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This map was the guide we used in our travels throughout the state, and it was a more up-to-date source of information than most maps. By that measure, I found a few roads that were surprisingly well-maintained, given the terrain and vicinity to populated areas. there's no 10-page blowup of urban areas in the state, this is a map that covers the STATE of Oregon. Remember, there is no substitute for obtaining local information regarding the travel worthy nature of roads. That is, unless you want to spend a lot more than $20, or you want to print a giant mosaic of the state of Oregon from your printer. It's not a map for those who are simply looking for street names in cities like Eugene or Portland. I worked on a project with the Oregon DOT, in which I drove about ten thousand miles throughout Oregon in one summer. thanks to this map.
Road conditions often vary county-to-county, unless you're on state highways, as each county prioritizes funds differently (and especially in rural Oregon, there's not enough money for the vast amount of space that needs to be maintained).Also, remember that road names can change from the time this map is printed, and the time you actually use the map (I encountered this issue more than once. And I found some places that I will hope to take my children camping or hiking someday. though, in one case, not even Google Maps had been updated to include the new name of a particular road). In my work, I did find two roads that were in rougher shape than I would have expected by just looking at the map. We had to drive to 160 total sites, half of which were local (county) roads, and we were always able to keep our location, even in some rural areas that were not well marked.It's the best map you can find on paper, if you're looking for detailed information covering the whole of the state, from interstate highways to dirt roads in the mountains. This map is a great guide, but no map is perfect.
This map is for those who are familiar with the area in which they are traveling. however, I was WELL off of highways (making short cuts that took hours off of our trip), and as such, I knew I couldn't expect every single mountain road to be perfectly maintained. Stop by local government offices (the BLM, Forest Service, City Hall, etc) if you're looking for more localized maps, because you will also find locals who can inform you of the condition of unimproved roads in the area. Considering how detailed this map is, unless you're driving through a large city, you can almost always find the right road if you're looking and aware of your location.
See their map of the Steens Mountain area and Steens Mountain Loop Road - this road is only accessable with high clearance 4WD vehicles in late summer, but on this map it's marked with the same symbol used for the two lane, paved highway south of Burns. In SE Oregon it shows several roads I recently visited with the same markings as major highways. This atlas offers no way of showing the difference between paved and unpaved roads. The road north of Fields is gravel, but no markings to note where the pavement ends. Some of these roads are gravel, some of them are jeep trails open only a few months of the year and requiring 4WD and high clearance. With this atlas there's no way of knowing that. After seeing this, I promptly returned it and bout Benchamrk's atlas instead. Much better.
Only thing I wish could be improved about these books is their durability. As with all Delorme Atlas books you get detailed maps of main roads and all back roads. Indispensible if you plan on driving the back roads. I find the pages typically come loose after what seems like a relatively few number of uses. But I buy them because they give me exactly the detail road maps I need.
Although this one was purchased as a gift, I have one just like it and am completely satisfied with it (as is the gift recipient). DeLorme has the market cornered on making a product that is both user friendly and detailed enough that one could go hiking with this Atlas and Gazetteer. Two thumbs up.
These Gazetteer's are not your USGS maps but they are certainly better than any road map out there. So as long as you don't require back-country precision have one of these in your car as they are still better than any GPS once you get off the secondary's.
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