I'm wondering if anyone can tell a good source for maps with accurate peak names. I usually use the topo maps from http://geobc.gov.bc.ca/base-mapping/...pographic.html but they don't have any of the peak names on them. Google earth only names the bigger ones but have no info on the smaller peaks. So where do you get all the info?

BC government TRIM maps off iMapBC

http://maps.gov.bc.ca/ess/sv/imapbc/

Thanks Dru. Which layer do you use? I added BC Geographical Name and it shows a lot of the peaks but it seems like the smaller ones are left out. Is there any other layer you can add with more info? Or they just don't bother putting names of smaller mountains on maps or don't make it available to the public? I'm just curious because it seems like everyone has names for a bunch of peaks that are unnamed on all the maps that I've researched.

I don't know. It could be an issue of the scale you are looking at it at, or it could be you are confusing official and unofficial names.

iMapBC is definitely great for info, but I find it so clunky and painful to use most of the time...

A lot of the info you want, you can just get from OpenStreetMap - http://www.openstreetmap.org/ - you can also use the "?" button on the right side to query features to see more info like elevation.

If you have an iPhone or iPad, I really love to use the app called Pocket Earth - https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/pock...512924747?mt=8 - you can download it for free, but you wont get the topo data to start. If you pay for the in-app purchase ($13.99 i think?), you can cache everything on your device and get full topo data.

They use OpenStreetMap data + additional sources. I have yet to find an app that has better performance. The maps are all vector based and they are so damn pretty! I find myself lying in bed at night just exploring around on the map learning about new routes / trails.

You can also import GPX files. I like to keep GPX files in my Dropbox account, and then import them into the app.

I think i'm using it right. For example yesterday I went up Martin Peak near Crawford Peak. If you look at maps Martin and Crawford are on there but all the others like Gibson, Dreadnought, Washburn etc are not on there. I wonder if the bc government even bothers naming those smaller peak. Might be more of a mountain community thing? Who keeps a list/map of the official names? BCMC?

Thanks Cousin Herb. Iv'e actually used openstreetmap but it lacks those peak names that i'm looking for. Seems like no one keeps track of the smaller peaks.

I found it! Bivouac seems to have a map with a lot more peak names mention on it then all the other maps I've looked at. Looks like this.

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Anyone can make up a name for an unnamed peak but some names have more historical precedence than others. Sadly, the Bivouac names are mostly pulled out of thin air, and don't have much relevance.

The good thing about Bivouac is that it actually gives you a name for a peak which gives you some sort of reference as to where to start your research on certain peaks. I'm surprised no organization actually keeps track of mountain names. Most of those historical names are going to be loss if websites like bivouac just puts whatever they want in there. But the reality is that there's not much info at all out there. Bivouac seems to be the only website providing names for those unnamed peaks that you see on the majority of maps.

There's a long history about naming peaks and bivouac.com which I don't want to get into. But if you were to attempt an unofficially named peak (lets say Washburn) from Watersprite Lake it's much easier to tell your contact person "I'm going to Watersprite Lake and I'm trying for Washburn Peak south of that lake, if you don't hear from me tell SAR to check bivouac.com for exact location" or something along that line, rather than saying you're heading for an unnamed peak (Peak 1830 would help though) south of Watersprite. I would think that most SW BC SAR Teams have bivouac.com memberships.

On the other hand, Darling Peak near Mamquam got misnamed by bivouac (Mirage Peak) and was uploaded on google maps so if you relied on that mapping source and told your contact person Darling Peak (actually Delusion), it could cause a little confusion. It is corrected on bivouac but remains incorrect on google maps.

Simonc when you say "peak 1830" is it just a reference to the elevation? Or is at an actual peak number that you can find on a map? Iv'e never seen any website or map with peak number's on them. It's confusing because Seed Peak was referred as Peak 6500 , Seed peak is 6594ft. But then you got Washburn Peak with an elevation of 1830m with the name of Peak 1830.

Just a reference to elevation. If you call it Peak 1830 then it's easy to find on a map of the area which shows spot elevation of peaks. I was never quite sure how Peak 6500 got called that as 6600 makes more sense.

NTS maps and TRIM maps show different spot elevations and different non-spot (last closed contour) elevations especially when comparing imperial and metric maps. Many of the unnamed peaks in the Fairley guide for instance, reference imperial map elevations in feet on NTS maps from the 1970s. TRIM metric elevation maps of these same peaks can be different by 20 m or more, which is often enough to change a rounded-off imperial elevation by 100 ft or more.

Which lends some credence to the Bivouac unofficial naming of peaks to use as a reference in a SAR situation or to inform a contact person of your destination(s).

I honestly don't think that if you say "I'm going up Peak 5900 in the Chehalis" that anyone is going to look at the wrong mountain even if its TRIM height is 1743 m which is more like 5700'