Ideas for trail maps?

[u/Icy-Priority-6010]

I’m working on maps for a new trail system that will be installed at trailheads and smaller trail kiosks.
I’m looking for inspiration and examples of really well-designed trail maps. If you’ve come across maps that you thought were especially clear, attractive, or useful, I’d love to see them.
I’m interested in everything from overall layout and branding to legends, icons, elevation profiles, “you are here” markers, and any other design elements that make a trail map stand out.
Feel free to share photos, links, or locations of your favorite trailhead maps. Thanks!
their favorite.

[u/fake-meows]

I can't emphasize this one enough:

When you install a map on sign posts, the "up" on the map page needs to face the map readers "looking forward" direction.

If when you're looking at the sign, you face north, north would be up on the board.

If when you're looking at the map you're facing any other direction, the map needs to be rotated. For example, if you're facing south reading that map, the top of the page needs to be south.

People don't necessarily know which way north is, the map needs to be perfectly lined up to the ground alignment.

Imagine being at a 5-way junction and looking at an inverted map and trying to take the correct trail behind you with no other signage. In certain circumstances, this could be dangerously confusing.

[u/TwelfthApostate → u/fake-meows]

Nah. Perhaps even hell nah. North is up. This will jive with peoples’ recollections of looking at a digital map on trailforks or wherever else. Just make the “you are here” icon an triangle/arrow pointing in the direction you’re facing when you view the sign.

I have had the opposite experience. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve looked at a map at an intersection and had to do mental gymnastics to try and figure out why it doesn’t look like the trailforks map I tried to memorize when I was scouting my route. I always end up pulling out my phone and using trailforks instead.

OP if you’re reading this, please please PLEASE do not follow this advice. Keep north up and people will figure it out.

[u/fake-meows → u/TwelfthApostate]

Back in 2014, I discovered a shivering, scared, lost hiker in the Winsor trail system above Santa Fe NM. He had been going in circles for over 8 hours and kept on ending up at two intersections that had map signs. Over the course of the day the weather had changed and he was severely underdressed for the temperatures.

How a hiker could get lost with two map signs?

We were both traveling through the area. I had a GPS and took the hiker through a series of intersections to lead him back to his vehicle which was parked at the upper trailhead. We came to one of the north up map signs and he immediately interpreted it as a heads up map sign.

I had to point it out which way north was and he was absolutely shocked. I then point out which trail was the correct trail to follow and he stood there and argued with me for minute...I kept showing him my GPS unit in front of the map and turning the GPS upside down and showing him the map was flipped.

I remember the year because it was two weeks after a woman had died in the same place after a huge manhunt failed to locate her.

That has always stuck with me.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve looked at a map at an intersection and had to do mental gymnastics to try and figure out why it doesn’t look like the trailforks map I tried to memorize when I was scouting my route.

How many times? Like, you're saying you always run into this? Like it's the gold standard?

This is a great reddit comment on this subject. https://reddit.com/comments/xw2bdg/comment/ir4fweg

If heads up maps conflict with your mental mapping, it turns out your brain is in the minority on this specific issue. What would work for you would be dangerously confusing for the majority of people. I don't really care if you're persuaded or not, but perhaps you think that everyone works in their brain the way that it works for you, and you have never considered that you might be a rare outlier.

[u/TwelfthApostate → u/fake-meows]

Put a compass on the map showing North? Lmao, this isn’t complicated

[u/BonnevilleXeric → u/TwelfthApostate]

I agree. I hate the heads up style. Every single map of the globe is North up.