Choosing the right topographic map is essential for safe, confident navigation on trail, backcountry road trips, and multi-day expeditions. This guide evaluates top camping & hiking topographic maps and map-guides available today. Recommendations are based on extensive research, hands-on field testing, and expert and user feedback to help you pick the best map for your needs.
How we tested and what we prioritized
We combined real-world field testing with expert review and consumer feedback. Key evaluation criteria included:
- Detail & Accuracy — contour intervals, trail and feature correctness, and up-to-date land designation.
- Scale & Coverage — appropriate scale for hiking vs. regional planning; how much area each map covers.
- Usability in the Field — legibility, indexing, inset maps, and GPS-friendly grids (lat/long or UTM).
- Durability & Format — paper quality, lamination or waterproofing, fold pattern, and compactness.
- Specialty Features — trail classifications, road surface types, POIs (campgrounds, boat ramps), and curated route notes.
We tested maps on day hikes, multi-day routes, and car-based scouting trips. We also cross-checked features against authoritative park and forest sources and aggregated user reviews to spot recurring strengths and issues.
Delorme Wyoming Atlas
Comprehensive state atlas with full-color topographic maps, latitude/longitude overlay, city insets and extensive index. Ideal for multi-day backcountry planning and road exploration—high-resolution detail and GPS-friendly grids make it reliable for navigation and trip planning across Wyoming.
Delorme Atlas & Gazetteer: Wyoming — Premium Choice
Delorme's Wyoming atlas is a full-featured state book designed for serious planners and backcountry travelers. It pairs large-scale topographic mapping with an extensive index, inset city maps, and a latitude/longitude overlay that works with handheld GPS units. The maps show trailheads, boat ramps, scenic drives and state lands—useful whether you're planning a car-based scouting trip or navigating to a remote trailhead.
Technical highlights: full-color topo maps, lat/long grid, city insets, detailed index. Published 2024.
Why it stood out: The combination of statewide coverage, clarity of contours, and the GPS-friendly grid makes it the most versatile choice for multi-day and cross-country trip planning. Paper quality and fold format are aimed at desk and basecamp use rather than single-piece waterproof pocket maps.
Pros: broad coverage, highly indexed, excellent for planning.
Cons: larger format for field use; not waterproof laminated like some pocket maps.
Pine Creek Lizard Map
Specialized Lizard Map covering Pine Creek and the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon with trail networks, road-surface info, campgrounds, and points of interest. Perfect for hikers, bikers and paddlers who need a region-specific, public-land–focused map with clear symbols and curated highlights.
Pine Creek & The Pennsylvania Grand Canyon Lizard Map — Editors' Choice
This Purple Lizard map is a highly practical region-specific product for recreational users. It highlights public lands, state forests, major hiking and biking trails, campgrounds, and river access points. Lizard Maps also annotate road surfaces (paved, dirt, 4WD) which is invaluable for dual-sport riders, overlanders and mixed-mode trip planners.
Technical highlights: trail and road-surface classification, public-land boundaries, campgrounds/POIs, focused regional coverage ideal for Pine Creek Gorge and surrounding forests.
Why it stood out: The curated local detail, including specialized trail and access notes plus the “lizard” points of interest, makes this map an excellent field companion for people exploring this corridor—clear symbology and practical route detail earned it our Editors' Choice.
Pros: highly detailed for the region, road-surface clarity, lots of POIs.
Cons: single-region focus—not useful for multi-state planning.
Delorme Florida Atlas
Statewide Delorme atlas offering full-color topographic maps, lat/long overlay and inset city maps. It balances comprehensive coverage and field-usable detail at a competitive price—great for recreational users and trip planners looking for a reliable, GPS-compatible state atlas.
Delorme Atlas & Gazetteer: Florida — Best Value for Money
Delorme's Florida atlas mirrors the strengths of their larger state series: clear full-color topo maps, inset city pages, lat/long overlays and an extensive index. For the price, it delivers broad statewide detail suitable for coastal paddling routes, inland trails and scenic drives.
Technical highlights: full-color topography, GPS-friendly lat/long grid, city insets, indexed locations. Published 2022.
Why it stood out: It strikes a strong balance between usefulness and cost—enough detail for practical navigation and planning without the higher price tag of the largest specialty products. A great all-purpose atlas for outdoor enthusiasts who travel within one state.
Pros: affordable, comprehensive, GPS grids.
Cons: like other atlas books, bulkier than pocket maps for long hikes.
Grand Teton Day Hikes
A compact day-hike map and guide with 48 rated hikes, color-coded steepness, contour lines and junction distances. Designed for hikers who want quick route selection and on-trail reference—family-friendly route notes and clear elevation cues make this a great pocket companion.
Day Hikes of Grand Teton National Park Map Guide — Best Budget Pick
This pocket map/guide pairs concise route descriptions with topographic detail and contour lines. Hikes are ranked and color-coded by steepness, distances between junctions are labeled, and family-friendly routes are flagged—perfect for day trip decision-making and on-trail reference.
Technical highlights: contour lines showing elevation change, color-coded steepness, 48 ranked hikes, labeled junction distances.
Why it stood out: It delivers high practical value at a low price—ideal for hikers who want clear, actionable route info without the bulk of an atlas. Not a statewide product, but an excellent focused map for park visitors.
Pros: compact, affordable, very usable on-trail.
Cons: limited to Grand Teton area; not a replacement for broader topo coverage.
Comparison at a glance
- Delorme Wyoming Atlas (Premium Choice) — Best overall for comprehensive statewide planning, excellent indexing, and GPS-friendly grids; ideal for long trips and multi-day planning. Price: $29.95.
- Pine Creek Lizard Map (Editors' Choice) — Best for focused regional navigation with superior POI and road-surface detail; great for hikers, bikers and backcountry access. Price: $18.00.
- Delorme Florida Atlas (Best Value for Money) — Robust statewide atlas at a lower price point; a solid balance of coverage and cost for recreational trip planning. Price: $21.00.
- Grand Teton Day Hikes (Best Budget Pick) — Low-cost, high-utility park map and guide for day hikes; compact and action-oriented. Price: $14.95.
Best overall: Delorme Wyoming Atlas — for users who want the broadest, most reliable topo coverage and GPS-ready grids.
If you need a regional, field-ready map: choose the Pine Creek Lizard Map for its focused trail and access detail.
If you need an affordable statewide atlas: the Delorme Florida Atlas offers the best price-to-coverage ratio.
If you want a low-cost trail guide for day hikes: Grand Teton Day Hikes is the most practical pocket option.
Final recommendation
All four selections were chosen after field checks, cross-referencing official sources, and weighing user feedback. For most campers and backcountry hikers who plan multi-day or cross-region trips, the Delorme Wyoming Atlas is our top recommendation—it offers the most comprehensive mapping and GPS-friendly features. If you're focused on a single region and value on-the-ground detail (trail classifications, road surface, access points), the Pine Creek Lizard Map is exceptional. For budget-conscious users wanting statewide coverage, go with the Delorme Florida Atlas. For park visitors seeking a compact, inexpensive guide to day hikes, the Grand Teton Day Hikes map is hard to beat.
Choosing the right map depends on scale and use case: bring an atlas or larger map for planning and basecamp work, and carry region-specific or pocket maps for on-trail navigation. Our recommendations reflect hands-on testing, expert review, and consumer feedback to help you pick the right map for your next trip.