'Ordanance Survey' maps???
 

Ok so I'm guessing that someone here may have the simple answer to this... Is there an analogue to British OS maps in the US? If so where can I get my hands on them?

Looking for walks and rides in the MA area and also looking to map a ride to work off road for a bit of fun. We had a look in LLBean and only got mountain maps in VT NH etc but nothing more local. Obviously there's no right to roam etc but that just makes finding walking paths even more necessary.

Cheers!

Re: 'Ordanance Survey' maps???
 

Do you have a smart phone? There's tons of apps for walks/hikes.
I've been doing 6 hard miles minimum every day for two weeks now.
(Not sure if I should have a break in between but it's becoming addictive.)

Re: 'Ordanance Survey' maps???
 

Yup have smart phone - there's a myriad of apps and I'm a bit nervous of the content in case I end up somewhere I shouldn't be and get mistaken for a deer! :)

Got a recommendation?

Re: 'Ordanance Survey' maps???
 

I was testing this the other day

Map your walks

The free version has ads.
I like it because it actually shows you the path you walk.

However it doesn't work for me. The new iphone which I have tracks height as well so it can tell when you're going up and down hills. The app doesn't seem to support that. However if most of the walk is 2D it's fine.

There seems to be a lot of apps though..

Re: 'Ordanance Survey' maps???
 

There is an equivalent, USGS topos. They are at (approx) 1:25,000 so quite a good scale. Not really equivalent to OS maps for a couple of reasons.

First, they don't have the useful cultural, recreational and tourist info and overprints that OS maps have. They also don't have every single field boundary etc that OS 1:25,000 maps have. They generally don't have rights of way marked (oh that's right, there are no rights of way in America...)

Second, they are not widely available and commercially available like OS maps are. (Probably because of the reasons above.) but, you should be able to buy local and regional sheets in places like REI and EMS. The place to see comprehensive collections of them is your local US Federal Depository Library.

Do you live anywhere near Lincoln MA? That town publishes a really good recreational and hiking map of the town, which has a network of trails on both public and private land which makes it a great destination for day hikes..

Re: 'Ordanance Survey' maps???
 

Before you use a phone app, be sure you get mobile coverage wherever you plan to walk/hike. ;)

Re: 'Ordanance Survey' maps???
 

There are no real equivalents in terms of quality of Ordnance Survey maps in the states (this is true of many countries) USGS are your best bet.

Although, despite the States being more wild than the UK, I find the navigation challenges to be less, as the use of paths is more common, largely because of all the trees and under growth.
Also the weather is less of a problem. I have NEVER had to count my steps to navigate in the States, not even once, common in the UK.

Re: 'Ordanance Survey' maps???
 

I don't think they're dependent on network signal though...at least not entirely..

Re: 'Ordanance Survey' maps???
 

In addition to my suggestion above about Lincoln, MA, look at the Trustees of Reservations. They own literally hundreds of sites in MA, mostly in eastern MA. While many are smaller, quite a few have good walks. They have a pretty good library of PDF maps of their properties..

Trail Map Library | The Trustees of Reservations

Re: 'Ordanance Survey' maps???
 

One of the biggest problems with the USGS quads is that they very rarely get updated. It's not uncommon to be using a map 40 years out of date.

Re: 'Ordanance Survey' maps???
 

Cracking info as usual, thanks! I'll chase all those down.

We're not that close to Lincoln but it's certainly within driving distance so we'll give it a go too.

Re: 'Ordanance Survey' maps???
 

Not quite the same but interesting for city dwellers- I recently downloaded to my Kindle ( free ) 'Look Up Houston' and it's a series of walks around the architecture of Downtown, describing the origins and history of some of the landmark buildings, it's fascinating!

Re: 'Ordanance Survey' maps???
 

Yes, I used a bunch of free apps on the iPad for traveling around Germany last year...very useful.

Re: 'Ordanance Survey' maps???
 

@ Hotscot, I love it when one thing leads to another- especially since I've been ill for a long time and can't get out and actually travel and walk like I used to- but one day I learned that the oil boom in Houston in local Humble, now just a backwater to the main city, had a campaign in the 1920s to remove all African-Americans; they established the nearby town of Bordersville instead, one of the poorest places in Houston for many years.

There's another website I love to read Texas ghost towns.

And I just joined Texas State History Society https://www.tshaonline.org/
They have a conference in a few weeks in Corpus Christi.

Re: 'Ordanance Survey' maps???
 

Sorry, but I have been following this thread since it started and I can't restrain myself any longer ...

Ordnance - the word is Ordnance, not Ordanance.
:eek: