The Best New Maps for the 2018 Hiking Season in the Northeast

Maps are passports to adventure and armchair exploration. As you look toward the 2018 summer hiking season, new maps, updated for both popular and lesser-known destinations—plus one gorgeous new wall map—provide rich and up-to-date fodder for planning your next big adventure. Here’s what’s caught my eye of late.

Cohos Trail 2017 Map Update

If you’re looking to go deep into the Great North Woods of far northern New England, the Cohos Trail may be for you. Stretching 170 miles through the portion of New Hampshire north of the White Mountains, from Crawford Notch to the Canadian border, the long-distance Cohos Trail has been a work in process for many years now.

For the latest info on the trail’s ever-evolving route, check out the Cohos Trail Map 2017 update. It highlights the trail’s current route, which follows a mix of trails, snowmobile routes, and other paths.  $16.95

AMC White Mountain Guide Map Set

Released last August with the updated 30th edition of AMC’s iconic White Mountain Guide, this newly updated map set for the White Mountains features the latest and most up-to-date trail information, mileages, and locations for every trail in the White Mountain National Forest (and then some). It accurately reflects the current state of trails in the backcountry following the extensive damage—and trail reconstruction—caused by post-tropical Storm Irene in 2011.

These maps are printed on tear-resistant, waterproof material—a huge plus if you’ll be using them regularly in the backcountry. (The maps included with the guidebook are printed on less-durable paper.) $29.95; member price $23.92.

Long Trail Regional Maps, plus Centennial 2017 Edition of Long Trail Guidebook

The 28th edition of the Green Mountain Club’s Long Trail Guide ($19.95) celebrates the trail’s 100th anniversary. It features the complete and up-to-date 272 miles of the Long Trail itself, plus more than 200 miles of side trails. Included maps make this guide a must-have resource for anybody interested in exploring Vermont.

More detailed regional maps are also available for several of the state’s most iconic hiking areas, including my personal favorite destination, Mount Mansfield and the Worcester Range, which was just updated for its 4th edition ($6.95).

Raven Maps North Atlantic Coast Wall Map

As much a work of art as a map, this brand new, beautiful and distinctive map highlights the entirety of the Northeast and much of eastern Canada, including Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, and portions of Quebec. It’s a fascinating look at the terrain and potential adventures that await beyond the borders of the U.S., free from the the national and state boundaries that predominate on most other maps. $95. I’ve raved about Raven Maps before—for more, check out my previous post The Best New England Wall Maps.