Originally Posted by Bacciagalupe
I use Delorme Topo USA to figure out some routes, I even used it to make a profile for this year's NYC MS Century. Not sure it's the best but it works for me. I also planned out a week-long tour of northern Vermont with it, but haven't actually done the tour yet....
I use Delorme Topo USA. I find it to be useful, but I hesitate to recommend it to others because is is very buggy. For example:
1. It shows roads that do not exist. Some of these roads may have been planned at one time (decades ago), but were never built. Others are on private property, but gated and not accessible to the public. Some do exist but are unpaved and do not allow bicycles (e.g., park land).
2. Some roads are in the wrong place. Sometimes they will even show the same road in 2 different locations (running parallel to itself). Some roads don't intersect in the way shown on the map.
3. Some of the street names are wrong. This and #2 can be very confusing at intersections.
4. The cumulative elevation gain calculation is usually off by 50 to 100% (double the correct value).
If you care careful to check your routes against a legitimate map (e.g., AAA paper maps) and you ignore the cumulative elevation gain feature, then this program can be useful for creating elevation profiles of your rides.