I am preparing a bike trip from Vancouver to Portland, via the coast and Eugene and the Cascades mountains, maybe Bend, (depending how far south I can make it in my time frame, about three weeks), and wondering whether it would be worth having a GPS for the trip. My phone is too old to support so I'd have to get a new one, and I very much enjoy pouring over paper maps, but could I find good enough maps to find the neat little back roads? Any suggestions?
1
jkbc
I like having a GPS no matter what. But I don't use it so much for route planning; mostly just to tell me where I currently am in relation to other places, and for recording a track of where I went. I'll still use paper maps for planning. If you're looking for the little backroads (like the unpaved National Forest roads) then Benchmark Maps are about the best you can find, I think. They make regular folding maps of each state (mostly just the western US though) and also road atlases with more detail, and they show where the public lands (BLM, National Forest etc.) are where you will have a better chance of wild camping without offending anyone. You can get Benchmark Maps in gas stations sometimes, and at REI stores sometimes, or order them online.
4
noelbike2
I rode from Portland to Eugene recently and would have been in trouble in a few spots were it not for my smartphone having google maps. Getting out of Portland heading Sth is tricky. Then, after about 30-40 miles there is the Willamette Scenic Bike Way I thought I'd ride on. But, even at the tourist office 400m from the start the (sorry, very overweight) staff were unable to tell me where the start actually was. Plenty of brochures but ignorant of the local area. It all worked out but having an on-line map was a big help. Most of the signs are for traffic on expressways. I have ridden around Vancouver a lot but not between there and Portland.
5
christocycle
Good to know. Did you experiment with a few map apps?
I ended up getting an Iphone 5C, but am finding that the map tool that comes with it is pretty poor. Doesn't show any of the trails around where I live for instance.
6
noelbike2
I got an android one. Samsung S5 and the google mapping is excellent. I have not needed to bother with the mapping apps for that reason.
7
Thorn Tree
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