Review of National Geographic map #755 for Catskill Mountains

National Geographic Map of the Catskill Mountains #755

Purchase: Purchase Map at National Geographic
Coverage: Covers the Entire Catskill Mountains
Details : 9-1/4" x 4-1/4" - (1) large hiking map for the Catskills Mountains
Durability: Waterproof and Tear Resistant
Type: Topographical with roads and hiking trails
Scale: 1:75,000
Contour: 50 feet per contour interval One Inch: 1.20 miles Trail Mileage: Hiking trail mileage done with a wheel in the 1980's
Contour Lines (X & Y axis): Survey
Summit Elevation (Z axis): Barometric Altimeter

Rating: Good

Price: $11.95

Summary:
Like most National Geographic maps, this one is average in quality. The trail measurements were done many decades ago with less accurate methods. The maps are often missing many unofficial trails, which range in hundreds of miles of trails. Many found that the color of the maps is difficult to read in low light or on cloudy days. National Geographic follows their own map-making standards that do not change very often. There is an enlargement section on the map for the North-South Lake region. Unfortunately, the enlargement is not enlarged very much. Since the North-South Lake Region has some of the best hiking in the Catskill Mountains, this is very disappointing.

The best map ever created for the Catskill Mountains is VO Maps. The trail mileage was extremely accurate. The elevations were checks with multiple devices, and multiple times. The GPS tracks were perfect. Most of his maps were absolutely perfect with no errors. But, unfortunately, his last map was done in 2010. Many of the most experienced hikers have a copy of VO Maps in their library of hiking information about the Catskill Mountains.

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, National Geographic did not seem moved to find these free sources.

The Color of the maps - makes it difficult to read. It is especially difficult to see the elevation of the contour lines. Add a snow storm with wind to your hike, and this map will begin to annoy you pretty quick. The map has different color sections for NYS land and NYC DEP land. And, these were lousy color choices. Furthermore, they were not always accurate.

The existing 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. It did list some mountain bike trails on the map. But, 90% of 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, only the major parking areas. Many of the smaller parking areas are not listed. 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 sometimes wrong. Especially around North-South lake. Many of the view spots are not listed on the map. So, if you are a view junkie, this map will leave you disappointed.

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.

Other stuff - on the map is sometimes excessive. A lot of advertising and plugs for other organizations. Don't get me wrong, some of those organizations do good things. But, it is a matter of priority. For example, you will not find the DEC Emergency Phone Numbers in case you have a life-or-death emergency. But, if you carry a computer in the woods with you, the URL is listed. And, just maybe, you will be able to find it while walking aimlessly in a blizzard. Sometimes map makers need to get out and do more hiking.

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.

The List of Trails - in the Catskill Mountains is listed in a section of each side of the map.

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.

The Blue Line - is the boundary the Catskill Mountains. And, it is marked in a thick transparent blue line.

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 good.

Sample of the Map Format

Sample of the Trail Chart

Horrible view of the trails for the
Fun Loops and Elm Ridge

Links and References:

National Geographic

S E C T I O N S

W E A T H E R

O T H E R