Long Trail Vermont - maps?

[somers515]

I'm currently a big fan of having good paper detailed maps when I hike. Helps me enjoy my hike.

Looking for any info/advice regarding the Long Trail maps in this link: https://store.greenmountainclub.org/collections/maps

Obviously the one Long Trail map covers the whole trail ($12.95) but I'm a little worried it won't be detailed enough. Maybe I should get instead the specific areas maps for $4.95/$5.95 each instead? If I get those maps "Killington Area", "Northeast Kingdom", "Manchester Area", "Camel's Hump" and "Mt. Mansfield" would they cover the entire Long Trail? Are they more detailed in their specific area than just the one Long Trail map?

Any advice or tips would be appreciated! Thanks!

[MuddyWaters]

The GMC Long Trail Map is all you need. Its a topo map and plenty detailed for hiking the trail with a wide corridor. There may be some towns you will need to know what road goes to where and how far if it not on map...write it down someplace. You will want a data sheet or Guthook as well for water sources, etc. The shelters and camps are shown on the LT map.

The straightness of the LT is why this is possible on a reasonable size 2 sided map. Each side is broken into about 6 vertical panels that each cover ~25 miles of trail or such. (crude guess to give you an idea) The way the AT and other trails meander around is why it takes so many maps to cover them.

[bigcranky]

The one single LT map is all you need. Great map, and I think it was recently updated. We found it very useful. We also carried the E2E guide, but I spent some time before the hike annotating it with updated info. We did not carry the big guidebook, and didn't miss it.

[somers515]

Thank you MuddyWaters and bigcranky!

[Greenmountainguy]

The GMC map is a buy. Rugged and reliable in the details, however if you do not know an area I would suggest supplementing with something that is better for small roads and the like. This would be particularly helpful if resupplying. Better detail might be helpful in some places or even a guide that discusses shelter conditions, water sources, etc.

[StubbleJumper]

I've hiked the LT on two occasions, and I'd say that the GMC map is fabulous for hiking the trail. Where it is weak is on the bailout opportunities as it shows a very narrow corridor. In my case, I grabbed a Vermont road map in either Manchester Centre or at the Inn at Long Trail (can't recall which of the two). The highway map provided the information needed for bailout opportunities. These days, probably an offline map stored on your smartphone would perform the same function as my highway map.

[Greenmountainguy]

I've hiked the LT on two occasions, and I'd say that the GMC map is fabulous for hiking the trail. Where it is weak is on the bailout opportunities as it shows a very narrow corridor. In my case, I grabbed a Vermont road map in either Manchester Centre or at the Inn at Long Trail (can't recall which of the two). The highway map provided the information needed for bailout opportunities. These days, probably an offline map stored on your smartphone would perform the same function as my highway map.

Yes, this is exactly my point when I wrote: "

"The GMC map is a buy. Rugged and reliable in the details, however if you do not know an area I would suggest supplementing with something that is better for small roads and the like. This would be particularly helpful if resupplying. Better detail might be helpful in some places or even a guide that discusses shelter conditions, water sources, etc. "

The lack of information about side roads, logging roads, etc. is the only downside to the map in question. Yes, I think a decent roadmap would be enough. I do not trust anything stored on a smartphone however, as electronics break and batteries fail. For shorter sections a national geodesic map would also work, although at a higher price.

[bamboo bob]

I've thru-hiked the LT twice, in both directions. The GMC map is all you need. Really. Guthook is terrific as well. Have a great time. The LT is a real butt kicker and mile for mile harder than the AT.

[NHWhites]

Imo, there's no need for any other map. The only gripe I had was the 'viewpoint' indicators. I would say that at least 70% of the indicated viewpoints are completely grown over. Other than that, I never needed additional information the I couldn't either surmise from the map or other hikers.