National Park Maps Online
This summer, 2016, found us in two of America’s most famous National Parks– Grand Teton and Yosemite. One of the things we love being handed from the smiling ranger greeting us at the park’s entrance is the NPS map of the park.
These well done maps are always handy in our home to share with family and friends that are planning a trip to one of the parks. Up to this point, we have never been able to find these national park maps online. But now, thanks to a Teton Gravity Research article, we found them on NPS Ranger Matt Holly’s website.
Lemonade From Lemons
Remember when the Feds and NPS were shut down in October, 2013? Well, one good thing that came from it, besides briefly freezing our the national deficit, was giving ranger Holly inspiration to put his time to good use. Not being able to work or play in the parks, he decided to create a site containing every National Park Service map from all 59 parks. His site is organized, easily accessible, and available for your use for free.
“There’s a sense of pride and ownership that goes with the map the ranger hands over,”
Matt has added over a thousand maps to the site, available for you to view, save, and download. In addition to the maps, he links to nearby parks to help with trip planning. Beyond the full park maps, the site features detailed maps of specific components of the parks. See hiking trails and campgrounds, or a broader view of the area surrounding a park.
“There’s a sense of pride and ownership that goes with the map the ranger hands over,” National Park ranger Holly told National Parks Traveler. The maps got their iconic look from acclaimed designer Massimo Vignelli, who is probably best known for designing New York’s subway signage.
Plotting Your Adventure
Every time we have a new visitor planning a trip to our backyard parks (Yellowstone and Grand Teton), we pull out NPS maps and spread them out on the kitchen counter. The excitement in our guests visibly increases as they plot out their adventures. The features included in these national park maps remind us to highlight some special spots for them, sharing a bit of local secrets to make their trip a little more special.
“But nothing compares to unfolding the map, spreading it out on the table, and plotting your day’s adventure.”
Matt tells Scott Johnson oat National Parks Traveler, “Even though electronic maps are useful and convenient, I think there will always be a place for physical copies,” he said. “Sure, I like to view maps at home for trip planning and save them to my phone so they’re always in my pocket. But nothing compares to unfolding the map, spreading it out on the table, and plotting your day’s adventure.”
