new eTrex H series or the Colorado, both of which have been reported to have tracking errors.

Hope this helps.

[greg rudowsky]

how about some one doing a real test on the Delmore new 40 model and the fancy new garmins anf the Bushnell gps's.. with all their features explained and compared.. also i spend 6 months a year in Banff area hiking , climbing and scrambling(so i want to see canada maps also)... i want to see satellite and terrain and all the other maps they keep talking about.. tks i use a garmin 76csx. with USA and Canada maps

[Rich Owings]

I've been promised a PN-40 review unit. I don't believe there are any Canadian maps for DeLormes though. You could import your own with XMap though.

With Garmin, you can get Canadian topos, but no aerial imagery.

The Bushnells sound really bad. Check Amazon for reviews.

[Barbara]

I am looking for a gps for geocaching. I've narrowed it down to the Garmin 60 CSX and the Delorme PN-20, and I'm having trouble sorting through the last few details.

The Delorme includes the topo maps, (helpful), the csx has electronic compass and altimeter (nice, but not necessary). The CSX may be more accurate, though. Battery life is an issue and both have rechargable battery options available (at a price).

They have both been well reviewed and people seem to prefer Garmin. However, the Delorme seems to be a well-liked unit also. I don't have friends who have either and I haven't seen either in stores (only online) so I can't feel them out.

Does anyone have any thoughts about which might be better gps to get?

[Barry Kirchhoff]

I am looking for a "one size fits all" GPS: driving directions, hiking and canoeing. I lost a Magellan Sport Trak overboard in my canoe so the Garmin 76 csx has some appeal. I am very interested in the driving directions capabilities of each unit but do not want to give up the ability to route cross country hikes either. Any suggestions?

[Rich Owings]

A 76CSx will work fine for both, though you'll need to buy highway maps for it. Personally, I'd spend a little more and go for a low end end nuvi as a second unit for the car.

[Rod]

I'm planning to spend about three weeks in Mexico this summer. I'll be driving with my family and would like to do as much photo taking as I can. I already have a Garmin Nuvi 350 and an etrex Venture HC. Will the North America maps suffice for this trip or do I need to purchase separate Mexico maps? Any help would be appreciated. Aloha.

[Rich Owings]

No, the map coverage will be minimal (non-existent in most places). Check out the Mexico section of the following:
http://gpstracklog.typepad.com/gps_tracklog/2007/12/international-m.html

Also read this...
http://gpstracklog.typepad.com/gps_tracklog/2007/12/free-maps-for-y.html

[shroomer]

Advise Please, i am newbie with the concept of a hiking gps:

I am a little overwhelmed by the options.

I want a Gps that meets the following criteria:

Main area of use will be Virginia in and around the Shenandoah national park. I am am a mushroom hunter and tend to wander off the trail often and i want to find my way back to trail / car with ease.

Is there a specific you would recommend.

Need to be able to record and navigate my way back to a specific point. Ideally the unit would store the info so that i can re-find the same spot 1 year later.

It would be great if the recording of these points was very easy!

Must be slightly drop proof and have great signal in my pocket.

Thanks to whoever answers this!

[Rich Owings]

Just about any handheld GPS will do this. You just mark a waypoint (usually by pressing a single button) and enter a name for it. I would recommend a newer unit with a high-sensitivity chipset, since you will likely be under canopy.

[shroomer]

Thanks Rich,

Do you know of any specific maps / websites that i should get. Again for Virginia's National Park area.

[Rich Owings]

Garmin has 1:100K maps with 1:24K coming. Be sure you get a "mapping" GPS. Here are some free Garmin map sites:
http://mapcenter.cgpsmapper.com/catalogue.php?country=226&region=VA

http://www.gpsfiledepot.com/maps/state/va

Note that the SE map in the latter only covers the southern most part of VA.

Better check the regs before collecting in NPs too! :-)

[Joe Carmean]

I'm getting ready to buy my fist gps. For my needs the Garmin 60csx was recommended to me. I like to do alot of backcountry exploring. I will be setting alot of waypoints, and mapping trails. It seems to be the benchmark unit. I can get a good deal on the Colorado 300. Has this unit caught up with the csx? I read your review on the 300. it seens that with updates, it will soon be just as good as the csx. Because I've never used a gps before, I'm still not sure.What do you think?
BTW, your site has help me out alot. Thanks Joe

[Rich Owings]

I prefer the Oregon myself, and Garmin has been much more aggressive about rolling out new features for it via firmware updates. Since you will be setting lots of waypoints, keep in mind that the Colorado is slower than the 60CSx for entering names. The Oregon is the fastest. But the 60CSx is more accurate than the others, at least so far. The CO and OR are rapidly improving in this regard though. Hope this helps.

[Floyd]

I plan on doing some hiking here in north America but also in europe including England and Ireland. Which hand held gps would you recommend. I am looking for something accurate with a compass and with a barometer if possible.

[Rich Owings]

First, get a Garmin, because you'll have access to maps for lots of countries, many of them free. If money isn't a big issue, I'd go with a Garmin Oregon 400T.