[.ca] Michigan County Atlas (ISBN 0762501081)

Very Out-of-Date; Some Maps from 1984!:
When the first edition of this map book came out in the 1980s, it was most definitely one of the best, most up-to-date county road map atlases of Michigan. However, almost no updates to the maps inside have been made in this book since the early-1990s, with many of the maps inside dating from 1984, some of the oldest being in the rapidly-changing Metro Detroit area! Entire freeways have been built and opened since the maps in this book were last updated. There are other titles similar to this one that are marginally better, however, I would wholeheartedly recommend anyone needing county-based road maps similar to those included in this atlas to purchase the more up-to-date Regional County Map series from Universal Map. These folding maps--13 cover almost the entire state--are actually the "descendents" of the maps in this atlas. Compare any of the maps in the Michigan Regional County Map titles to those in this book and you get a clear picture of the problem. It is unclear why Universal map has continued to issue new editions of the folding maps year after year, yet has allowed those in this atlas to languish. New editions of other similar atlases (with revisions) are issued by other companies every few years, yet this atlas has remained substantially unaltered for almost twenty years. While not as convenient, the higher quality and more up-to-date nature of the 13 individual folding maps are more than enough reason to steer clear of this atlas. You can find the regional map titles--Southwest Michigan, South-Central Michigan, Southeast Michigan, Michigan's Thumb, Mid-Michigan, Saginaw Valley of Michigan, Mid-West Michigan, Central Michigan, Northwest Michigan, Northern Highlands of Michigan, Northern Tip of Michigan, Eastern Upper Peninsula, and Copper Country of Michigan's U.P., in gas stations, many bookstores or online. These folding maps also contain insets of many of the cities, towns and villages in that region that are not included in the atlas. If you still need to have the convenience of a bound atlas, I would then recommend either the "Mapbook of Michigan Counties" published by the Michigan United Conservation Clubs or the "Michigan Atlas and Gazetteer" by DeLorme.

Michigan County Atlas:
The book is very large, but the print and maps are very small. Some of the maps take up two pages, but part of the map is unreadable because it's lost in the binding. I have an older Michigan County Guide, by a different company, and it has more details and is easier to read. This book is missing many roads, if you need to find a major place you'd probably find it with a magnifying-glass, but for those small areas and streets - forget it they are not on these maps.

Lost in Michigan...:
This road atlas is the best county road atlas I have every used. I have seen others, but they are not as easy to read. I used my atlas so much it fell apart, and I am investing in a second. My family refers to this atlas as the "Bible". We travel a lot of nothern roads which would qualify as cow paths. And they even appear on this road atlas.

Delorme Atlas is much better:
I used the Universal Map book for a number of years. Then one day I saw the Delorme Atlas And Gazetteer. The Delorme Atlas is way better, much better use of color, much better topographic information, hiking trail info, and easier to navigate.

A very fine guide to Michigan's hidden roads:
This book is a wonderful addition to any Michigan traveler's atlas collection. The book's large format leaves its maps of each county free to set out backroads down to the smallest trail, which is done in most cases without error. A few typos and mislabelings of smaller features exist, but they are rare enough that the overall quality of the work is not diminished. I particularly like the "hydrology" feature, listing all county lakes, and the fact that each county's map shows, AND labels, border roads as they go into an adjacent county. The book is not for one seeking to explore cities, but is magnificent for anyone who wants to go leaf-peeping, hunting, or make other use of Michigan's wonderful, colorful, more remote areas. It is a four-wheeler's delight. If you fit any of these categories, you will love this book and use it frequently. It is a real bargain.