Road Atlas

[Craig D. Thompson]

This subject comes up periodically but a search did not find any recent discussions.

My wife & I mostly use a tablet and Google Maps for trip planning and navigation. We like to have a paper backup for when there is no cell signal and such. This happened recently when we were camping in an area with steep hills and very sporadic cell signal.

Are there any recommendations for road atlases (entire USA lower 48 states)? I suppose we want as much road detail as possible as the primary purpose is backup navigation. Info such as national parks, state parks, camp grounds and the like are not important.

When convenient we stop at state visitor centers to get current maps but over the years we have found an atlas to be a very useful resource. It has been a good many years since we have purchased one.

[parmm]

We use a Garmin GPS, so have no problems with losing signal.


We also use the FMCA North America Atlas as a back up. It is spiral bound, large print, has locations of Petro Shopping Centers and TA Travel Centers, Love Travel Centers, Walmart Super Centers, Cracker Barrel Restaurants, and campgrounds all marked on the maps. Cost $17.00.


They both go where ever we travel. Have a Garmin GPS in both vehicles.

[Meadowlark]

I wouldn't trust Google maps, nor do I trust GPS. In the past I've heard of stories where one's GPS will happily route you across a lake.


It seems paper maps are harder to find, no one prints them anymore. If you want to get a (not so) 'funny look' at a gas station, just go in and ask for a local map. Usually the person behind the counter has no idea what you're talking about.



The US Forest Service usually has maps for FS campgrounds, but you have to find the local office.



We use DeLorme atlases. They're set up by individual state. They're very good very detailed maps. I don't know if they have one set up for the entire lower 48, if so it will be thick.


another avenue is to contact the USGS (United States Geological Service) for topographic maps. While they may not be as up to date as other maps, still, they're very good for what you're looking for.



It's also sad that that people these days have no idea how to read a map.

[Jack L]

Meadowlark stated;


We use DeLorme atlases. They're set up by individual state. They're very good very detailed maps. I don't know if they have one set up for the entire lower 48, if so it will be thick

Delorme or Benchmark maps are great for backcountry travel. They show latitude and longatude. I carry a simple handheld GPS showing latitude and longitude and is has saved me several times. Unimproved (dirt) BLM and Forest Service roads in the Western States sometimes change between printings.

[Raz]

Mapquest and later American map produced the best road atlas. The regular version included Canada and Mexico. There was a large print version that was just the U.S. Unfortunately they went out of print about a dozen years ago and the old ones command high prices even though they are dated. You might find one in a used book store. Also, there might be a newer version that I don't know about. Rand McNally is still available. Not as detailed as the MapQuest but current and in a large print version for $18 from Amazon. For seeing the big picture, paper is hard to beat. Good luck.

[Lora]

We always carry Atlas & State maps. We have AAA and have found the Atlas there both in regular and large print. IIRC the large print doesn't seem to have as much detail. I also will stop at welcome centers.
I traveled the Teddy Roosevelt Highway (Rt 2 runs from Portland Me to Portland OR) this summer and used the paper maps to find all kinds of interesting places to visit along the route. These places did not show up on electronic devices. Also, there was a long portion of the route (I think in Montana or ND) where there was no cell signal.

[Meadowlark]

Jack L provides a very important fact. Forest Service dirt roads can be risky. THey're on the map but don't provide such details as...is there a place you can turn around? Are they wide enough to allow two vehicles abreast? Often, they're not, and if it's on a ridge line, you don't dare pull off to the side to allow someone to pass. Or are they passable in winter? Or are they there at all?



I've been involved in at least one destruction of a FS road, where they used a ripper blade to tear up the road as part of an elk habitat restoration project.

It didn't take more than five years for the torn up road to disappear, but it's still shown on the maps as driveable. And even then, it would have been scary to take a camper down it.



About ten years ago there was a situation where a family from California decided to take a FS road as a shortcut across the Cascade mountains...in winter. The husband decided to try to hike out in deep snow to find help as they'd gotten stuck and didn't have room to turn around. They were there for several days without proper clothing or even much in the way of food.



He didn't survive. The wife and their baby did, but only because they were finally spotted by helicopter.

For all I know their jeep is still up there in the woods.

[Lynn Eberhardt]

We currently have a 2021 Rand McNally Road Atlas and National Park Guide. Large format, spiral bound, State Park symbols, major cities, includes Canada.

Our trip planning always includes the Atlas, Google Maps, and the dash mounted GPS navigator. We also need to check the phone now and then.

I agree with Raz; a big paper map is the best way to get the big picture.

[Bruce H]

My last truck had the Ford navigation system. I soon learned that it would get me into trouble. I have many stories about errors the thing made. And that voice, that you couldn't easily mute, demanding that you turn immediately when you knew it was the wrong turn, ugh. When I ordered my new truck earlier this year I specified that it NOT have a navigation system. Get paper maps, study and plan your routes before you start and you will actually know where you are. If you are planning to travel back country roads, get on google maps before you start and study and zoom in on the satellite photos.

[John in Santa Cruz]

I've been using Google maps on my phone, with the voice shut off, for years now. If I'm traveling in an unfamiliar area, I'll study it at my leisure on my laptop in advance. I ignore most redirects off main roads unless I can see where it's routing me.

[parmm]

Originally Posted by Meadowlark

Jack L provides a very important fact. Forest Service dirt roads can be risky. THey're on the map but don't provide such details as...is there a place you can turn around? Are they wide enough to allow two vehicles abreast? Often, they're not, and if it's on a ridge line, you don't dare pull off to the side to allow someone to pass. Or are they passable in winter? Or are they there at all?



I've been involved in at least one destruction of a FS road, where they used a ripper blade to tear up the road as part of an elk habitat restoration project.

It didn't take more than five years for the torn up road to disappear, but it's still shown on the maps as driveable. And even then, it would have been scary to take a camper down it.



About ten years ago there was a situation where a family from California decided to take a FS road as a shortcut across the Cascade mountains...in winter. The husband decided to try to hike out in deep snow to find help as they'd gotten stuck and didn't have room to turn around. They were there for several days without proper clothing or even much in the way of food.



He didn't survive. The wife and their baby did, but only because they were finally spotted by helicopter.

For all I know their jeep is still up there in the woods.

I've read stories of people's GPS taking them into such situations.

But if you properly set up a Garmin GPS, it will not take you on such roads. You don't just stick it in the vehicle when you receive it and go. Read the instructions and set it up properly! Both of mine have even learned my short cuts on county roads, but only when I take them over and over again. It seems to learn which way I want to go.

[sw78987]

There’s no perfect navigation tool so it makes sense to take advantage of the best use of each. I just got back from a 4,800 mile round trip from Texas to Washington state and used all three options along the way.

A large-scale paper map like the Rand-McNally is great for the broad overview and showing alternative routes and attractions.

A GPS works when you need turn-by-turn directions and there is no cell service.

Phone apps like Google Maps, Apple Maps and Waze can provide precise turn-by-turn directions with advance warning of what you need to do next, even down to things like which lane you need to be in to stay on your route. Another major advantage is their ability to reroute you around construction or an accident that might otherwise have you going nowhere for awhile. That has saved me hours of frustration on some of my long trips. Google Maps seems to be best at that. All these things are especially useful if you’re traveling solo and have no navigator to help.

[Richard McGuire]

I've found for the U.S. that DeLorme are the best.

MapArt, based in Canada, makes excellent road atlases for Canada and I believe they have some maps for the U.S. states.

I still have their 2005 North American road atlas which has good maps for Canada and the U.S. and basic maps for Mexico. I don't know if there are newer editions.