When was the last time you planned a backpacking trip without a computer, phone, or GPS unit? Think hard. Unless you're a dedicated old-schooler, it probably wasn't recently. If your map skills are ...

I normally bring three types of topographic maps: a paper small-scale overview map, paper large-scale detailed maps, and digital maps (sometimes including additional imagery or data) on a smartphone.

During the latter half of the twentieth century, the backbone of the U.S. Geological Survey’s national mapping effort was the 7.5-minute topographic quadrangle. These detailed printed maps defined ...