Alaska.com: Alaska's Travel Website

Paper

The best printed-on-paper highway map of Alaska appears to be the one printed by Rand McNally. It can be purchased at bookstores in many states for about $5.

Atlas

The Alaska Atlas & Gazetteer, an oversize book, is a favorite in the state for its topographical maps. It costs about $20 and is available at many large bookstores and through online bookstores. Like many maps, it is based on the U.S. Geological Survey series of topographical maps.

Trail maps

Another good source of topographic maps for activities is the series produced by Trails Illustrated and National Geographic. These maps cover many of Alaska's fun places: Prince William Sound, the Inside Passage, Kachemak Bay State Park, and several national parks, including Denali, Klondike Gold Rush (the Chilkoot Trail and Skagway), Gates of the Arctic, Glacier Bay, Kenai Fjords, Katmai, Lake Clark and Wrangell-St. Elias. These maps cost about $10 each and can be bought online from www.nationalgeographic.com or from outdoors-oriented stores.

Outdoor recreation

Another popular map series is the Road and Recreation set produced by Todd Communications in Anchorage; ask by e-mail for information at sales@toddcom.com or look in dozens of stores in Southcentral Alaska. In addition to showing lake and river access points, these maps show campgrounds, buildings, mileposts, some businesses and what kind of fish are in each lake. The maps cost about $5 each.

Map makers and sellers

Here is an Alaska.com Business Directory listing of companies that sell or make maps in Alaska.