Updated my maps

[ntsqd]

A source often overlooked is AAA's county maps. I still have mine that gives the correct name (IMHO) of "Palm Spring" to the lower Saline Valley hot spring. It also places the "Mable Bath" near Steele Pass. At one time I had ALL of So. CA's counties. Nor CA isn't as distinct county by county, but I still have most of it too.

Jawbone Station NE of Mojave is a good place to stop by. Either clear up your CC or leave in the vehicle. You've been warmed....

 

[MarkBC]

How'd you get yours before I got mine? I sense a conspiracy here! ...

I'm an Amazon Prime member = 2-day free shipping

 

[craig333]

Mine came today. Same style as my previous one just a different material.

 

[clikrf8]

Benchmark:
Benchmark generally represents road-quality (e.g., paved vs gravel vs 4x4) more accurately than the Delorme Gazeteer (at least, it used to be that way -- haven't looked at a Gazeteer in years).
AND: Benchmark has cool/interesting/odd features marked here and there on the maps: Such as "Stolpa rescue spot" and "geographic center" in Nevada and various "missile silo" locations listed across Montana. Probably many more similar oddities in the maps, if I looked.

Michelin North America:
My original post lists why I think it's best. If those qualities sound good to you, you won't be sorry.
I like having a full North America atlas with me wherever I go, even if the Benchmark (or USFS or topo maps) gives more detail for the areas they cover. Like, when I was in Montana recently and I started thinking about a trip to visit a friend in Georgia, I could look at the Georgia pages in the Michelin and plan/explore Georgia. (I had no Internet at that point, so couldn't explore online)
Just a nice compact no-batteries-requred resource to have handy.

Last May, we actually drove down the dirt road that passed by the Geographical Center of Nevada. Ranch country with none to fond feelings for the B L M judging by the signs we saw. We were on our way to look for the Miniature Grand Canyon (found it-nothing special) and go into Belmont the Back way. En route, we found wild horses and several abandoned homesteads, one with a sod roof. There was no sign for the geographical center but we guesstimated where we were. We love Nevada!!!!!

 

[MarkBC]

Last May, we actually drove down the dirt road that passed by the Geographical Center of Nevada. Ranch country with none to fond feelings for the B L M judging by the signs we saw. We were on our way to look for the Miniature Grand Canyon (found it-nothing special) and go into Belmont the Back way. En route, we found wild horses and several abandoned homesteads, one with a sod roof. There was no sign for the geographical center but we guesstimated where we were. We love Nevada!!!!!

Geo center of NV: The sign was there when I visted in January 2012:

Of course, it could be gone now.

 

[ski3pin]

Mark, the actual center is about three quarters of a mile from that sign to the east. There's a geocache. And that sign is new since we were there.

 

[MarkBC]

Mark, the actual center is about three quarters of a mile from that sign to the east. There's a geocache. And that sign is new since we were there.

Yep...so I've read.
If you haven't been there since 2012, you're due for a re-visit!

 

[ski3pin]

Now I have to check into this and do some planning..........................................thanks Mr. BC!

 

[MarkBC]

Now I have to check into this and do some planning..........................................thanks Mr. BC!

You guys sure don't need inspiration from me for a trip to Nevada!

Re-reading my trip report from then inspires me to consider a re-visit...

Wonder if that sign's still there...could be one of those ephemerals...

 

[clikrf8]

Either missed it or the sign is gone. Could be the latter according to BLM in Ely. We were there in late May of this year. We don't just pass through Nevada on the way to somewhere else, we actually explore it. Last time through (in 2 separate 3+ week trips), we were at the Black Rock Desert taking the backroad from NE California, Ruby Mountains/Ruby lake/Lamoille Canyon, Lunar Crater, Valley of Fire, Belmont, many canyons like South Sixmile, Hot Creek, Moore Station area, Jumbled Rock Gulch (a bit too jumbled for us), Berlin/Ichthysaurus State Park, Cathedral Gorge State Park, a couple of ghost towns I can't remember now, wherever we saw something interesting in Benchmark or from the net or a sign along the road. We especially like the area between Highways 6 and 50. We skip Reno and LV.

In September, we plan to revisit some of these places: Lamoille Canyon for aspens (beautiful campground there), and go to Midas, Jarbridge and maybe Jackpot to photograph Great White (band).

 

[MarkBC]

MORE MAP UPDATING

After getting helpful guidance from Dr. J on finding the ID-NV-UT 3-state point, I decided it would be a good idea to get the BLM maps for the Idaho approach to the point, so I visited PublicLands.org and put the two relevant maps in my shopping cart.
Then I thought, "maybe I should get the map for the nearby district of the Sawtooth N.F., in case I want to camp there going/coming, so I added that to my cart.
Then I thought, "I really should 'bracket' the 3-state point with the BLM maps for the NE corner of Nevada and the NW corner of Utah", so I added those to my cart.
Then I thought, "I've never explored the Jarbridge area of northern Nevada, and it could be on a loop home from the 3-state point", so I added that district of the Humboldt-Toiyabe N.F. to my cart, as well as the adjacent BLM map.
Then I noticed the Jackson Mts. BLM map on the Nevada page of the site, and I know that my Jackson Mt. map is at least 20 years old...and I've never crossed the range and a map might be helpful, so I added that map to my cart.



Funny how a little map order can snowball...

---

Now, I could get most of this same/equivalent info as a download, add-on, to the Backcountry Navigator app on my Android phone, and that can be handy -- especially when combined with the phone's GPS for tracking me hiking/traveling across the map (and is certainly less expensive to buy the information).
But the screen on my phone is 4.7" (my tablet is 10") and a hardcopy map, when open, is like having a 36" screen (a foldable giant screen), one that permits panning by simply moving my eyes rather than swiping across the relatively-tiny screen.

On the other hand, In my tablet's storage I have the complete NatGeo TOPO maps for several western states. Really nice and handy to be able to carry such broad and deep geographic reference with me on a road trip -- a lot handier than carrying several boxes of 7.5' quads.

Both approaches to geographic information storage and retrieval -- hardcopies and digital devices -- have a place in my world.

 

[craig333]

Of course paper maps won't have the batteries die on you. Yeah, I need to upgrade my digital maps also. News from work doesn't sound good though so I think I'll hold off for now.