Rocky Mountain National Park Day Hikes Map (National Geographic Topographic Map Guide, 1701)

Maybe I missed this in the description of the product but the map is not a fold out map. It is in book form and each page is a section of the overall map. Problem I’m having is 1) since I’m not familiar with this park or CO for that matter I just can’t get my orientation for the big picture. The map quality itself it’s great but it’s just a piece of it so i find it hard to get the overall “where am I in the park in relation to others sites” feeling without flipping back to the first page and seeing where this trail is within the park. 2) when you get to the edge of the page that’s it…. You fall if the earth? 🤪 Since it’s in this format it would be better to number the pages like an atlas so when you get to the edge of the page it tells you which page to flip to if continuing on the map. Simply flipping yo the next page doesn’t mean you can continue down that road or area in the same spot you were on the previous page. 3) it’s not a complete collection of the day hikes within RMNP.

The flip-book format seems like a great solution to the problem of having to unfold a huge topo map and find the right panel/side for a short day hike. But half of the maps inside are identical except for having different trails highlighted. At 1:50,000 scale, the focus trails take up maybe 1/4-1/3 of the page. Why not just zoom in on unique sections for each map and then have a small inset with a locator map to show where to look for the trailhead?

Great hiking aid for RMNP! Also helpful for getting around the park.