National Geographic Road Atlas

Since my first cross-country road-trip at age 17, an oversized Rand McNally atlas has served as my ultimate guidebook to North America travel.

The National Geographic Road Atlas: Adventure Edition takes everything Rand McNally does right and adds even more pertinent information for fellow vagabonds and weekend warriors.

Working with the editorial staff at National Geographic Adventure magazine, the company’s maps division included a list of America’s top 100 adventure destinations in this atlas. The nine-page section has recommendations for the best hiking, biking, bird watching, climbing and paddling in each of four U.S. regions. There are color images of the activities and inset maps of each region.

A second ancillary section profiles the country’s 24 most popular national parks. Park maps, color photos and text descriptions make up the 14-page section, which covers parks like Yosemite, Yellowstone, Shenandoah, Arches, Everglades and Grand Canyon. For each park there’s information on entrance fees, accommodations, visitor centers, key points of interest and recommendations on what time of year to visit.

The 168-page atlas includes individual road maps of each U.S. state and Canadian province, as well as country maps of the United States, Canada and Mexico. All maps are full color.

It measures 11 × 15 inches and comes spiral bound with durable plastic covers to keep it safe from the wear and tear of the American highway.

Price: $20.
Contact: National Geographic Maps, 1-800-962-1643, http://www.nationalgeographic.com/maps.