Colorado Road & Recreation Atlas

User Review: - Best maps yet
I had never heard of Benchmark Maps before but I thought I'd give their Colorado Atlas a try. After a three week hiking adventure in Colorado, I was very impressed with Benchmark. Their maps do a great job in depicting the campgrounds, trailheads, trails, elevations, and ,of course, the roads in the mountains of Colorado. The Benchmark Atlas was far superior to the competition. On my next hiking trip, probably to New Mexico, I will definitely buy another Benchmark Atlas.

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User Review: - Nothing comes close
The Benchmark Atlas series are the most accurate, detailed and attractive maps available. They put all the other atlases of this type to shame. You won't be disappointed with any of these.

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User Review: - Great set of maps!
If you drive anywhere off the main highways in Colorado, this is the book of maps you need. Best map detail unless you use the USGS maps, that are cumbersome while driving.

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User Review: - the best
This map book is the best! Better than all the others I have seen which cover a state in a book format. I can only wish the mapmakers covered more states.

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User Review: - Very detailed, best map I've found in the US to date.
Since moving to Colorado from the UK in 06 I've been looking for a detailed enough map of Colorado - and I think I've found it. I've worked with maps and GIS back in the UK and have always appreciated the level of detail provided by the Ordnance Suvey, but struggled to find a comparable line of products for the US.

I do a great deal of hiking, mountain biking, 4 wheeling and general exploring of the State, and wanted a comprehensive map which would show me trails, roads and interesting features/places.

The atlas is separated into 5 sections.

Section 1 shows regional maps: Entire US (1:9600000), western mountains (1:4500000) from Dallas in the SE to Bend (Oregon) in the NW, and Colorado (1:650000).
Section 2 shows recreational maps and separates the whole of Colorado into 13 areas. Each one goes into great detail about the recreational facilities of each area, lists climate info and gives addresses and phone numbers for all kinds of services, camp grounds etc. Scale is 1:500000, except for the eastern plains area which is at 1:1350000. The final map shows locations of all the 14ers, major ski areas and 22 popular off road trails.
Section 3 shows landscape maps at 1:200000. These are fantastic and show all the trails I've ever hiked, biked or wheeled.
Section 4 shows the metro areas of Denver, Colorado Springs and the Boulder area at 1:125000.
Section 5 has a comprehensive index.

Overall this is an invaluable resource and miles better than any other Atlas I've looked at (and I've looked at them all!). A great all in one buy and a bargain at the moment on Amazon.

Other products to consider: Latitude 40 produce some great, detailed maps at a smaller scale, but they cover selected areas and some sections are about 15 years out of date. National Geographic maps are best for hiking in the wilderness, but are only available for limited areas.

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