Catskill Mountaineer

Review of Appalachian Mountain Club hiking map for the Catskills

AMC hiking map for the catskill mountains
Purchase: Purchase Map at Appalachian Mountain Club Store - Also available at EMS, REI, Amazon, etc
Coverage: Covers the Entire Catskill Mountains
Details - Number of maps: (1) large hiking map for the Catskills Mountains - maps on front and back of map
Details - Size of maps: Folded: 9" x 3-3/4" - Unfolded: 21-3/4" x 27.00" - Total area: 1174.50 ci
Durability: Waterproof and Tear Resistant
Type: Topographical with roads and hiking trails
Scale: 1:90,000
Contour: 100 feet per contour interval
One Inch: 1.42 miles
Trail Mileage: Hiking trail mileage done with a wheel in the 1980's
Contour Lines (X & Y axis): Manual Survey by USGS
Summit Elevation (Z axis): Barometric Altimeter by USGS and others

Rating: 2 star rating AMC hiking map for catskill mountains Fair

Price: $9.95

Summary:
Like most Catskill maps, this one is average in quality. The trail measurements were done many decades ago with less accurate methods. And, the trail mileage is in 1/10 of a mile instead of 1/100 of a mile. This maps, like other Catskill hiking maps is missing many unofficial trails, which range in hundreds of miles of trails. But, many people liked the color of the maps and found it easy to read in low light or on cloudy days. This was a real plus. There is an enlargement section on the map for the North-South Lake region. Unfortunately, the enlargement is poorly done. Since the North-South Lake Region has some of the best hiking in the Catskill Mountains, this is very disappointing. The map fabric (Tyvak) is very thin. It appears to be about half the weight of the National Geographic map. We can't say if it is less durable, but we suspect that it is. But, we like how you could easily unfold and fold the map easily. We would have given this map a 3-star rating, but it was last updated in 2014. It is missing some updates, like most mountain bike trails.

One odd fact was that many of the elevations of some of the summits were off by exactly 10 feet. But, a smaller number of summits were at the same elevation as other sources. The 100' contour intervals made the map easy to read. But, if bushwhacking you may not like contour intervals at 100'. Nor, would you like the 1:90,000 scale. But, if you are just a trail hiker, this map was very pleasant and easy to use. We loved the font that they used, and the size of fonts. Easy to read. We did like the white background. The green background for some of the NYS Forest sections was a little too dark. And, this made it more difficult to read.

This map could be drastically improved with some simple changes. Furthermore, it has not been updated since 2014. We did purchase the map directly from the AMC store to ensure that we got the most current map.


Things we DIDN'T like:
The trail mileage and summit elevations - are somewhat close. Each section of the trail is given mileage, but it is rounded off to a 1/10 of a mile. It would be better if it was rounded off to 1/100 of a mile. The mileage is also not very accurate. It was done decades ago with a walking wheel. Walking wheels work poorly on rocky trails. Most of the Catskill Mountain trails are rocky. It is very easy to find more accurate trail mileage and summit elevations for free. But, AMC's cartographer did not seem moved to find these free sources.

The Color of the maps - is the old USGS map green. It is okay to read on a good day. But, difficult to read in low light, or in difficult weather conditions. With the contour interval at 100' did make it easier. The map was also missing the Blue Line that surrounds the official New York State boundary for the Catskill Mountains. Not sure why it is missing.

The trails on the map - are just the official ones. There are hundreds of unofficial trails that are NOT on the map. Some of them are heavily used. Some official trails are also missing. The mountain bike trails are not listed. In the Catskill Mountains, we call these "Multi-Use Trails". They can be used by hikers, skiers, mountain bikers, etc.

Parking Areas - are listed on the map. But, some parking areas are missing. They also do not tell you how many cars can fit into a parking area. Sometimes finding a parking spot can be quite difficult.

Hiking Trails - are loosely drawn on the map. They are not GPS tracks that would show every twist on turn of the trail. Often times experienced hikers want to know exactly where they need to leave the trail. This map will not help you with this.

North-South Lake - has some of the best hiking in the Catskill Mountains. Most maps have a separate section for North-South lake. This map has one, but it is very small, and missing many features.

Names of locations - are often missing. We didn't see any view points marked on the map.

Road Mileage - between major road intersections is missing. But, to be fair, none of the maps have this. For example, how many miles do you have to drive from Exit 19 of the Thruway to Rt 214 in Phoenicia. This is useful for traveling to the mountain you want to hike.

Map Size - is the smallest map on the market. We would like to see a map twice this size. Or, have two maps printed. Most hikers would be willing to pay more for a better map with more accurate detail. Accurate details are what makes a good map.


Things we DID like:
Map Size - is good. There is only ONE map that shows all of the Catskill Mountain peaks within the Blue Line of the Catskill Mountains. The map does fit into the pockets of most hiking pants and shell jackets.

Map Print - is excellent. The font is easy to read and big enough. We did like the white background on part of the map. We do wish the New York State Forest was a lighter green to make it more readable. Map Weight - is excellent. Easily half the weight of the National Geographic map #755. The life of the map is the only questionable issue with the light weight. The List of Trails - isn't on the map. But, we have found that most hikers don't use it. So, it isn't that important. They could have easily printed out a list on a separate piece of paper.

Grids on the map - are UTM. It does have Longitude and Latitude. But, it doesn't have WGS84, which is used by many GPS devices. Not all GPS devices have UTM as an option.

Map material - is tyvek. It is waterproof and rip resistant. The print on the map is good with good resolution.

Price of the map - is excellent.

AMC hiking map for Catskill Mountains sample section AMC hiking map for Catskill Mountains sample sectio
AMC hiking map for Catskill Mountains sample section
Sample of the Map Format

AMC hiking map for Catskill Mountains sample section map chart AMC hiking map for Catskill Mountains sample section map chart
AMC hiking map for Catskill Mountains sample section map chart
Sample of the Trail Chart

AMC hiking map for Catskill Mountains fun loops elm ridge National Geographic Map #755 Catskill Mountains fun loops elm ridge
National Geographic Map #755 Catskill Mountains fun loops elm ridge
MISSING trails for the
Fun Loops and Elm Ridge


Links and References:

Appalachian Mountain Club
 
Amazon
 
Ebay
 
Eastern Mountain Sports
 
REI
 
Rock & Snow


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