Arizona Trail topo map set

imported
#1

I just received a copy of the new topo map set CD today, and I am quite impressed. It’s obvious that a lot of effort went into making this. The new maps look great. They are real topo maps with a very clearly defined route for the Arizona Trail on them. It looks like there are about 130 individual maps, which are detailed, and show points of interest such as water sources, place names, and mileage. Every thing is labeled as you would expect a normal topo map to be labeled. At the bottom their is an elevation profile, and data.

The new Data Book is also included, which has all the potential information that hikers need at mileages along the way, water sources and resupply info is included as well as GPS waypoints, elevation, comments, geographic features are listed as well.

Im heading out for a 240 mile hike on the Arizona Trail in March and just wanted to let everyone know that this new map set CD, blows the old guidebook out of the water. I feel that this will be much more usable to thru hikers and section hikers alike.

Guino

#2

Guino-
240 Miles! Good for you. Which part of the Trail will you be hiking? Thanks for the map info, my CD has not arrived as of yet…
Pops c
AZT Dreamer - Class of 2013

pops c

#3

I just got my map set and I will agree it is a thing of beauty! I was thinking of getting a basic GPS unit, but now I think I’ll hold off and see how I do with the maps…they look that good!

Debra

#4

I was thinking about hitting the stretch from the Roger Trough trailhead,in the Superstition wilderness, to Mormon Lake, then I will have completed the whole trail, minus the new miles added last year. I need a ride there, and it is quite difficult, but someone with a four wheel drive will want to take me out there. Otherwise I can get dropped off at the First water trailhead, and walk through the Superstitions to access AZT. Im bummed I just spent money on my GPS now that I have the new mapset. Plenty of uses for it though, like pounding in tent pegs.

Guino

#5

Guino, while the map set has the data book, it’s recommended to get this from the AZT website as close to your departure as possible. Lots of changes, especially around the new sections.

Shawn

#6

The data book that accompanies the mapset serves its purpose, as it’s the only version that will jive 100% with what’s shown on the maps. But yes, for the very latest data book info, you’d want to print out the most recent version from aztrail.org. So you’d carry both on the trail.

The trail trace shown on the maps is current. The only thing to note is that the newly-built trail in the “Gila River Canyons” passage is depicted as an alternate route and is contained in the separate CD folder “Passage 16-17 2012-built trail section.” This is because the new trail came on-line as we were going to press, too late to be included as the main route. The good news is that the Postholer mapping approach allows for easy updating, so there will be a new mapset available every now and then containing the very latest information as of press time. We’ll post a note to this forum and elsewhere whenever this happens.

Incidentally, the biggest task in developing the mapset is putting the data book information onto the maps in a useful way. Every POI needs a waypoint associated with it, the waypoints need to be accurate so that the POI appears in the right place on the map, and the POI’s should hit useful features and junctions at regular intervals so that each map offers the most bang for the buck. Using the current mapset to identify potential new POI’s and then adding these to the official ATA data book, with coordinates, would yield an even better resource the next time we update the maps.

blisterfree