I recently purchased an Oregon 450t and this is the first GPS that I have ever owned. I downloaded Basecamp onto my computer and entered in 8 different waypoints based on their lattitude/longitude coordinates. I then created a route using the 8 coordinates. The problem I am having is that the route that is being created is a straight line between each waypoint. Is there a way that I can have it create a route using the dirt roads that are on the map?
That depends on the map (does it support auto-routing?) and if the dirt roads are route-able.
It sounds like this isn't the case for you.
What I usually do with my Oregon (if I don't have a map that supports the paths I'd like to use) is to create a track. Admittedly it's a bit of effort to pick all the roads yourself, but then you are very sure to know where you will be going. (This works well in conjunction with BirdsEye or a Custom map of the area because it gives you a pretty good idea where you are heading.)
If your map supports routing on some of the trails, I create routes for those parts and tracks for the sections that are not route-able. Then I convert the routes to tracks and join the tracks together into one trail which I then use for navigation on the Oregon.
Of course, the easiest way would be to grab a map that supports auto-routing for the trails you want and just create a route with a few clicks. That is not always an option, however.
