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Reference Atlases

Canadian Rockies Backroad Mapbook

3rd Edition

by (author) Russell Mussio

compiled by Backroad Mapbooks

Publisher
Mussio Ventures Ltd.
Initial publish date
May 2021
Category
Atlases
  • Book

    ISBN
    9781926806570
    Publish Date
    May 2021
    List Price
    $29.95

Classroom Resources

Where to buy it

Description

This 216 page backroad mapbook includes 45 topo maps at 1:200,000 + 26 park overview and detailed trail & city maps of varying scale (starting at 1:15,000). Map features include highways, logging roads, land & water features, parks, adventure points of interest, campgrounds, hiking trails, motorized trails, paddling routes, hunting & fishing areas, winter recreation and more. Areas covered include Banff, Elk Lakes, Jasper, Kootenay National Park, Height of the Rockies, Kakwa, Lake Louise, Mount Assiniboine, Mount Robson, Peter Lougheed Provincial Park, Radium Hot Springs, Willmore Wilderness, Yoho National Park & more!

This special edition focuses on the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks — an interconnected system of provincial and national parks covering more than 30,000 square kilometres (18,630 square miles) of one of Canada’s most beautiful territories. These parks vary in popularity and access yet they all have the standard towering mountain peaks, rushing rivers, ancient glaciers, wildflower-filled meadows, brilliant blue lakes and dense forests make up this outdoor paradise. With so much area to explore, it can be overwhelming trying to decide on where to go. Luckily, our Canadian Rockies Mapbook provides a well-organized and easy-to-use breakdown of the region’s parks to help you decide on the adventure that is right for you. With state-of-the-art topographic maps, detailed trip-planning resources and meticulously researched adventure listings, our 4th Edition Mapbook will ensure you make the most out of your Rockies experience.

This updated edition covers in detail Banff, Jasper, Kootenay and Yoho National Parks as well as the major provincial parks flanking these gems. Each park features a park overview or detailed recreation map (depending on the size of the park), along with detailed trail or city maps for popular areas within most parks. Map updates include regular road and trail updates, refinement of camping locations to include campsite number, history of the parks, additional Points of Interest and Trailhead locations were added, while fish species were added to the lakes and maps.

The 216 page book includes 71 maps of various scale, along with comprehensive coverage of eleven National and Provincial Parks. Each park offers invaluable insight into the park outdoor activities, places to stay and Things to See and Do. The book also features Tips & Techniques for the main activities, a Map and Adventure Index, Trip Planning tools and more. No other source combines this level of detail into one source, making it the perfect planning tool and companion to any trip through the Rocky Mountain parks.

Map Key & Legend Tips & Techniques / Adventure Featured Camping Fishing Hunting Paddling Rock Climbing Trails Wildlife Viewing Winter Activities Topographic Maps 45 @ 1:250,000 Scale Maps 26 Overview and Detailed Park & Topographic Maps of various scales Banff National Park – 1:750,000 park overview map 3 detailed topographic maps ranging from 1:50,000 to 1:110,000 for Banff townsite, Canmore to Minnewanka Lake & Lake Louise area Elk Lakes Provincial Park – 1:90,000 detailed topographic park map Height of the Rockies Provincial Park - 1:200,000 park map plus a 1:80,000 scale Connor Lakes area topographic map Jasper National Park – 1:900,000 park overview map 2 detailed topographic maps ranging from 1:50,000 to 1:80,000 for Jasper townsite & Maligne Lake area Kakwa Inter-Provincial – 1:270,000 topographic park map Kootenay National Park – 1:300,000 park overview map 2 detailed topographic maps ranging from 1:15,000 to 1:50,000 for Radium Hot Springs and Marble Canyon areas Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park – 1:130,000 detailed park map plus a 1:50,000 scale Lake Magog area topographic map Mount Robson Provincial Park – 1:380,000 topographic park map ), Berg Lake Trail (1:50,000), Yellowhead Lake (1:30,000), Robson River and Meadows Campgrounds (1:17,000) Peter Lougheed Provincial Park – 1:170,000 park map plus a 1:60:000 scale Kananaskis Lakes area topographic map Willmore Provincial Park – 1:600,000 park map Yoho National Park 1:220,000 park map 3 detailed topographic maps ranging from 1:40,000 to 1:100,000 for Field-Emerald Lake-Yoho Valley and Lake O’Hara areas Parks Featured Banff National Park Elk Lakes Provincial Park Jasper National Park Kakwa Wildland Provincial Park Kootenay National Park Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park Mount Robson Provincial Park Peter Lougheed Provincial Park Willmore Wilderness Provincial Park Yoho National Park Great Divide Trail Index Adventure Index Map Index Trip Planning Tools

Dimensions: 22 x 28 cm (8.625 x 11 in)

Provinces/Territories: Alberta, British Columbia

About the authors

Russell Mussio was born in Trail, BC where he spent his childhood years playing sports and exploring the Great Outdoors. At a time when parents simply called their kids back for dinner, Russell and friends could be found fishing local streams, hiking and biking nearby trails and even chasing grouse and deer around the hills.

 

His family, in particular his father Sergio and brother Wesley, were instrumental in introducing him to the trials and tribulations of outdoor adventure. From camping throughout the parks and recreation sites of BC to hunting and fishing in the Kootenays it seemed every vacation had an outdoor theme. From these early beginnings, Russell grew a strong appreciation of the outdoors.

 

Russell attended the University of British Columbia where he explored a few different career options before settling in on a degree in Leisure and Sport Administration. Before graduating he took a year off to travel the world. From this experience Russell developed a passion for outdoor travel, which he was able to develop through his final year at university. Backed by a sponsor professor, he was able to explore two different outdoor recreation business concepts. The guidebook business that he and his brother stumbled across when exploring the wilderness around Vancouver seemed to be the most logical concept. That is where the idea for the Backroad Mapbook series was born.

 

After graduation Russell, along with Wesley, went about self-publishing their first guidebook called the Backroad and Outdoor Recreation Mapbook: Southwestern BC for a tradeshow in January 1994. By March 1994, the first printing of the book was sold out. But rather than simply reprinting it, they listened to the feedback of the readers and retailers and improved it. This constant desire to create the best book in the most convenient and economical package possible has helped the brothers and their publishing company, Mussio Ventures Ltd., produce over 40 National Bestseller titles. Today, Mussio Ventures, through their signature series Backroad Mapbooks, is Canada's leading outdoor recreation publisher.

 

Russell now lives in Lake Country, BC with his wife and two children. In addition to helping run the publishing company and family commitments, he is involved with the local park department and outdoors club. Although he spends as much time as he can exploring the backroads of Canada, he always seems to return to the pen to write. He has been published in several different magazines, newspapers and websites across the country including regular contributions to Adventure West magazine, and several articles published in The Province newspaper out of Vancouver, BC.

Russell Mussio's profile page

The seed for Backroad Mapbooks was planted in 1993. Brothers Wesley and Russell Mussio were out exploring the maze of logging roads around Harrison Lake in southern BC on a cold, wet day. They had several books and a few maps to try to find their way, yet all of their sources showed no more than the area’s main road system. Even worse, most of the maps were outdated. The Trail, BC-born brothers quickly found themselves lost.

 

Frustrated, Wesley asked Russell, “Why doesn’t someone make one guide that shows all the roads?” With that, a lightbulb went off, and the pair got down to work. By January of 1994, the Mussio brothers had published their first map book, and it quickly sold out. Rather than simply reprinting it, the entrepreneurial duo decided to take stock of customer feedback and make a number of improvements to the book.

 

The constant improvements to the product carried on for the next two decades, helping to establish Backroad Mapbooks as the top-selling outdoor recreation guidebook series in Canada. Today, Backroad Mapbooks has expanded to chart all ten provinces and the Yukon Territory, with industry-leading GPS maps, a smartphone app, waterproof maps and more. From its humble beginnings in a tiny Vancouver apartment with maps strewn all over the walls, to one of the most sought-after outdoor products in the country, the Backroad Mapbooks series has come a long way.

 

In true pioneer spirit, Backroad Mapbooks will only continue to break new ground and seek out the ever-expanding horizon.

Backroad Mapbooks' profile page