Backroad Mapbooks

The Backroad Mapbook series has been designed to provide you all the information you need to travel safely and confidently into the outdoors. In addition to the most up to date maps available, we spend countless hours researching the various recreational activities in the area.

We are Canada’s leading outdoor guidebook and mapping company because we provide the most up to date and accurate source available. Our maps cover the entire region, emphasizing the various logging/bush road networks as well as the recreational activities available in the area. Further, our writing provides further insight into an area than no map can provide.

Our mapbooks are updated every three or so years to ensure the information is as current as possible. This may sound like a standard answer of any mapping company, but you can be assured that when we do update the books everything is reviewed. We pride ourselves on being the most up to date source available for Canadians.

Our books are designed to be used by anyone interested in getting outdoors. Whether you are looking to visit the local park or find that hidden wilderness retreat, you will find a destination that suits your needs in our books. Our writing focuses on fishing, parks and camping, paddling or canoeing, multi-use trails (hiking, biking, ATVing), wildlife viewing and winter recreation (cross-country & downhill skiing, snowshoeing and snowmobiling).

We are a private company that receives no grants or funding from outside sources. The information gathered does include government sources as well as forestry/mining companies, clubs and organizations and tourism.

Our books are found in a wide range of locations that range from fishing and outdoor stores to bookstores and big box locations. Although we encourage you to visit your local outdoor store to pick up the books, they can also be found at Canadian Tire, Chapters/Indigo Bookstores, Wal Mart and other big national chain stores.

The writing and maps are protected by copyright. No reproduction in whole or in part is allowed without the expressed written consent of the publisher. Yes, that even includes scanning or photocopying the pages and/or posting the maps on the internet. If you ask, we are generally supportive of non commercial reproduction.

We try to show all trails in the area. If there is room on the maps, we will symbol the various trail users that can access the trail. Otherwise, you will need to look in the writing to see what users are allowed on the trails.

New in 2007 are special classifications to denote Long Distance Trails, the Trans Canada Trail, ATV or Off Highway Vehicle Trails and Snowmobile Routes. These classifications make it much easier to follow these ever growing trail options in Canada.

We have started adding grid lines along with UTM and latitude and longitude coordinates to the maps. These technical features are designed to allow the user to accurately figure out distances on the maps and even plug coordinates into their GPS. Of course, our digital edition products make these techniques much easier and a lot more accurate.

Our latest editions (starting in 2006) have started adding topographical lines and relief shading. These exciting features are unique to our mapbooks and should ultimately assist the reader in figuring out the lay of the land. If you haven’t upgraded your book recently, then you are really missing out.

Although we try to keep consistent, the unique geography of our country means we do have to vary the scales between books. Generally speaking, we range from a scale of 1:150,000 in southern BC and Ontario to 1:250,000 and even 1:500,000 in the north. The scale bar on the maps is designed to help you determine distances on the maps.

New in 2007, the scale bar has been adjusted to match our grid lines. This means that you can now figure out the distance and/or coordinates of points on the maps much more easily and accurately.

Yes. We classify paved roads and grade the logging/bush roads to help you choose the route of choice. In the writing, we even note the wilderness campsites that are open to bigger trailers and RV’s.

Fishing Mapbooks

The Fishing Mapbook series has been designed to provide you all the information you need to fish that lake or waterbody confidently. In addition to the depth charts that help you determine where to fish on the lake, we provide pertinent information such as fish species, stocking information, access and facilities and even fishing tips.

The books are designed to show you where on the lake to fish. If you are new to the area or are simply looking for alternative lakes to explore, this is a great way to start.

We try to provide a good mix of lakes to sample in each book. In addition to the most popular lakes, we try to mix in a few remote destinations as well as those that are stocked. We also make sure we have some larger lakes that are ideal for trolling as well as smaller lakes that are better suited for fly-fishing or casting from shore.

It is not possible to cover every lake in a given area in the Fishing Mapbook series. In addition to the selection criteria described above, we might not have access to the depth chart data. This is both good and bad. Some people are offended that we missed their lake, others are happy their lake may not become more crowded. Drop us a line and we will see if we can add it next time.

The depth charts are a combination of the raw data provided by the appropriate governing body in each province and our own map sources used in the Backroad Mapbook series. The writing also comes from the mapbooks, but we have expanded on it to provide a lot more details on the given waterbody. Finally, we try to contact local tackle shops and anglers to ensure our information is accurate and up to date.

Our depth charts are not designed for navigational use. Uncharted rocks and shallows, stumps and other debris are just some of the things that cannot be accurately mapped on freshwater waterbodies.

In addition to access maps and/or descriptions on how to get to the lake, the lake depth charts show where boat launches and other amenities are located. This feature alone could save you hours when getting to a lake for the first time.

In addition to detailed information on the lakes we cover, we provide basic information on fishing gear and fish species to help get started in the sport. Of course, we also recommend you visit the local tackle shop to find out more on recommended gear. Most provide starter kits and will be more than happy to point you to some of the better lakes in the area to visit.

The sport of fishing is a challenging sport to master. The depth charts might be all you need to find those hidden hot spots. Alternatively, we provide you with over a hundred options in each book to give you some variety to sample. Rather than jumping into a lake blind, the information we provide will get you started in the right place.

In regards to our fishing descriptions, you must understand that the descriptions are relative. For example we regard a good lake as somewhere where you will be able to catch fish on a regular basis with little effort. So in an hour of fishing you can expect 6-10 fish or in that range. Fair would mean you would have to try a little harder to get those numbers (or the fish may be smaller on average). Slow, would be just that, 'slow'.

Also, it would be irresponsible for us to rate any lake as "very good" as it would draw additional attention to that particular lake, which would eventually deplete the resource. We have actually seen this type of thing happen several times in our province and country, when a magazine or book focuses on a small water body and writes about how fantastic it is, the next season the lake is full of anglers and eventually the lake is overwhelmed, depleting the fishing quality.

Due to weather patterns, time of day, time of year, etc. a lake that is rated as good can be fair or slow (or vice versa). In addition, every angler has a different skill set. An angler fishing a brook trout lake may have no idea of brook trout tendencies and feeding patterns and even on the best lake they could get skunked by using the wrong lures or methods.

Canada, in particular British Columbia and Ontario are still home to some of the best fishing in the world. In fact, we would venture as far to say that there is no better fishing in the world. With over 100,000 lakes in Ontario alone, it's safe to say that it will always be one of the top fishing destinations in the world.

Digital Editions

No. They are GPS calibrated digital raster images with some popular GPS calibration file formats along with the map images. We are a map publisher not a software company.

No. The maps can NOT be loaded onto a GPS device as provided. Unfortunately, GPS units run proprietary systems that are not open to outside sources. We are hoping the demands of GPS users will help pressure GPS manufacturers into allowing other companies to prepare maps for their GPS units.

Make sure that, you have read 3.3 “Instructions for Memory-Map Navigator Users” and check to see if you have refreshed the map directory correctly.

Yes, but you need to upgrade the Google Earth Free version to at least the Google Earth Plus version. There is an annual fee payable to Google Inc. for this service. For more information please visit HYPERLINK http://earth.google.com/earth.google.com.

Yes, they are located under C:Program FilesBackroad Mapbooks XXXXPDF Maps.

Windows VISTA comes with high security protection and will often ignore the autorun feature in an attempt to protect itself from possible computer virus infection. You can get around this by accessing your CD/DVD-ROM directly and double click on the XXXX.exe file to start the installation manually.

Yes and no. Some GPS devices only load their own proprietary file format. However, we are currently working on getting our maps converted so that they can be compatible for loading on those GPS devices that will allow outside map sources. This industry is undergoing constant changing so keep checking in to see where we are at.

General Information

-We want you to be happy with your purchase and shop with confidence at Backroad Mapbooks. Returns are only accepted within 20 days of the ship date.

-With any return request please email us at info@backroadmapbooks.com or call us to let us know what the nature of the return before returning any items.

-Please understand that we will not accept returns on Digital products, Topo Maps or Fishing Maps, but we will offer an exchange for the identical product if the one you receive is defective. Proof of purchase is required.

-The customer is responsible for all return shipping charges of the product. A refund for the original purchase price of the products will be issued once we receive the returned merchandise in good re-sellable condition. We do not refund the original billed shipping charges.