Touring - best kinds of maps? tour of utah/new mexico

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shaharidan
05-11-04, 08:55 AM
i'm thinking of doing a tour in utah/new mexico this summer. the tentitive plan will be to fly into salt lake city, i'll head from there to albuquerque.
so im wondering for general touring in the U.S. what are the best type of maps to get and where to get them. also if there are any suggestions for utah/new mexico specific maps, or advice on touring this area. are there maps that include bike paths?
this will be my first tour so i'm on a bit of a learning curve. i have microsoft streets and trips software, it looks like it will be ok for basic planning, but i'm sure there are better resources. maybe someone has suggestions for better software to use?
Thanks,
mike


jamawani
05-11-04, 09:03 AM
Get a AAA map of the Four Corners region entitled - "Indian Country". Quite detailed with back roads and intermediate milages. I'd definitely go thru Manti and Ephriam - the heart of rural Utah - very nice.
You may want to verify if Hites Ferry is running when you plan to ride - the water level in Lake Powell is very low. Don't do US 550 in N.Mex. (formerly NM 44) mostly 4 lanes now and very heavy traffic.

John

valygrl
05-11-04, 09:15 AM
Uh, it might be kind of hot.

http://www.weather.com/weather/climatology/monthly/USNM0004?from=search

That said, I used AAA maps for some rocky mountain state touring last year, they were pretty good. The campbook is also a good resource - tells you where some (not all) of the campgrounds are.

cheers
anna


shaharidan
05-11-04, 09:40 AM
hot is ok, people don't really think of it but believe me it gets plenty hot around philadelphia in the summer. my problem may be with the dryness of the air.
thanks for the advice so far :).