4 comments about Benchmark Nevada Road & Recreation Atlas.

1. These are the best maps for understanding what you are viewing while you are traveling. If you want to know what you are looking at while you are driving, these are the maps for you. They are kind of a cross between a topo map, a relief map, and a gas station map.



2. I have lived in Nevada and have traveled extensively throughout its rural areas since the 1980's. Most people don't realize how many "roads" there are in Nevada (1000's) that exist solely as remnants from mining booms, power line access development, ranching, military, and the like. The majority of unpaved roads shown on other atlases are not maintained by the counties they are in.
   
   Now herein lies the magic of a Benchmark atlas. What you see in its pages are the result of extensive, local research and field verification work. The bolded-in-red-dashed routes are indeed well-traveled, and maintained in good condition (albeit a little washboard from time-to-time which is very normal).
   
   Hunting area numbers, phone numbers, and other detailed local information is also provided. The overlaps from section to section are well-buffered, meaning, if you flip a page, there's an above average amount shown from the previous page :)
   
   I love my Benchmark and have used it so much that the cover's stitching staples wore out and the cover came off! I have yet to come across any inaccuracies in the year that I have owned this atlas. KUDOS!!! GREAT JOB!!!



3. This book is good for my intended purpose of seeing what to expect on my planned road trip from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon. However the information on Las Vegas is noticeably dated.



4. I bought Benchmark's California and Nevada Atlases for a geology field trip to Death Valley. Part of the field trip was a tour of Yucca Mountain, Nevada, the national nuclear waste site, on the Nevada Nuclear Test Range. That tour handed out a map of the Test Range but it had quite a bit less detail than the Benchmark map. The Benchmark map showed not only Yucca Mountain, but also Area 51 (and several runways), site of Lockheed's Skunk Works, once supersecret but no longer (Wikipedia for example), and also the sites of a number of well known nuclear tests (I had earlier noticed that the county containing the nuclear test site (Nye County) is mushroom shaped).
   
   The Benchmark atlases contain several sets of maps, starting with a few that give an overview and set the context of the detailed maps. This is a nice feature, sometimes it is hard to see the bigger picture from only the detailed maps. Also the maps have some overlap, so the edges and corners do not get shortchanged. A latitude/longitude grid could also be very useful if lost but you know your coordinates (if you can call that lost). The shaded relied gives a good feel for the terraine, much better (but less quantitative) than a contour map, and I was able to match the map to the visible scenery to get a good idea of our location while traveling to various field trip points. If you like maps you'll probably like Benchmark maps.

No comments about Reno/sparks, Nevada (Rand McNally Folded Map: Cities).

1 comments about The Thomas Guide 1st edition Reno/Tahoe street guide: including Sparks, Carson City, and Truckee.

1. Thomas guide books used to come with the material on a cd. Now that cd is not available.They need to include the cd or make it available either by purchase
   or included with the guide.

No comments about Rand McNally Nevada State Map (State Maps-USA).

4 comments about Starr's Guide to the John Muir Trail and the High Sierra Region.

1. The problem with this guide is it was written in the 30's and the trailhead info is not totally reliable. For hardcore JMT fans this is a must-read.



2. Having grown up in the John Muir Wilderness as a Boy Scout, I can attest to the greatness of the guide. Its size and intricate, step ny step trial guidance is second-to-none. An absolute must-read for anyone even remotely contemplating a trek between Mount Whitney and Yosemite. Despite the fact that the information in the guide originates in the 1930's, it is still relevant today and provides a very sound planning tool for Scouters and "civilians" alike. I recommend it highly for another reason: It fits in the outer pocket of my backpack!



3. There's no doubt that Robinson's guide is one of the great books written about the JMT, no one disputes this. It's nicely written, informative and gives background on the trail not found in other guides. However (and this is a huge "but"), this book is *not* useful for planning a present-day thru hike of the John Muir Trail. It was written in the mid 1930's and so much has changed in the intervening 70 years. Locations to trailheads, water sources and resupplying points and all drastically changed since 1936.

   Most people who thru hike the JMT want all books every published about it, to remind ourselves of our accomplishment. This book definitely deserves a hallowed spot on your bookshelf, it just doesn't belong in your pack in these modern times.




4. My dad and I hiked the length of the JMT many years ago. At that time Starr's Guide was invaluable. In terms of its accuracy, we encountered only one minor hiccup and it was probably our own fault. We didn't recognize Senger Creek when we passed it and we kept looking for it for a few miles when it was actually behind us. Hiking a few extra miles at the end of the day was hard but it all worked out as we took a layover day for some fishing on the middle fork of the San Joaquin River.
   
   For more information on "Pete" Starr, check out William Alsup's book, "Missing in the Minarets: The Search for Walter A. Starr Jr."

No comments about Nevada Ghost Towns/Sites Then and Now.

1 comments about Sierra Nevada: Includes: Yosemite, Sequoia and Kings Canyon Nat'l Parks, Mount Whitney, Lake Tahoe, Gold Country, San Joaquin Valley,.

1. Excellent map to work out all your backpackiong trips in the Sierras while at home. Find new hikes in same areas and plan them out. AWESOME!!

4 comments about Streetwise Las Vegas Map - Laminated City Street Map of Las Vegas, Nevada - with integrated monorail lines and stations.

1. This small folding laminated map can be much more convenient that a standard paper folding road map. I've used both, and found that the Rand McNally road map uses such a small scale that it's annoyingly difficult to read. By contrast, the Streetwise Las Vegas map is much easier, as its scale is larger and the text is printed in an easy-to-read font.

   A word of warning: This map does not cover all of the city of Las Vegas. It definitely hits all of the main areas a tourist would be apt to go, from the airport to the downtown Fremont area, and from the strip to UNLV, and everything in between. But the suburbs of the city are not covered, so you'll need another map if you're planning on venturing out of the glitzy part of Vegas.




2. This is a great general reference map of Vegas...but is a little out of date as it only shows part of I 215- which is now finished. It also is only of Vegas proper.



3. Slightly out of date. Save your $5.95 and go to AAA!



4. This is my 3rd map from Streetwise. The first I bought when I moved to Orlando and the 2nd was for the streets of Sydney. Now I'm relocating to Las Vegas and these maps have always been a big factor in locating my apartments. Thank you!

3 comments about Benchmark Nevada Road & Recreation Atlas - 2nd Edition.

1. I use this atlas for it's great off-road detail to plan and execute ATV trips. This is the BEST atlas I have found for off-road detail in Nevada and it hasn't let me down yet. It must be the best, since others in our ATV Club have it and refer to it often. I never see another atlas on the trail besides this one!



2. When I purchased a Nevada Road & Recreation Atlas that had missing pages, Benchmark offered to correct the problem immediately. They responsed to my email in less than 24 hours. I've used 3 of their Atlases for different states and find them extremely useful.



3. Not only does this map label and explain all the interesting recreational features in the state, it also labels all the rural ranches and farms(!) We use it at the university! THANKS!!

5 comments about Nevada Atlas & Gazetteer.

1. I attended college in Nevada and volunteered for the BLM in Nevada. I have traveled extensively throughout the state's rural areas since the 1980's; and several times over.
   
   Those of you who have seen previous editions will notice that the new edition no longer displays bold red lines for heavily traveled unpaved county roads! Why?? At least back then, most of the bolded red line routes were pretty accurate. But now, they have all been reduced to thin red lines - which may be DeLorme's way of trying to get itself off the hook regarding its inaccuracy issues.
   
   Yes it's true DeLorme doesn't have its act together in terms of fully researching its data. And yes, I too have been misled into taking routes that appeared to exist but didn't exist in reality, or, if they did "exist" they were in such bad shape (washed out & rocky outcroppings, super-soft sand & silt) that they shouldn't have been on the map to begin with.
   
   The rule-of-thumb when exploring rural Nevada is: if a "road" appears bad shortly after you begin going on it, turn around immediately. Even if you've already invested a few miles of time on it, turn around and save your vehicle (and yourself) the punishment. I guarantee it won't "get better" the further you go down it, so, resist the temptation altogether. If your inner voice is saying "this road is bad", it is and most likely will only get worse.
   
   Unless you drive a Hummer, stay away from any remote Nevada backroads. The state's rural road maintenance budget has been in shambles for years and therefore these routes are no longer getting any attention or priority.
   
   Regarding the places shown as "towns" - change is constant and not even the BLM can keep up, so, don't rely on any maps. Just keep the following in mind: Interstates 80 and 15 and 95/395 and 50 are always safe bets for services at least once an hour. State routes (paved) in all directions between Reno, Las Vegas, Winnemucca, Battle Mountain, Austin, Eureka, Ely, Baker, Caliente, Tonopah, Hawthorne, Pahrump, Fallon, Gabbs, Elko, Wells, Wendover, and Jackpot are also safe bets. Outside of that, ignore DeLorme.



2. Great Product! Nearly as good as having a seperate map for every county in the whole state.
   I like it best because I can read the text much easier than a state map, especially in low light. My bifocals are OK for reading but not the fine details of most maps.



3. An indispensable addition to your travel planning for Nevada! Buy one and you'll find you'll want more DeLorme Atlas & Gazetteers for traveling in other states!



4. These Delorme Atlas & Gazetters are wondeful. They show you many features not available through GPS, maps or other atlases. It is a great feature to have the BLM lands marked as well as the back roads. Good resources are also included in each states atlas. A good addition to anyone's travel tools.



5. Took a number of non-roads shown as roads in this atlas and almost became stranded once. Also missed some interesting roads not shown in this atlas. I later reviewed these errors in the other brand atlas of the same size and found them ALL to be correct in that atlas. I continually find errors in the California, New Mexico, and Nevada versions of the DeLorme atlases. I have since converted my usage to the other brand.