Travel to Nevada

Nevada Atlas & Gazetteer

Format: Paperback
Author: Delorme
ReleaseDate: 01 February, 2006
Publisher: Delorme Mapping Company
Rating:

The 2004 edition STILL suffers inaccuracies
I have traveled extensively throughout the state's rural areas since the 1980's; and several times over. I attended college in Nevada and volunteered for the BLM in Nevada.

Those of you who have seen previous editions will notice that the new edition no longer displays bold red lines for heavily traveled unpaved county roads! Why?? At least back then, most of the bolded red line routes were pretty accurate. But now, they have all been reduced to thin red lines - which may be DeLorme's way of trying to get itself off the hook regarding its inaccuracy issues.

Yes it's true DeLorme doesn't have its act together in terms of fully researching its data. And yes, I too have been misled into taking routes that appeared to exist but didn't exist in reality, or, if they did "exist" they were in such bad shape (washed out & rocky outcroppings, super-soft sand & silt) that they shouldn't have been on the map to begin with.

The rule-of-thumb when exploring rural Nevada is: if a "road" appears bad shortly after you begin going on it, turn around immediately. Even if you've already invested a few miles of time on it, turn around and save your vehicle (and yourself) the punishment. I guarantee it won't "get better" the further you go down it, so, resist the temptation altogether. If your inner voice is saying "this road is bad", it is and most likely will only get worse.

Unless you drive a Hummer, stay away from any remote Nevada backroads. The state's rural road maintenance budget has been in shambles for years and therefore these routes are no longer getting any attention or priority.

Regarding the places shown as "towns" - change is constant and not even the BLM can keep up, so, don't rely on any maps. Just keep the following in mind: Interstates 80 and 15 and 95/395 and 50 are always safe bets for services at least once an hour. State routes (paved) in all directions between Reno, Las Vegas, Winnemucca, Battle Mountain, Austin, Eureka, Ely, Baker, Caliente, Tonopah, Hawthorne, Pahrump, Fallon, Gabbs, Elko, Wells, Wendover, and Jackpot are also safe bets. Outside of that, ignore DeLorme.

May mislead the unwary
But there's a notable flaw that I hope DeLorme will correct in future printings. The DeLorme Nevada Atlas & Gazetteer is useful if you're planning to travel off of Nevada's main highways. The atlas shows many spots, represented by a black diamond as a "City or Town" according to the key on the inside front cover, that are no such thing. Some of those places are deserted. Others may have a house or two but no services. You may run out of gas if you rely solely on this atlas.

Take, for example, page 62 in the current edition. The hamlet of Hiko is listed in large type; you'd think it has every convenience. But the 2000-2001 edition of the Nevada Official Highway Map, published by the state's department of transportation, shows that Hiko has no services at all. On the same page of the atlas you'll find Logan and Crescent. Neither "City or Town" appears on the official highway map, and the atlas itself shows that Crescent connects to the outside world by the tiniest road -- probably a rough dirt track. On the facing page (page 63) you'll find Uvada, in large type, just across the Utah state line. The last time I drove by Uvada, in 2001, the place consisted of a railroad siding; I didn't see a single dwelling, much less any services.

Similarly, roads that appear to be modern thoroughfares according to the key are sometimes not paved. If you're familiar with Nevada, you'll know instinctively which ones are likely to be and which are not. But if you're visiting from New York or California, again beware.

Outside of Reno, the Carson City-Lake Tahoe area, and Las Vegas, Nevada is spectacularly empty, with lonely, starlit, sometimes snowy valleys that may contain a few hundred people in an area the size of Connecticut. Public services in those places are few and far between. Most roads are unpaved. Do not rely on the DeLorme atlas for the location of urban amenities, or even a gas station. Rather, obtain the official state road map. The 2000-2001 version that I have shows which places have services and which do not. And it shows which roads are paved and which likely are not.

These comments pertain to the third edition (2000) of the atlas. I hope that it will be updated and that my observations will become obsolete.

Great trip planning tool
They include comprehensive coverage of the state in question with sufficient detail to identify all the major topological features one will find, including streams and lakes. I use the Delorme Gazetteers, including this one, for planning my fishing trips every year. Also, they show all the roads. One criticism is that they don't contain road mileages between locations, unlike a highway atlas. But, a highway atlas will not show topographic coutour lines, or indicate locations where one may launch kayaks or rafts, or show locations reputed to have good fishing. I keep a Delorme Gazetteer for each state in which I expect to travel on any extended drive. They enable me to find campgrounds (in the indexes and shown on the maps), roads, topography, and all the essentials to plan a trip.

Related products:
click image or link for details on these Nevada travel books.

	North Carolina Atlas & Gazetteer (North Carolina Atlas and Gazetteer)
	Utah Atlas & Gazetteer
	New Mexico Atlas & Gazetteer
	Oregon Atlas & Gazetteer
	Idaho Atlas & Gazetteer