Algonquin Park Maps by Jeff - WOW!

Got my Algonquin Park maps by Jeff in the mail today. All I can say is, wow! These are the most beautiful maps I have ever seen. Not just the layout and the colour scheme and the fonts, but even the quality of the material they are made from. They both look and feel gorgeous in the hand.

Absolutely love the mini depictions of portage elevation changes. Can't tell you how nice that is going to be during trips in the future. And the attention to detail, of course, is second to none.

As always when dealing with Jeff, the customer service was absolutely top notch. He had my maps mailed out literally a couple of hours after I ordered. And I got my link to download the digital versions shortly afterward.

If you are a backcountry tripper, whether it's in Algonquin or other provincial parks, I can't recommend maps by Jeff highly enough. Worth every penny.

Thank you so much Jeff for an amazing product, and for your dedication to what you do.

in algonquinparkby emperortimmu

99%

1mo

77MagicMan77

1mo

They are phenomenal... for both beginner and seasoned backcountry camper... they also work awesome in low light and hold up well in wet situations!

mapsbyjeff

1mo

Fantastic to hear you've found that, because those were definitely two big objectives I had in designing them =)

creating something that would be approachable for new paddlers, but that was packed with info and opportunities for seasoned paddlers and bushwhacks, and
making them readable at a glance for situations where you want to just glance at the map and have the key navigational info pop out at you so you can get where you're headed (e.g. when the sun is setting, or when a storm is coming in)

Of course, it's one thing to have these objectives in mind, but the real test is putting the finished product out into the world for people to see/use. So, it's pretty cool to hear you say it because it's affirming of the time/effort that went into them.

donnyspock

1mo

I know it’s not but I wouldn’t even be mad if this was an alt account for shameless plugging by Jeff himself, of his amazing maps!

emperortimmu

1mo

Haha. This isn't Jeff. I've got at least a few years and a few dozen pounds on him. And I've seen WAY less of the Park than him, that's for sure.

I strongly believe in leaving reviews when products are really good, not just when they're really bad. And I appreciate that he does this, as it's made my trips to the Park with my boys so much more interesting and easier over the years.

donnyspock

1mo

I feel the exact same way. Recently acquired all 4 of the originals, will be purchasing the new ones as well! Quality product from a quality guy!

mapsbyjeff

1mo

Hahaha!

Appropriate_Land_130

1mo

The digital versions for avenza will show you your real time GPS location in the park on your cellphone. Even in airplane mode!

emperortimmu

1mo

Is there a cost to Avenza, either one-time or subscription?

mapsbyjeff

1mo

It's free if you're installing <= 3 maps. To install more at the same time, with real time GPS support enabled, requires a paid subscription.

I just keep 3 on at once and swap as needed =)

emperortimmu

1mo

Thx Jeff

fragilemuse

1mo

They are amazing! I’ve used his original ones for years and they’ve held up so well. Got the new ones for Christmas and can’t wait to take them for as many adventures as my original maps, if not more!

RCSpartan73

1mo

Maybe an Xmas idea for me as well! Love Jeff’s Maps.

mapsbyjeff

1mo

It's the exact same material as the last ones, so I certainly anticipate that they should hold up for a loooong time.

mapsbyjeff

1mo

So, so, happy to hear how much you're enjoying them!

It sure was a long process (5 years!) but I'm so proud of the end result.

Haha, I know lots of people kept wondering 'why is the Algonquin map taking so long!?', but hopefully it's apparent why now that people can see the end result =)

The little portage elevation graphs are my favourite new feature, and were the most complicated to create. Design-wise it was a challenge to get them to be readable at such a small size, and creating ~800 of them meant that I had to learn how to program. I think they took somewhere in the order of ~12 months, give or take, from sketching out the original concepts to having the software written and being able to generate them on demand from GPS tracks. It was quite a journey, but I think they turned out so well!

I hope you get a ton of use out of the maps, and as I always tell everyone, please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions, feedback, or corrections. I'm always here to help.

running_for_sanity

1mo

Maps are fascinating, and yours are amazing. I would love to hear about the process of map making and how you created these. Every now and then a snippet like this surfaces and I love it. Any plans on doing a talk on the process?

mapsbyjeff

1mo

I've done a couple of podcasts and talks recently. I think the one where I got into design the most is probably this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nGxygiP6f4

As well, if you happen to have any specific questions, I'd be happy to answer them.

running_for_sanity

1mo

… so I taught myself to program …

Wow that’s dedication to the cause. That is a great interview, thanks for sharing!

mapsbyjeff

1mo

Haha, thanks.

My approach is to design things first, then figure out how to implement them later. If you do it the other way around, then the tools you're using have a tendency to dictate your design, which generally gives a sub-optimal result.

I find that process of figuring out how to implement a design a lot of fun; it's a weird kind of puzzle in a sense.

I'm glad you enjoyed the interview =)

Conscious-Cattle6088

1mo

Agreed, it’s the best! Jeff, you’re awesome!

mapsbyjeff

1mo

It's wonderful to know I've been able to make a difference in your trips!

Davekinney0u812

1mo

Hi Jeff and a huge thanks for what you do and I'm a fan of what you do! I've seen maps with numbered campsites and thought they were yours - helps when planning and communicating to others in my groups. I thought those were yours but looking at your latest edition I do not see that. Many thanks!

mapsbyjeff

1mo

Good question =)

A few different people have made up their own numbering schemes and superimposed them on my map, with my permission.

However, they are only intended for use on that specific website (i.e. they're just arbitrary numbers used by that one person). They may change over time, other websites may use different numbers, and not all campsites have numbers.

Since you cannot reserve any particular campsite, I feel that it would be confusing/problematic if I made up my own arbitrary numbering scheme and printed it on the maps. I can almost guarantee that a good number of people would be asking me why they can't find a particular campsite number on the Ontario Parks reservation system (that already happens today since Ontario Parks includes the quick entry codes in the name of the reservation zones, and people think those are campsite identifiers).

I hope that helps!

Davekinney0u812

1mo

Makes sense - the Park should add numbers and at the same time make it crystal clear it’s not for reservation purposes.

Actually, i find the Park reservation system difficult and they should update the whole thing!

mapsbyjeff

1mo

The reservation system is a whole 'thing'.

A third party runs the reservation system under contract (CAMIS).

My understanding is that at its core its a piece of software designed for car camping reservations, that had paddling, day passes, winter camping, etc bolted on later on. That has lead to all sorts of clunky/weird behaviours, because it really wasn't designed to do any of those things.

A decade or so ago they moved to a different provider, Mediamix, but they got burned by that. Mediamix won the contract but was unable to provide a working system, or at least one that met the needs of Ontario Parks. For something like a year most park permits had to be handwritten. So, I think they got a bad taste in their mouths for trying alternatives.

Way back the reservation system was all in-house. The big advantage is that all of the call centre staff were permanent, and they got to have actual knowledge of the parks. These days its mostly (all?) just temporary workers who don't have much knowledge about the parks.

ZelBoofsGrappa

1mo

Jeff sells maps????? WHERE?!?!?! I need to give him money

Conscious-Cattle6088

1mo

https://mapsbyjeff.com/pages/algonquin