Map's On and Off the Trail

[jdsmerud]

Hi everyone. I'm new here, but long time backpacker. I am planning a thru-hike this year and have already decided to leave the trail maps at home, but I was wondering if there was a need for any maps to make it from the trail to town or is it pretty well marked or clear where to head? Thanks in advance.

[Tinker]

ALDHA's Thru-Hikers' Companion has most of the town maps you'll need. You might want to check your guidebooks for attractions that might not be mentioned in the Companion, but I don't think you'll need to bring any, just make notes in your Companion.

Fwiw, I always take maps and my companion, but I just do section hikes. Once I finish with a map I leave it at a shelter for other people to use.

[bflorac]

I always take the maps but like Tinker, I section hike, usually less that 3 weeks at a clip. I would not want to carry all the maps and even on my section hikes I only carry the maps to get me to my next drop box. The maps are handy for elevation changes, and location of nearby roads (incase something goes wrong), and if nothing else, points of interest/vistas you might not want to miss. Sometimes if you have been hiking for a long time without seeing anyone, they offer a little warm fuzzy feeling that you are going the correct way. Since they are water proof I don't worry about keeping them dry. - IMHO

[flemdawg1]

Most of the time the maps end near trail towns at least until you reach VA. Start off with GA and Southern NC (or have NC mailed to a PO or hostel you know you'll stop at.) Buy GSMnp and GSM-Erwin map at NOC. Buy erwin-Damascus at Uncle johnnies, etc.

[Blissful]

If you don't believe with your prior expert skill level you need maps for your thru hike, surely you wouldn't need maps to help get to towns would you....?

Golly...

Or uh...mmm...maybe you found a reason you might need maps after all....

(see my blog below on maps)

[moldy]

If you carry a cell phone you should put the ATC phone number 304-535-6331 in your cell. If you call them during normal working hours they can help. Last fall I was map-less and needed to come off the trail at some spot where I had no clue as to which way to go. They looked up my position on the map and the guide book and helped me out with a phone number to a nearby hotel and they picked me up.

[Meriadoc]

Nicely written post on maps Blissful. I might just have to say 'what she said' when people ask me :D

[kayak karl]

hope it don't snow. those white blaze's disappear quick :)

[RayBan]

I was wondering if there was a need for any maps to make it from the trail to town or is it pretty well marked or clear where to head? Thanks in advance.

Others have responded to your question but there are other important considerations when it comes to carrying maps which you, as a professed long time backpacker, may want to carefully consider.

For example, if you sustain an injury or need to exit for some other reason (e.g., family emergency, injury to another hiker), where do you leave to get to where you need to go as quickly as you need - that forest service road you think you came upon ? Should you wait until another trail junction (BTW, where IS that junction ?), then take it (as happens in the GSMNP and elsewhere) ? How will you know where that FS road, other trail lead ?

Having had to be evacuated due to injury, I've come to appreciate the importance of having a map when it comes to getting/using critical information (e.g., locating the closest/most reasonably accessible exit points) contained on maps. You may wish to consider that (and other advantages to carrying maps) before making your final decision. JMO.

[Wise Old Owl]

Google Maps Smart Phone Android - Sat / topo

[RayBan]

Google Maps Smart Phone Android - Sat / topo

It's a good idea - really, it is - but we all know how cell phone coverage can be limited/non-existent in places (in fact, a LOT of places on/near the trail). If a critical event arises, or you just want an exit, and don't have cell coverage, a map will provide you with that information.

I think of carrying a map as analogous to carrying more than one source of fire-making (e.g., lighter and magnesium/steel). JMO

[Wise Old Owl]

Well I look at it and I have map - topo - satellite photo down to a car - and it doesn't care if it has phone capability. Oh did I mention its lighter larger and easier to use than a Garmin? 40Z!

[BrianLe]

I'll second the first part of Tinkers reply as the best response to the question, and just add that I think this is likely true regardless of which guide is selected; I had the companion on my smartphone but mostly used AWOLs guide in print form and had no problems.

FWIW, I had maps on my smartphone and found that plus my guidebook pages to be plenty on the AT; very rare that I looked at maps that way, but they were always there. Special case however; I definitely take maps on other trails, but the AT is not a normal backpacking situation. I think I might have referred to the digital map maybe three of four times on the trip, and most of that was when snow covered the trail in the early portion.

Not looking to argue with folks that feel that physical/analog maps are a must on the AT, just expressing that I felt neither deprived nor unsafe without them (and neither was I ever referring to maps carried by others).

[Slo-go'en]

A guide book gives you all the info you need to get to a town and often includes a town map showing were services are located. Since trail maps are just that - a map of the trail, they don't show whats off the trail by more than a few miles. For that reason, a state road map can actually be more useful, as it gives you the overview and they show the approximate location of the AT. I've often carried a state road map instead of trail maps. It's fun to plot my progress on a state road map.