Lowrance Endura Sierra GPS

The Lowrance Endura Sierra GPS is the most feature-rich offering from the Lowrance Endura handheld GPS product line. The Sierra comes preloaded with over 3 GB of premium AccuTerra outdoor content, with a contour resolution of 100 feet, detailed shading of land use, detailed river and lake boundaries, all NAVTEQ® road levels, 1.7 million outdoor points of interest (POIs), and a large number of National Forest and Park trails.

In addition to the 4 GB of internal memory, a microSD expansion slot is provided that can accept up to 32 GB of additional memory. Most types of files can be stored in the Sierra, including GPX trails, geocaching locations, POIs, photos, audio, and video. The Sierra is also capable of playing MP3 audio files using the built-in speaker or headphone jack, and playing videos on the 2.7” (6.8 cm) color display.

Data can be imported and exported using the mini USB data/power port, and trip routes can be recorded and converted to GPX (GPS Exchange Format) files for sharing with other outdoor enthusiasts. The Endura GPS products are the first GPS devices to fully support the GPX file format. A wide variety of free and subscription GPX trail files, waypoints, and geocaching content are available on the internet that can increase the number and variety of outdoor experiences available to you.

Interfacing with the Sierra can be accomplished using the touchscreen color display or physical buttons. The touchscreen is menu driven and relies on touch and drag, or scroll, to navigate through files and topographic information. The physical buttons were designed to be useable with gloved hands and in inclement weather, and provide a way to quickly navigate through menus, files, and topographic information.

The Lowrance Endura Sierra GPS is waterproof and outfitted with rubber armoring. The Sierra comes with a 3-dimensional compass (compass headings and barometric altimeter) and enhanced GPS+ WAAS positioning. Over 190 icons are provided for marking waypoints. Trip routes and elevation changes can be recorded using the internal trip recorder and exported in GPX file format.

The comprehensive geocaching features included in the Sierra ensures that treasure hunt adventures will be successful and enjoyable. The Sierra supports GPX and LOC cache file formats and can display every detail, including descriptions, hints, terrain difficulty, and cache size. Routes to and from the cache location can be calculated for easy navigation. An included geocaching filter can be used to limit searches to degree of difficulty, type of terrain, cache type, and cache size.

Turn-by-Turn auto routing with voice prompts can be added as an optional feature. The Sierra is powered by two “AAA” batteries. The suggested retail price is $399.00, but substantial discounts can be found in the internet. All Endura GPS products come with a one year limited warranty, with the option to purchase an additional two years of coverage from the manufacturer.

A quick glance at online customer reviews revealed mixed reviews. Anyone seriously considering purchasing the Lowrance Endura Sierra GPS may want to visit a local retailer to examine the device first hand before purchasing.

The intended customers of the feature-rich Sierra include treasure hunters, hikers, bicyclists, off-roaders, hunters, and fishermen. If you frequently venture into the wilderness or unfamiliar territory on the highways, enjoy treasure hunts, or would simply prefer not to get lost, ever, then the Lowrance Endura Sierra GPS may be exactly what you’re looking for.