Northern California Atlas & Gazetteer

Rating:
Summary: Northern California Atlas & Gazetteer
Review: Great resource for the camper and hiker. A little heavy to carry as topo maps; however, just as effective. Elevation in metric is a negative.

Rating:
Summary: A Backroads MUST.
Review: I am a geologist studying the volcanic rocks of Northern California. I am also a 23 year old woman who, while out in the backroads by herself, was not looking to get lost.

This atlas proved to be the best piece of field equipment I bought. Time and time again I was able to find linked, back-country roads on the map that at times were not even named on site! This allowed me to drive as close as possible to each field location, minimizing the amount of time hiking into each site & therefore maximizing my time out in California. I highly recommend these atlases for anyone interested in biking, hiking, or exploring Northern California's backcountry.

Rating:
Summary: Delome Supremeo
Review: Only if there were other Atlas-Gazateers to compare too could you likely find much, if any fault, in DeLorme's product. There are the usual cartographic busts here and there. Perhaps it could be slightly smaller to fit in backpacks, but all the info the layperson needs is in there. Nearshore marine bathymetric data would be very helpful to discern some coastal water phenomena related to currents, coastal evolution and marine life viewing. But all in all it's the one to have.

Rating:
Summary: Good, but far from, the best.
Review: Road depiction is very vague. Difficult to read. Somewhat useable with AAA maps. For the best maps see the series by Benchmark Maps. I have used their maps in California, Washington, Oregon, Arizona. Unfortunately, they do not have many states. I use the Delorme "Utah" with my AAA maps.

Rating:
Summary: Very helpful; has an idiosyncracy
Review: The Northern California DeLorme Atlas & Gazetteer is very useful if you're planning to travel on paved back roads or major dirt fire roads. But the scale of the maps, at 1:150,000, is too large to show the detail needed for certain outdoor activities. If you're mountain biking or hiking in remote terrain or on minor trails, you should get additional, smaller-scale maps for navigation and orientation.

There's an idiosyncracy that I hope DeLorme will correct in future printings: the atlas shows contours and elevations in meters. Why it does this I don't know, given that the Nevada and Colorado DeLorme atlases use feet. Because the U.S. remains committed to standard English measures rather than the metric system, presumably most users will want to work in feet and will have altimeters and global positioning devices set to the English system. It's irritating to have to convert to meters when using the atlas.

These comments pertain to the fifth edition, second printing (2000), of the atlas. It's been updated regularly in the past, so my observations may become obsolete.

Rating:
Summary: Very helpful; has an idiosyncracy
Review: The Northern California DeLorme Atlas & Gazetteer is very useful if you're planning to travel on paved back roads or major dirt fire roads. But the scale of the maps, at 1:150,000, is too large to show the detail needed for certain outdoor activities. If you're mountain biking or hiking in remote terrain or on minor trails, you should get additional, smaller-scale maps for navigation and orientation.

There's an idiosyncracy that I hope DeLorme will correct in future printings: the atlas shows contours and elevations in meters. Why it does this I don't know, given that the Nevada and Colorado DeLorme atlases use feet. Because the U.S. remains committed to standard English measures rather than the metric system, presumably most users will want to work in feet and will have altimeters and global positioning devices set to the English system. It's irritating to have to convert to meters when using the atlas.

These comments pertain to the fifth edition, second printing (2000), of the atlas. It's been updated regularly in the past, so my observations may become obsolete.

Rating:
Summary: Delorme Disappointment
Review: We are knee-deep in genealogical research including location of real properties bought and sold by our ancestors in Northern California as well as other States. The Washington State Atlas and Gazateer has been an invaluable resource for us in Washington since it provides a range and township system so one can zero in on an actual piece of real estate given the land description. We were very disappointed when our Northern Cal. Atlas and Gazateer arrived to find it had no such system. If one is looking only for detailed maps, this atlas and gazateer would be o.k.