“Since 1971 the most trusted source of Canadian Rockies hiking information”

Canadian Rockies Trail Guide

Canada’s best hiking maps

When National Topographic System began creating hundreds of large scale maps covering Canada in 1927, it was a random grid. The system creators didn’t plan that two of the 46 maps covering the mountain parks would contain more than 70 excellent trails.

When I first came to Banff, the first purchases I made were the 1:50,000 scale National Topographic System maps—Banff 82 O/4 and Lake Louise 82 N/8. Despite not displaying all the trails, they were the best maps covering the best hikes in Canada. (See The evolution of Canadian Rockies hiking maps, May 8, 2023.)

Smaller scale maps in those days, like the 1:250,000 Banff-Yoho-Kootenay and Jasper sheets, worked well for backpackers. But I preferred the larger scale on the 1:50,000 maps, which provided a detail of 0.8 mi to the inch and 100-foot contour intervals.

 

Gem Trek hiking maps

The only problem with NTS maps, they didn’t have details and information useful to hikers and backpackers. That’s when the Nelson’s started production of Gem Trek Maps in the 1990s. Their maps were updated every couple years with information specifically for backcountry recreation and park visitors.   

Two of the Gem Trek 1:50,000 maps expanded coverage of the NTS Banff 82 O/4 and Lake Louise 82 N/8 sheets. And by increasing map size by a few cms, they encompassed over 70 exceptional hikes between Banff and Lake Louise as well as Yoho National Park.

Gem Trek renamed the two sheets Banff-Egypt Lake and Lake Louise and Yoho. The company also produced a 1:100,000 map, Banff & Mt. Assiniboine, which covers a larger territory but not the prime hiking trails at Lake Louise and in Yoho.

While current Gem Trek owner Andrew Hempstead says the Banff & Mt. Assiniboine map is a better seller, I prefer the detail, coverage and contour intervals on the 1:50,000 maps.

    

While the Canadian government still produces NTS 1:50,000 maps, they are printed on paper, have limited data, and cost $15.95. Gem Trek maps are printed in relief colour on waterproof-tear resistant material, possess a vast amount of trail and backcountry information, and cost $14.95. And they are widely available.

Smart phones and GPS units are used by many hikers these days. But there still is no replacement for a full-size, printed map when it comes to providing a comprehensive view of the mountain landscape.

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