bill-e-g wrote:
> Been taking pictures of these for years now.
Yeah, I've talked to hikers and hunters who like to look for them. Most people who spend time outdoors and use USGS topo maps are familiar with survey markers.
> I tried searching the USGS
> to try to find where they all are but could never find anything.
> I'd assume there is a map somewhere with them all on.
> Any idea?
The USGS has a lot of bench marks, but the NGS is the primary surveying agency.
The NGS has its database online (which you have already found). It contains CGS/NGS/NOAA markers. Markers from various other federal, state, and local agencies may also be in the NGS database. Many are not. It depends.
The USGS is still in the stone age. It keeps its records in folders in filing cabinets. It is possible to request copies, but only serious benchmark hunters do that. You can, of course, just look for the "BM" notations on USGS topos. Many USGS markers are in the NGS database (but many are not) so that's also an easy way to look them up.
> I'm pretty certain that there are markers encircling the park along with
> the summit ones. Found quite a few on the west side of the park
> boundry...
I'm not too familiar with the boundary markers because there isn't a publicly accessible list of them, as far as I know. The NGS database has 318 survey markers in Yosemite National Park. Most of them are spaced out along old roads and current roads. Most of the rest are on random peaks. My wife and I have only found about a hundred so far.
> Ok, I found this:
>
http://www.ngs.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/ds_county.prlFor a novice, it would be easier to use this Benchmark Viewer based on Google Maps:
http://benchmarks.scaredycatfilms.com/By the way, "benchmark hunting" is an offshoot of geocaching and a good intro can be found here:
http://www.geocaching.com/mark/> (now more things to waste my time on)
Yeah, I know but at least it gives us an excuse to hike to various places in Yosemite.
![smiling smiley smiling smiley](https://yosemitenews.info/forum/mods/smileys/images/smilie1.gif)
Plus professional surveyors do use reports from amateurs, so we feel like we're doing something somewhat useful.