Gem Trek Maps has just released a batch of revised titles including Bow Lake & Saskatchewan Crossing and Kootenay National Park. Printed on waterproof material and with topographical contours and attractive relief shading, they are welcome revisions to what we consider the best hiking map series for the Mountain Parks. And as usual, these colourful recreational maps provide the latest and best information for several popular hiking areas in the Canadian Rockies.

Gem Trek Kootenay National Park (5th edition)

This 1:100,000 scale map is printed on waterproof material and, like most other maps in the series, provides both contour lines and attractive colour relief shading. This map is particularly useful since it not only covers Kootenay National Park but the adjacent Bow Valley Highline region in Banff National Park (Sunshine Village to Taylor Lake) and the Columbia Valley from Spillimacheen to Windermere.

Gem Trek Bow Lake & Saskatchewan Crossing (5th edition)

A favourite area for yours truly since I worked at Saskatchewan Crossing for three summers and was well acquainted with the trails in this remote region of Banff Park. For the first time, the map has been produced with relief colour and on waterproof paper. In addition to covering all the trails radiating from the Icefields Parkway between Mosquito Creek and Graveyard Flats, this 1:70,000 scale map provides an excellent overview of the northern and central sections of the popular Wapta Traverse along the crest of the Great Divide.

Other New Gem Trek Maps for 2016

Other new editions just released include Lake O’Hara-4th edition (1:20,000), Best of Jasper-5th edition (1:35,000), and the Canadian Rockies-11th edition (1:400,000). Lake Louise & Yoho (1:50,000), Canmore and Kananaskis Village (1:50,000), and Kananaskis Lakes (1:50,000) have all been reprinted with revisions.

These are the hiking maps we recommend in the Canadian Rockies Trail Guide, and the maps I always grab when I’m heading off on a hike in the Mountain Parks. While you can find the Gem Trek series in retail outlets throughout the parks, check out Gem Trek Maps online to order directly from the company.