When was the last time you planned a backpacking trip without a computer, phone, or GPS unit? Think hard. Unless you're a dedicated old-schooler, it probably wasn't recently. If your map skills are ...

For outdoor lovers, no map is more iconic – or useful – than a USGS topo map. While the concentric, sepia lassos of elevation are the maps’ visual signature, their real power is the cross-referenced ...

In the second half of the 20th century, the foundation of the U.S. Geological Survey’s national map series was the handcrafted 7.5-minute topographic map. Times change, budgets get squeezed and ...