Drop your CalTopo export here
A .json / .geojson file. Export from CalTopo as GeoJSON — it's the only format that keeps your folders and styling.
Your map never leaves this computer — everything runs in your browser.
A .json / .geojson file. Export from CalTopo as GeoJSON — it's the only format that keeps your folders and styling.
Your map never leaves this computer — everything runs in your browser.
onX makes one folder per import, and names it with a timestamp. That's why this checklist exists — it tells you which files go together and what to rename each folder to.
On your CalTopo map choose Export and pick GeoJSON. It is the only CalTopo format that keeps your folders, icons and colors — GPX and KML both discard them. Drop that file here.
Cairn maps each CalTopo symbol to the closest onX icon. Hover any icon to see why it was chosen. Some waypoints fall back to onX's default pin because CalTopo had no symbol and the name gave no clue — that is often perfectly fine (mile markers, numbered stops). Set an icon only where the meaning matters; choosing an icon — including deliberately choosing “Location” — marks it reviewed.
Narrow the list with the search box, the type dropdown, or Needs an icon. Then tick rows — Set icon… and Set color… light up and apply to your selection. Advanced holds Use description as name (when the real information is in the notes) and the export include/exclude controls.
| Click a box | Select one row. |
|---|---|
| Shift + click | Select everything between it and the last row you clicked. |
| Ctrl / ⌘ + A | Select everything currently shown. Press again to deselect. |
| Header checkbox | Select every row in that folder. |
| Esc | Clear the selection. While editing a name or description, Esc undoes that edit instead. |
Selection always follows what is on screen: filter first, then select all, and you only touch the rows you can see.
Select rows and choose More → Leave out of the onX export. Excluded rows stay visible, struck through, with a restore button. Useful for scratch lines and duplicated tracks. Nothing is ever deleted from your CalTopo file.
Cairn writes one set of files per folder and a checklist. This matters: onX creates one folder per import, and names it with a timestamp — never from the filename. So the checklist tells you which files to drag in together and exactly what to rename each folder to. Work through it in order.
| Name | Yes — and it is the only field onX lets you search. |
|---|---|
| Description | Yes — arrives as the markup's Notes in onX. |
| Icon | Yes, for waypoints. onX has 95; CalTopo has many more, so some map approximately. |
| Color | Yes, snapped to onX's 10 waypoint colors (11 for lines). |
| Folders | Yes — but only if you follow the import checklist. |
| Lines vs areas | Handled automatically: lines and tracks go to GPX, areas to KML. |