Print a map of Sedona with driving directions to your lodging destination and bring it with you on your Sedona voyage. It's an easy way to make your driving experience smooth with no surprises. And if you arrive at night, remember, “Sedona Has No Streetlights”…..
Having a good map and knowing how to use it provides a safety factor that cannot be understated. It also can make the difference between and a fun outing, a painful experience, or a tragedy.
Planning your hike, bike, or horseback adventure means having the right maps. Many books offer excellent abbreviated maps and are covered in our book section; folding maps are handy on your hike and add safety and peace of mind; and internet technology let's you print your own Topo maps or order custom designed maps with your specific journey in mind. Whether the map is hand-drawn with shaded relief or a photo lay-over, making larger features stand out gives the map user a better feel for the overall terrain: how much higher the cliffs above you really are and how much longer the trail really is. Map scale and representational style is a personal thing and any regular map user will develop an ability to mentally adjust to any map’s scale and graphic qualities. A visitor new to the area may not have had much map interpretion experience so using two maps might work best or better yet, carry a hiking book and a map. For cross country scrambling, the U.S.G.S. topo quads are a must to use with a larger scale map of your choice. A compass and flashlight are a good idea, too. Many hikes take longer than you planned and hiking out at dusk or in the dark without light can really mess up your day.
Topographical maps from the U.S. Geological Survey are generally the most detailed maps though it takes a bit more skill to read and interpret the contour intervals. For example the tightly compressed lines you’re looking at on your Sedona topo could indicate a large cliff that could make the difference between the hike you thought you planned and a life-threatening scramble that you wish you hadn't encountered. Learn to read and understand these topo maps before you go.
Forest Service maps are generally a much larger scale. The Coconino National Forest map requires two sides in order to cover 1.8 million acres. This map is a great overview and companion for explorers who have a large area in mind that they plan to investigate. The Sedona Ranger District offers a new, more detailed map of the Red Rock Country that highlights all major foot, horse, and bike trails. It includes valuable info on trail etiquette, geology, plants, and itemizes these trails as well as overlays them in colors on the map.
Privately produced maps aim to be a user-friendly tool that are specific to your type of activity. The original Sedona back canyon hiking map, Reed Thorne’s “Experience Sedona”, was the only map available 15 years ago. Now there are many. Choose your map according to what works best for you. Our personal visual styles and mental imaging abilities vary from person to person. I can’t tell you how many times I have been asked directions by someone who had a good map in their hands, but either didn’t know how to read it or the map was a style that did not “compute” for them personally. Take a close look at all of them and fit them to your needs.
http://www.sedonainformation.com/cgi-bin/apws/apws.pl?keywords=arizona+map
http://maps.a9.com
http://maps.google.com
www.terraserver.com/search/search.asp
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