Nat Geo Launched a Free Website for Printing Detailed Topographical Maps

We have some video tutorials on making topographic maps here:  How to Make FREE Topograpghic Maps for Permaculture Design.

And today, I ran across this article about another source for topographical maps:

Nat Geo Launched a Free Website for Printing Detailed Topographical Maps



Interestingly, the bottom of the article credits this news as coming from here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CampingandHiking/comments/4w81q1/national_geographic_has_released_printable_pdf/ and a top commenter wrote:

The maps themselves were already available, so the major thing here is the format they're in and the interface for accessing them.

In any case, I hope it's a useful resource to permies.

Two older threads that also discuss topographic / topography maps are:

Topography Maps
Detailed Topographic Maps with 2' contour interval

Those are nice. This post made me look & I found the Lidar imagery for our place on the Wikipedia page. It’s amazing the amount of detail and accuracy. Here’s a view of one of our ravines that’s around 55 foot deep w/ a small year round spring fed stream. We have multiple springs coming out of the hillside in the form of weeps,

For topo maps I like the USGS website, great historic collection.

The description of the Nat Geo service from the link at the top, only mentions the USA. When I tried to explore the Nat. Geo page itself it insisted I give them my email address - been there, done that in the past and they spammed me like crazy - so I passed today.

That said, many Municipalities have mapping software that shows the topo lines. The public ones don't show them as close as I was told they did, and in my case it is that the software's too expensive for general distribution. However an employee very helpfully put the info up on his screen and when I told him I needed that level of detail to find ways to hold water on my land and slow run-off, he not only printed several copies on 11x17" sheets, he didn't even charge me. I think I simply made his day by being so interested and caring about the environment.

Several Counties in my state of Texas have the topographic maps on the Taxing authorities website.  In Texas, that dept is called "Single Appraisal District".

I have been able to go to the county next to our, pull up one of the maps, zoom in and follow the terrain, roads, etc. to my property and beyond.

It is a kinda fun activity.

And then there is always Google Maps.  We zoom in mark different spots on our property, hit save and those spots are always there the next time we visit.

Anne Miller wrote:

It is a kinda fun activity.

Seems like you could post that in either "you know you're a permie when..." or "simple pleasures of the day", and I totally agree. However, from a permie perspective, it is actually useful fun!
Just how much slope is that area?
What's the flattest route from Point A to Point B?
I need enough elevation change to do "X" - is there a spot on my land with enough drop?
Oh, there's a natural dip there - if I dug down there could I make a pond?

Topo maps are awesome!