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[CTcvorider]

I do a lot of exploring of 'back-roads' (you know, the little black or grey lines on most state maps with no names).  I've been using mapquest or similar websites to pan/zoom areas of interest to get to the detail level to plan some of these explorations.  Trying to write out all the directions/names is a pain and usually when I get to an intersection, I find it's a little different in real life than what I expected from the map overview.

I'm aware of the concept of planning routes etc. but what I want to know is: If I'm at an intersection, can I zoom and pan the map display to see where the various turn choices will be taking me?"  (as if I centered the intersection in Mapquest, zoomed in far enough to see road name detail, then panned following that road to see where it goes)

Any help or explanations would be greatly appreciated (before I spend $600+ on a Zumo 550 to find out it won't do what I need).

[Chief]

I do a lot of exploring of 'back-roads' (you know, the little black or grey lines on most state maps with no names).  I've been using mapquest or similar websites to pan/zoom areas of interest to get to the detail level to plan some of these explorations.  Trying to write out all the directions/names is a pain and usually when I get to an intersection, I find it's a little different in real life than what I expected from the map overview.

I'm aware of the concept of planning routes etc. but what I want to know is: If I'm at an intersection, can I zoom and pan the map display to see where the various turn choices will be taking me?"  (as if I centered the intersection in Mapquest, zoomed in far enough to see road name detail, then panned following that road to see where it goes)

Any help or explanations would be greatly appreciated (before I spend $600+ on a Zumo 550 to find out it won't do what I need).

Kind of. It depends on how far you want/need to zoom out. As you zoom out, you'll get to a point where the smaller roads are no longer displayed. If you stay zoomed in, you can always scroll the screen to follow the road to see where it comes out. In reality, it's a pain to do and just riding down the road is a better way to find out if it goes anywhere anyways.

[bgregston]

Unfortunately I also find that it's hit or miss that the smaller roads even show up. It seems to be more miss than hit in a lot of areas I ride in. You might be disappointed if your main purpose is exploring the lesser known and smaller roads. I love my Zumo and it's on the bike everytime I ride but my purpose is probably different than yours. I would suggest that you find a friend that has one so that you can get your hands on it and see for yourself if it's going to work for you.

Bret

[BalDeagle]

If you buy the Zumo and get Mapsource in DVD format for your PC you will find it much easier than trying to mess about with the maps on the Zumo itself. The advantage with the PC is that it is easy to follow the small roads along and see where they come out before you actually dump the route back into the Zumo and ride it.

I do all my planning on the Desk top PC and then dump the base maps and the routes direct into the Zumo. The other advantage of this is that you often find things on the big screen that you would never find on the unit itself.

Simply put - I wouldn't.couldn't envisage trip planning without my Zumo.

Nige

[JCZ]

I haven't found myself on a paved road (even a one lane road) that doesn't come up on my StreetPilot 2730.  And "yes" you can zoom out (from where I usually have it set) to see where a left or right turn may take you however, I'm not able to zoom left or right (like mapquest) to slide over one way or another.  It's only as good as it's map source, so you want to keep that up to date.

GPS is one of those things.........that I wasn't real anxious to get....thought they were way over priced, etc. etc.  But now that I have it, I don't know how I survived without it.