Best atlases according to redditors

This island is featured in the book "Atlas of Remote Islands" by Judith Schalansky

I had made a companion "book" to it via the Wikipedia service:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Xefer/Books/RemoteIsland

Get a copy of the maine atlas and gazetteer. It has a lot of points of interest and campgrounds of different types (developed, primitive, lean-to, etc.). It also has most of the larger trails in the state and info about where the gates are, impasses, etc. Camping locations are everywhere, though i usually find a nice secluded spot on the map away from any marked points of interest or developed camp grounds and drive in, find a spot and set up. More times than not, i'll end up in a great spot and not see another person the whole trip.

Bradbury Mountain is a decent day trip from Portland, plus you could stop in Freeport and shop and eat lunch at the (supposedly) haunted Jameson's Tavern. The staff there will show you a book about the haunting if you ask about it. The hike at Bradbury Mountain is easy, they have one easy trail and one more difficult, but it's not really that hard, either way.

The wildlife refuge in Gray is also nice. Only open in the warmer months, of course:

http://www.state.me.us/ifw/education/wildlifepark/

Wolfe's Neck State Park:

http://www.maine.gov/cgi-bin/online/doc/parksearch/details.pl?park_id=31

And Wolfe's Neck Farm:

http://wolfesneckfarm.org/

If you look on this page, there are several places listed, and Tidebrook is not to be missed:

http://freeportconservationtrust.org/areas/freeport-center-trails/

Gilsland Farm, closer to Portland:

http://maineaudubon.org/find-us/gilsland-farm/

Scarborough Marsh, where we have rented canoes and drifted along, seeing birds and such, very peaceful:

http://maineaudubon.org/find-us/scarborough-marsh/

We have also taken day trips to Boothbay, Bailey's Island, Popham Beach, George Reid State Park, and a lot of places in and around Ellsworth along the coast. Deer Island/Stonington is also a great place, if you go up to Ellsworth and then take the road down to there, the views are fantastic.

I agree Western Maine is fantastic, the drive thru Rangeley and Height of Land, while first visiting Smalls Falls is lovely. You can climb up along the falls, as well as dip into the pool at the bottom.

There is also a place just above Paris, where you can sort and sift for tourmalines, Maine's gemstone, on Route 26:

http://digmainegems.com/

If you go a bit South of them, there is a gas station that serves hot and cold sandwiches, which you could then take a couple miles down the road to Snow Falls Gorge:

http://www.world-of-waterfalls.com/eastern-us-snow-falls.html

Other places to consider are The Forks, and Moxie Falls, and there are people who rent and do guides for white water rafting, and perhaps renting a cabin in Belgrade lakes area. We stayed at this place last year, to get away, and it was very quiet, dog friendly, and campfires every night, supper is BYOB:

http://www.whisperwoodlodge.com/

Get you a Maine Gazetteer and just go out and drive around and explore! So much to do and see, especially in the warmer months.

https://www.amazon.com/Maine-Atlas-Gazetteer-Delorme/dp/089933282X

You might need it because cell service is sketchy in a lot of Maine, and well, the GPS always wants you to get on the highway or go the most direct route, but that's not always the most fun, is it? :-)

This is a great guide for CO.

https://www.amazon.com/Colorado-Gazetteer-DeLorme-Mapping-Company/dp/0899332889

Addresses: For an example of what the other poster wrote, I'll give a specific example. I used to live in Ninomiya 3-5-1. Meaning, I live in a neighborhood called Ninomiya, which itself is divided into several sections, and I live in the 3rd section of Ninomiya. My block is #5, and my building is #1 on the block. A lot of the numbering of blocks and buildings is based on when they were built up.


Directions: The modern version of turning left at the Johnson farm. "Take the expressway and then the exit for Mitsukaido. At the end of the ramp, take a left at the stoplight, then a right at the second 7-11. We live in the 3rd apartment building on the right, next to the ramen shop. At the E entrance, find our name on the list to ring and be let in."

Arrrgh: For those who want a more Western looking map, I recommend books like this one for Tokyo.

I used to use the Tokyo City Atlas in the dark days before smart phones, and it worked quite well for me.

This is one of my favorites: http://www.amazon.com/Atlas-Remote-Islands-Judith-Schalansky/dp/014311820X

How about this one: http://www.amazon.com/World-Political-Wall-Marco-Polo/dp/3829767773

If you ask for GPS, rental car companies will give it to you, but expect them to charge you a ton of money ($5-20 per day). Use a smartphone and save the money. Also find a mount that makes your phone easy to use in any car and is easy to travel with (I like Tetrax).

Also, if for some reason google maps doesn't work out, don't be afraid to go analog.

OK, so the next step are the state-by-state books. That's kind of expensive and for a coast-to-coast tour, you'd probably need to carry a dozen to show all the detail you want. https://www.amazon.com/Colorado-Gazetteer-DeLorme-Mapping-Company/dp/0899332889

Yes, the DeLorme challenges are based on the state map books DeLorme published (such as this one for California).

However, you don't really need a copy of the atlas to do the challenge - which is good, because Garmin (the GPSr maker) just purchased DeLorme, and said the atlases will no longer be published in print form.

The challenge is to find at least one cache for each "page" of the atlas. Specific details vary by state - in some cases, a page might be optional (because there aren't caches there). Sometimes, if a page has a smaller inset map, you'll be required to find a cache in the main area and in the inset; in other cases, finding something in either is sufficient.

The easiest way to check these is to use a challenge checker at Project-GC (search for "California Delorme" or similar), or use the statistics functions at mygeocachingprofile.com. Either one will generate a map showing what areas you have/haven't found.

I've been working on my state (Virginia) for about a year - along with the City and County challenges - and I'm finally at the point that 3 cache trips should finish it off. It takes a decent amount of trip pre-planning to pull these off... but some folks (myself included) find it fun to work towards.

Yup. It's overwhelming. Let me know if you want tips, but I'd really need to know:

How long you'll be there
What context (people, occasion) you're there in
What interests you

And buy one of these http://www.amazon.com/Tokyo-City-Atlas-Bilingual-Guide/dp/1568364458/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1412357947&sr=8-1&keywords=tokyo+atlas if you don't want to be crazy lost all the time.

And, if you're so inclined, think about learning the japanese alphabets—being able to read is huge bc so many words are english loanwords, you'll be like hey, I know that word! If you have time to learn one of the three writing systems (two of which are alphabets and relatively easy to learn), learn katakana: http://www.realkana.com

OnX is either phone or GPS based maps. You can get 1 time purchase GPS or a subscription. If that's too expensive now a Gazeteer is a brand of paper maps with ownership info.

Mossberg 500 series is the basic and cheap but good pump shotgun. Remington 870 is another decent one (I own one and no major issues) but quality control has been down lately.

Edit: California gazetteer: California Atlas & Gazetteer https://www.amazon.com/dp/0899333834/

What state are you in? Look on amazon for "atlas and gazetteer <your state>"

https://www.amazon.com/Virginia-Atlas-Gazetteer-Delorme/dp/0899333265

It's been my experience that the off-roading opportunities close to town are hit or miss. You probably don't want to go tearing down powerline trails without 4wd or some rescue plans. There's a deer lease out HWY 10 that's sometimes open, but it may be frowned upon. There's no purple paint or signs that I've seen, but it's usually gated.

If you go keep following 10 all the way out to HWY 9, though, you can be reasonably sure you can handle most of the forest roads out in the Ouachitas, as long as you use your head and stick to the main roads. South on 9 from the intersection will take you to the turn-off for a designated "off-road" auto-tour. There are miles of tame forest service roads out there, and the Flatside Wilderness is truly spectacular. Here's a little inspiration from my recent adventures!

Head north and it's a similar story in the Ozark National Forest. Most of the Forest Service roads will be fine. Get yourself an Arkansas Gazeteer for those areas where cell service might be spotty. It does a pretty good job labeling roads, too (forest, unimproved, etc.). It's your adventure. You can make it as wild as you want, but there are lots of dirt and gravel back-roads all over the state. I imagine you could get from Lake Village to Bentonville with very limited asphalt, if you set your mind to it. If you're going alone, or even without another vehicle in your party, it's probably a good idea to tell somebody where you're heading and when you expect to be back. Be safe!

If you don’t get any good suggestions, try finding a copy of this book. The price is all inflated to hell because I guess it’s out of print, but this book is great. It has every trail I know of on it. (I’m up in Scranton.)

It’s tough finding trails in Eastern Pa.!

Went for the first time last Aug 2017 and had a blast. The weather was rain/cloudy though so my experience may be unique in that it wasn't too crowded (forecasts of thunder for the weekend). The difference being that I understand it can be a madhouse in the summer months with good forecasts. I also had all the equipment and truck for transport. No rentals or help from local stores.

http://www.sacobound.com/images/maps/SacoMap.pdf (I refer to #s on this map).

We put in at Saco Bound 2nd site (saco bound landing) cause I couldn't find a free site to park up river. The Saco bound landing parking was like $20 for the weekend. You buy it at their main building. We got off at the Hiram spot (bottom right of the map) which is free parking. This route allows you maximum time on the river while not encountering any portages if your glamping like I do and don't want to carry a ton past the swan falls dam.

The Sand Bar stories are true with a ton of them along the Saco banks - moreso in drier weather. Our wet weather reduced a few. If its super wet out with a lot of preceding rain I would check with the local rental places. It could surge enough to cover all the bars. In the beginning and end there are plenty of sand bars. Near 15 on the map they start disappearing and only appearing again towards the end when it starts getting curvy again. I would camp before 15 your first night - probably a little before. Don't want near 15 to be your last resort just in case its full. Again our weekend had bad weather so there were plenty to go around. If you go on a beautiful weekend i would get an EARLY start to claim a plot before others fill in. Can't guarantee you will get a bar to yourself, but people are generally friendly if not a tad roudy. Aim for a small bar if you want isolation.

Putting in where I did and getting out at Hiram was a solid 3 day trip, starting a late morning Friday and finishing up Sunday afternoon.

If you camp near one of the connecting lake/ponds/swamps MOSQUITOES are everywhere. ENEMY NUMBER ONE. Eaten alive our first night when parked near 15 on the map. Next time I am glamping with a mosquito gazebo so we can get some peace. Second night down the river was much more sane. I also recommend one of these for #2 trips in the woods for mosquito defense:
https://www.amazon.com/WolfWise-Portable-Changing-Dressing-Backpack/dp/B071RHQP6V/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1520992497&sr=8-7&keywords=pop+up+changing+tent

Bring a lot of firewood - has to be Maine sourced. I would see if you can buy some a little further away from the Saco to reduce tourist traps $$$. We were lucky due to the weather that we were able to find some driftwood to add to ours. However, if its a row of popular weekends I expect the river will be picked bone-dry for driftwood and you can't cut fresh wood.

I didn't fish, so can't really help you there. I didn't see too many fish in the water while travelling through, but I don't know if that is an accurate measurement.

Also, I got this after the fact but know it will be useful next time:
https://www.amazon.com/Saco-River-Map-Guide-Amc/dp/1929173199

Let me know if you have any other questions - I found information so sparse when researching it myself that its a joy to be able to share.

For road trips I found the California/Oregon gazetteer maps are good.

https://www.amazon.com/DeLorme-Oregon-Atlas-Gazetteer-Delorme/dp/1946494062/ref=dp_ob_title_bk

Another option for some forests that I've bought is the atlas, which is basically every topo map printed and bound

http://www.nationalforestmapstore.com/product-p/ca-69.htm


I hate folding stupid paper maps they never go together right and are annoying on the trail but I still often buy them from the USFS, there are also non-USFS maps on the store, like Steens mountain

http://www.nationalforestmapstore.com/product-p/or-54.htm

This seemed to have some unique data not on other maps.

I've bought some of the wilderness area maps but the overall forest maps are more useful and will have the roads.

Sadly, the store is often out of stock of certain maps.

As others have said, USFS 2016 layer on caltopo excellent. For some reason some of the private property boundaries seem more accurate on the older USFS maps and the often very old USGS topo maps are a bit better to get the actual land contours but often harder to read on your phone (worse scans/clarity).

If you are in popular areas the trails/features seem pretty up to date but in many more remote areas even in the updated 2016 USFS map they just took the data from the older map and re-rendered it and didn't actually update where the trails are.

Hi, great that you're taking an interest to get him a book on cartography. I've recently began doing the same, and books are definitely superior over wikipedia etc.

• 'Great Maps' by Jerry Brotton: Very accessible, kind of a coffee table book that you can look into when you have some minutes to spend.
  
  
• 'A history of the world in 12 maps' by Jerry Brotton: Bought this one together with 'Great Maps'. Gives a more academic point of view on maps and on their origins/purposes. Haven't finished it yet though. Kind of unaccessible because there aren't really maps included (some maps, but pictures are way too small). Definitely recommend it, in combo with 'Great Maps'.
  
  
• As /u/churizurd mentioned, Atlas of Remote Islands is pretty fun too. Pricing seems kind of strange on Amazon (1130$ for paperback lolwat)
  
  
• Transit maps of the world is on my wishlist, looks cool

I took a class in undergrad about languages of the world. One of the textbooks we used was The Atlas of Languages. It had a lot of helpful overview information and the class was open to non-majors so the book was pretty easy to understand.
I couldn't find the newer version (it was updated in 2008), but amazon has an older edition for less than $15:
Here!

The best way I've found to discover good National Forest areas is with a Delorme Colorado Atlas and Gazetteer

Even with all the great resources online it's easy to page through the maps and look for the "dark green areas" which are National Forest.

I believe REI still sells the Atlas as well.

In Maine, we have public reserved land where you can camp for a much lower rate. Take a peek at your state's official site as they'll probably list something similar.

We also have the Maine Atlas and Gazeteer that has primitive camp sites on it. (if you check some of the images, you'll see how the sites are shown.) I see Florida has one too by the same name, but I don't know if it's the same as Maine's.

The drawback is that you'll be competing with everyone else who's like you and trying to find a quick place to setup, but who knows, it may work or at least get you going in the right direction.

http://www.amazon.com/Collins-Whisky-Scotland-Pictorial-Maps/dp/0007289499/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1370870848&sr=8-1&keywords=map+distilleries - just have it framed.

just about any state you want ....

https://www.amazon.com/California-Road-Recreation-Atlas-Benchmark/dp/0929591496/ref=sr_1_45?ie=UTF8&qid=1486500907&sr=8-45&keywords=map+atlas+usa

https://www.amazon.com/California-Atlas-Gazetteer-Delorme/dp/0899333834/ref=pd_sim_14_60?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=BZFWVQPP8M10HWEC13BK

have a mind to download or print? ....

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6-eYcf1HwPUUnNwTE00WXlLMkE/view

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6-eYcf1HwPUbUZ4WlBDNnpsc2c/view

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6-eYcf1HwPUZkZtX3d1aS1Ybjg/view

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6-eYcf1HwPUdGY0ZUtEbFY1MlpjS2JQWHU3Y0lsYWZqMHBJ/view

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6-eYcf1HwPUOFFSQVdhd0hiVm8/view

http://www.abandonedrails.com/

http://trains.rockycrater.org/pfmsig/atlas.php

This map book of Tokyo was a god send to me even though I had taken one year of Japanese before I spent the summer there. It's bilingual so it'll help with trains and such for kanji you don't recognize.

http://www.amazon.com/Tokyo-City-Atlas-Bilingual-Guide/dp/1568364458/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1370577812&sr=8-2&keywords=Tokyo+map

This shall be your bible, then

Every jeep trail, creek, stream, puddle, abandoned mine, ghost town, campground, lake, street, highway and boulevard in the state, with topography. Purchase it immediately.

>Anyone know what trail this is?

Seasonal use roads (Or as I refer to them as RINOs: Roads in name Only) are all over New York. Most of them are on DEC property but others are owned by the local government.

Pick up the Gazateer and pay attention to the secondary roads on the map. No, Google Maps isn't good enough, as I have found it to be wildly inaccurate when it comes to these types of roads.

A paper DeLorme Atlas will outline most road types, along with a whole host of other topographical features and points of interest. They also have an app in the Apple and Android stores, called Garmin Earthmate. There are probably some better topo apps though.

Other than getting out there (I learned firsthand that FS-601 is gawd awful this past summer on a camping trip to the Flattops -- had to turn tail at a creek crossing/mud pit), I study maps quite a bit. Pick a cool place you'd like to visit, and plan your route, rather than outsourcing your brain to Google :)

And buy a good road atlas! I recommend the DeLorme one.

So here is my slightly OCD google map with various layers. I went in early September and the weather was mixed, lots of rain and lots of wind (more on that later). We rented a small campers van, and did 10 days on the road, as shown in the Directions layer, not including the few days we spent in Reykjavik on the front and end of the trip.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1K5W6zzTjajCxAjvD_g44H2PIDb4&usp=sharing

Some comments:

Itinerary: Personally I think you might be biting off a bit much, I would suggest trimming somewhere so that you can enjoy the days a little and not just spend your time driving. Getting inland is no joke, the roads are extremely precarious. There are even patches of the ring road and some of the main roads off of it that are close to what I would consider off-road level. I would suggest trimming the West Fjords as we did, and DEF opt for the the Snæfellsnes peninsula, you can do it like a loop.

Camping: We saw a lot of tent campers, and I for the most part did not envy them. the pro: most campgrounds have a common space thats heated with kitchens and places for you to escape the weather. The con: the weather, there were some nice tent camping days but as you go north it can get very cold and the weather was a lot less cooperative.

Roads: I would reallllly suggest that you avoid the F roads, the rental companies do not mince words with how treacherous they can be, once you see the type of vehicles they use for the inland tours you will understand. I would focus on doing as close to the full ring road or at least the primary roads, you will not be robbed of absolutely jaw dropping scenery at every turn. Once you get outside of the golden circle, you'll practically have the road to yourself for hours upon hours at a time. Also: I cant recommend getting a quality waterproof road map. https://www.amazon.com/Iceland-National-Geographic-Adventure-Map/dp/1566955343

Any other questions, I am happy to help! I sunk hours and hours into researching and planning our trip, so glad to get mileage out of it for someone else.

You might be interested in this book: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/014311820X

I recently came across it and picked it up, and I've been escaping into its pages every night, wishing I could just run away to one of those islands forever (or until I get bored; whichever comes first).

I believe all of the islands in the book are claimed, but there's a handful that are totally uninhabited, some of which are in not-too-harsh climates.

Lets start a reddit colony.

I grew up in Colorado. The single biggest things I have seen people who move here struggle with are the altitude and sudden weather changes. Altitude sickness is covered in most basic first aid guides; water is key. Both CU and CSU have some online guides. Also, I have seen some cloud identification pamphlets that are useful.

I own this Gazetteer, and have used it a ton. Hope this helps and welcome to Colorado!

• What exactly is a JR Pass used for? Is it for any train/bus in Japan (except for 2 lines)? Would it be worth it if I'm only going to be in Tokyo for 4 days?
  
  The JR Pass is a 7 day or more pass that gives you access to most JR trains (JR is a train company in Japan). JR is the main company, but note that JR is not the only company, and the JR pass does not cover any other company's fares. Off the top of my head there's 7 or 8 train companies or public authorities aside from JR in the Tokyo area, although the vast majority of these are commuter lines -- 'spokes' out from central Tokyo. It's important to note that JR doesn't service most of central Tokyo (inside the JR Yamanote line) -- that's done by 2 subway operators.
  
  The other important note is that if you are coming to Japan on any real visa status (ie, not on a tourist visa or visa exception) you CANNOT use a JR Pass. They will let you buy it, but when you go to register it after landing in Japan, you'll be SOL.
  
  
• If so, would I hypothetically be able to use the JR Pass for just moving around Tokyo on the local trains for a few days or would that involve buying some other type of fare (same question for Fukuoka travel)?
  
  Only to a small extent, unless you wanted to stick to Yamanote and Chuo/Sobu line stops and walk/take a taxi the rest of the way. See above.
  
  
  
• If I only need a round-trip ride to Tokyo and back, would the 7 day JR Pass still be worth it for just getting to and from Tokyo for a few days?
  
  Probably not. You would practically committing a crime against tourism if you are going from Fukuoka to Tokyo and you don't stop in Kyoto and Nara, etc, however. There's timetables and prices out there- I don't have the URL handy at the moment.
  
  
• If not, what would I be better off doing? Buying tickets for the ride on my own or maybe just take a domestic flight?
  
  Domestic flights between Fukuoka and Tokyo are somewhat cheaper than the Shinkansen, and faster. If you only want to go to Tokyo that might be the way to go.
  
  
• Does anybody have any advice on the youth hostels in Tokyo or just general cheap accommodation advice (capsule hotel)?
  
  There's plenty of travel advice here, in /r/tokyo, and in /r/japantravel that covers this. Capsule hotels are a pain in the ass if you have luggage.
  
  
• If for some reason I don't have access to the internet on my phone, how do I avoid getting lost in Tokyo? Some of the maps I've seen are terrifyingly busy and confusing.
  
  There's some train/metro maps that are offline. Tokyo is a huge place, and their addressing system is totally different than the Western world. However, if you plan ahead, it's fairly easy to find what you want. There's area maps everywhere. You might want to consider learning some basic Japanese before you go.
  
  
• Should I buy a map or guidebook before coming so I can avoid getting lost?
  
  Sure. There's a great bilingual book of Tokyo maps. It's probably overkill for coming here for a week or so, but if you don't have a smartphone and are afraid of getting lost, it might be worth it.

Glad to help. I also use the DeLorme Atlas & Gazetteer to get even more detail on rivers and small county roads that don't always show up on larger maps. It has helped me out when getting lost and I have no cell/gps service. If you have these two books, you're pretty much set for Colorado.

There's a beautiful little book about tiny random islands and their stories. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/014311820X

I highly recommend Judith Schalansky's Atlas of Remote Islands: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/014311820X/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1491902409&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=atlas+of+remote+islands

That's a great book. English link. I've enjoyed flipping through it but nearly all of the islands listed were inaccessible (except maybe with a yacht or special expedition). Good for daydreaming!

we purchased the National Geographic Adventure Travel Map from Amazon

It is nice that its a heavy duty, water resistant map. It seems to be pretty accurate and robust. Main only complaint is that it splits the island in half... one half per side. There is a few inches overlap on each side, but it was somewhat annoying to not see the whole map at once during the travel planning phase.

*Edit - Sorry, I just read your post again and realized I missed something key. I don't know how accurate it is for going far off of the Ring Road.

Late to this dance but I have two cents. The Madison is long, and the type of camping might help make suggestions. As mentioned Ennis or W. Yellowstone may be your bases of operation (groceries and what not). I personally recommend the Madison between Hebgen Lake and Ennis Lake. That is a long stretch of water with some super productive fishing lately, although it has been getting warmer and the fishing is getting slower in the afternoon. Below the damn on Hebgen all the way to Quake lake is quality there is a couple camp grounds right there near Beaver ck. Below Quake lake toward Ennis at Gold Butte there is a campground and again at Ruby Ck. these mentioned are all quality fishing accesses with camping facilities. There are many many more as you work down the maddy, most of the fishing access are at or near a campground. I would start high (Hebgen) and work your way down stream to Ennis camping at multiple spots. Buy a http://www.amazon.com/dp/0899333397/?tag=googhydr-20&hvadid=12503023067&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=973034872824961472&hvpone=17.05&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_1it1skj9ql_b

This is a handy map reference that will steer you around and let you leave the beaten path with some confidence. Hint: checkout Wade and Cliff lake right in the area I suggested. Happy hunting.

I just read a lot.

Here are some examples.

http://www.worldtravelguide.net/holidays/editorial-feature/feature/20-islands-you-never-knew-existed

https://www.amazon.com/Atlas-Remote-Islands-Fifty-Never/dp/014311820X
(some are accessible but this woman is too lazy to go to there. Others are off limits.)

There is this island in the Andamans which is deliberately kept off-limits, although I think if the need arises the natives will be wiped out within 24 hrs.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jimdobson/2015/09/28/will-the-worlds-most-dangerous-island-become-a-human-zoo-the-shocking-future-of-north-sentinel/#476117a46034

(the natives think they are keeping the outsiders off; in reality they will be human zoo animals to wealthy outsiders who feel like seeing them from the air)

First, don't use the freecampsites website. It will take you place people already are at and many which have "become a problem" and are now illegal. I've checked some of the places I've had unexpected run ins with cops. Many are listed as great spots on that site.

Read this and go explore:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/detailfull/fishlake/recreation/?cid=stelprdb5121831
The best place to camp is the one you found yourself. The West is full of an unbelievable amount of public lands.

I strongly recommend maps. These:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0929591208/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1
Or these:
https://www.amazon.com/Montana-Atlas-Gazetteer-Delorme/dp/0899333397/ref=pd_sim_14_11?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=RE0TC48TPVXWDQ1QPFC4
I think I prefer the Delorme.

Hard copy maps in this day and age! Land ownership from public to private doesn't change often. These maps lay out land ownership much better than digital sources I have used.

You should all buy a copy of Atlas of Remote Islands.

I realize this isn't the book you're looking for, but you might find the Atlas of Languages interesting as well.

http://www.amazon.com/Whisky-Scotland-Collins-Pictorial-Maps/dp/0007289499
Perhaps this is what you're looking for? I have a map of the distilleries with information about them at home but I can't remember what it's called. I'll take a gander when I'm done at work.

It depends on how much detail you need. I found the Tokyo City Atlas published by Kodansha essential when I lived there. It was the only way I found to make sense of the fact that there are no street names - just building, block and district (chome) numbers.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tokyo-City-Atlas-Bilingual-Guide/dp/1568364458

If you're visiting well known tourist spots its probably overkill though.

Congratulations OP!! JMT is something I will never forget, and I plan on doing it again for the last time in 2016 (I'm 40). This year I'm going to Grand Tetons.

Tips:

Take your time, it's beautiful country. Enjoy every second. Absorb it all in.

Tom Harrison John Muir Trail maps are excellent.

A good book to read is Guide to the John Muir Trail by Thomas Winnett. Use this to plan your trip and highlight areas on the topo.

I cached at Florence Lake.

http://www.amazon.com/John-Muir-Trail-Map-Pack-Harrison/dp/1877689343


http://www.amazon.com/Guide-John-Trail-Thomas-Winnett/dp/0899972217

So in my experience, it's actually really difficult to get lost in AZ. I've been to some really remote places, this weekend for example in the White Mountains I didn't see another soul for two days. It was great.

One of the greatest things about this state is that a lot of the trails are marked very well.

Between downloading an offline version of google maps and this atlas, I feel pretty safe in AZ's backcountry.


I've also used Gaia Maps but it seemed overkill for me.

Do you speak, or more relevant, read Japanese? Are you studying the language? If so you might want to check out an atlas - 地図帳　


It is great language practice and you will learn exactly what you are looking for. If you are outside Japan you might want to check out Rakuten or eBay. There is this too, though I can't really say how good it is.

Best Option

Second Best Option

I used the second one for a long time. I've gone through probably 5-6 of those. Picked up the first one a few years ago and I like it much better.

They're also wireless and don't need batteries.

This is what you want...

We took long drives growing up too. Half of my dad's family lives in southern California and Arizona. Whenever we visited, we would pull an all night drive down from southern Oregon. There's something magical about waking up in Laughlin, NV at 8am to your dad blasting "Welcome to the Jungle" to wake everyone up and then asking which casino we should stop at to hit the buffet and blackjack tables. (Plenty of other great trips and stories all over the West too. But that one captures the unplanned, unconventional nature with which we travel pretty well.)

Is the book you received like this? I love those things. I found it really useful to have on when I lived on the east coast. Because there is so little public land compared to here, it was hard for me to find good places to explore without those maps. (And out here, I need them so I don't go and get us lost and killed up in the mountains on BLM roads).