Burke County GIS Online Map Viewer provides access to various layers of county management interest, including aerial photography and parcel info.  Imagery from 2005, 2009, 2010, and 2014 is available.  Select your desired imagery using the “OrthoPhotos” button on the top right of their screen.  Parcel info can be displayed by enabling that layer in their sidebar.

 

burke_county_gis_screencap

 

While the 2014 imagery can be more conveniently viewed using the LGMAPS Collection for Google Earth, there may be an advantage to using the Burke County website if you require maximum image quality.  The original 2-D imagery was captured at pixel-per-six-inch resolution using NC State Plane projection and is nice and crisp in the Burke County Map Viewer.  When projected into 3-D in Google Earth the imagery is slightly blurred.

 

burke county map viewer vs google earth linville gorge spence ridge bridge river crossing
The Spence Ridge Trail river crossing is shown here using Burke County’s Map Viewer (top) and the LGMAPS Collection for Google Earth (bottom). The tradeoff is clear: use the county website for maximum image resolution and the Google Earth collection for convenience.

 

If you need precision information on wilderness boundaries, the Burke County site is superior to the boundary information provided by the federal government.  Note that the “Pro” version of Google Earth also incorporates this higher-quality parcel data.

So if you require precision imagery or boundary info, it’s worth braving the slightly clunky interface of the Burke County site.  The county’s GIS department has put a lot of effort into upgrading their site in recent years, so be sure to thank them next time you’re in their office in Morganton.