Delorme in Maine

R4D4R

Member
All

Im planning a trip up to western Maine this fall and Im doing a lot of planning using my trusty paperback Delorme from 2009. The area that I am looking at shows a few barriers and gates and such, however when I look at the same areas using Google Sat view, I see no such barriers. The imagery date on the Google Sat shows 2018, so I was thinking about getting the 2015 rev of the paper Delorme. Would it be a good idea or would these invisible to Google gates not have been updated?
I know its only $20, but i hate to just toss it away when my 2009 rev could be sufficient.

Basically, how much goes into updating the Delorme maps between releases?
 

Shoeman

Observer
Being a Mainer, IMHO you want the latest DeLorme. It will not be 100% accurate by any means but it helps. I’ve found a few gates in my rambles that failed to show on the sat images too. Washouts are common as well. I use both, keep my fingers crossed, and always prepared to have to drive in reverse a fair distance before I can turn around if my hopes for route does not pan out. Western Maine is beautiful. Enjoy!
 

R4D4R

Member
Perfect. $10 done deal
I agree it is always best to have several resources available to you when one may be wrong
To find which one is wrong takes some wheels on the ground. Thats half the fun
 

deserteagle56

Adventurer
Unfortunately maps and atlases rarely show the below problem. I check out an area I want to explore by looking at atlases and topo maps and even look at it on Google Earth. Then I create a track to follow on my Montana. After driving a rough two-track for a while I encounter this and have to turn around. Happens more time than I like!
P1070396re.jpg
 

REDrum

Aventurero de la Selva
I spend 20 days a year exploring/wheeling/camping in the great state of Maine and have relied on Gazetteer since Ronald Regan was in the Whitehouse. Just got back from 5 days in NMW. You will find far more detail, and far more up-to-date conditions, in Delorme Gazetteer hard maps than any software. Period. As Shoeman noted you'll want the most up to date Gazetteer. I'm running 2013 but think they updated 2016 but could be wrong. BTW, there are gates noted in the Gazetter that may or may not be open.For example Plum Creek has opened the east bound gates up near Jackman/Moose river so you can get over to Round Mountain and Eustis (via Holeb Pond) now. If you try and route via the Gazetter you'll see the area gated off. Happy Trails!
 

Wilbah

Adventurer
Yup....you've gotten good advice here....use the latest version, but be prepared to turn around, which on lots of small single tracks means backing up. ;)

Also while Google maps "will" plot routes it definitely doesn't pick up many bridges that are out so dont even try to use it, at least in the NMW. Have fun!
 

R4D4R

Member
Good to know, thanks!
I purchased the '16 book a few weeks ago and have a few options planned. Nice to know about that gate, that's the area we will be in. I tried to verify some of the gates with GE overview, but its difficult without knowing if anything is changed since the imagery was taken

As an aside, since you have recently been up that way, is there a way to get from the Kibby area to 201 without going up to spencer rd? There doesn't seem to be any feasible or mapped crossings over spencer stream to the east or the dead to the south. Somewhere around page 29, at or around A4 or A5 or page 39, E4/E5
 

Dalko43

Explorer
Unfortunately maps and atlases rarely show the below problem. I check out an area I want to explore by looking at atlases and topo maps and even look at it on Google Earth. Then I create a track to follow on my Montana. After driving a rough two-track for a while I encounter this and have to turn around. Happens more time than I like!
View attachment 462537

Well if the land is marked as private property on the map, it's a good bet that it's off-limits unless there is an easement for that area. You can figure that out with a somewhat outdated map.

Updated maps are preferred, but I find that outdated maps work well enough for getting a general lay of the land.

The gate placement changes so often that I wouldn't necessarily buy a new map unless I was upgrading from a map that was over 10 years old.
 

REDrum

Aventurero de la Selva
Well if the land is marked as private property on the map, it's a good bet that it's off-limits unless there is an easement for that area.

No, thats not the case at all. Plum Creek (now Weyerhaeuser) owns thousands of acres in Maine and much of it is open for recreation. And, NMW is 9x% privately owned and its not off limits, but, yes, regulated.
 

Dalko43

Explorer
No, thats not the case at all. Plum Creek (now Weyerhaeuser) owns thousands of acres in Maine and much of it is open for recreation. And, NMW is 9x% privately owned and its not off limits, but, yes, regulated.

That's why I threw the "easement" exception in there.
 

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