Of course, the choice is always yours. That's what choices are all about. Road maps (e.g., from AAA) work just as well as anything. (If you are an AAA member, road maps are free.) Advantage of paper maps is that you have a complete preplanned route in front of you at a glance--no batteries included, AND, no batteries required! GPS may be helpful in a pinch, but so is asking a nearby human, or just enjoying the adventure of winging it. See, e.g., mindbiking.com.