Maps source

hello people; new guy here wondering where a good source of trail maps for ca.
Any suggestions appreciated.
Thanks, Rick

Try your local REI.

National Geographic has good maps you can order online too. They sell them for many of the CA NP trails.

it escapes me how i did not even consider that...
...and i am a member there,

They usually have the National Geographic maps at REI

Wish we had one nearby...

Once you zero in on where you're going you can d/l topos from the USGS store for free. http://store.usgs.gov/b2c_usgs/usgs/maplocator/(layout=6_1_61_48&uiarea=2&ctype=areaDetails&carea=%24ROOT)/.do

And print them in tiny blocks, which is difficult to use to navigate, or at Kinkos and pay a bundle.

Tom Harrison has good maps - the mileages are more accurate since they actually walk the trails.

That's true. Unless you have Photoshop (and know a little about using it) those files are difficult to work with.

They are sweet maps though

When you say CA. do you mean Canada or California? For California, you can get USGS or Tom Harrison maps; for Canada. maybe Phat will post on this-he's up that way.

california; mostly looking for maps of the PCT system and some of the wilderness areas in the sierras ( good quality topos with marked trails),
our local sports chalet used to have nice topos but havent seen them there lately,
BTW thanks for all the great suggestions everyone i think my REI store would probably be my best source.

I like Topo! Explorer for maps. The state versions are $49 and contain all the maps for the whole state. The cost is $49. You can buy it on CD at REI or Amazon. Or just google Topo!Explorer and you will find it on the National Geographic site.

For those who use GPS, it will also download waypoints.

The program is a little difficult to use, and it REALLY does help to read the directions.

The USGS maps are about $7.50 a sheet if you order from them. Not too bad considering the amount of paper and ink used.

Also check the local University/College - I pickup printed local to my state USGS maps for cheap on campus.

No need to photoshop the USGS maps if you have adobe std and/or adobe pro. You can span the usgs maps across 9 pages to their full size then just cut and tape them together(which could get time consuming.) I really like the lastest USGS maps that have been released. They don't have trails but the contours are a lot sharper when you turn off the sat. photo overlay.

You can also also order forest and wilderness maps for the national forest service store.

mytopo.com has online maps you can print yourself and also gives you the ability to order custom maps with utm and/or Lat/Log ticks on the side.

mapper.acme.com is another online map