Customer Reviews

Rand McNally Road Atlas (Rand Mcnally Road Atlas: United States, Canada, Mexico)

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Before retiring I was an over the road trucker for over twenty years, driving in excess of one hundred twenty thousand miles a year from coast to coast and Canada. I have probably tried every road atlas out there at one time or another, but always came back to Rand McNally.

Most people forget not to long ago there where no GPS devices to get you from point A to point B. Most of my trucking career was spent without a GPS, and I had to depend on a good Road Atlas to get me to where I was going. If you think you had problems getting lost in a car, try doing it in a 70 foot long tractor trailer. You just cant stop anywhere to reevaluate your directions or make a U turn on a 2 lane road. Consequently you need an easy to read, accurate Road Atlas at your side so you get it right the first time.

Evidently some people think every small town or sub division should be on this map, get real there is only so much space on there to fit everything before it gets overcrowded and the whole map is totally illegible. Best to get a state or local street map for a small town or city coverage. Be prepared before you start your trip.

Each year there are thousands of new upgrades to keep up with all the new road construction that's going on out there. If you need an accurate Atlas for directions, it might be a good idea to get a new Atlas yearly. Even if you have a GPS as I do, they are not perfect. Best to buy an Atlas as a backup, I did.

Rand McNally makes a special truckers version of this Atlas with truck information such as truck routes, overpass heights, weight limits, etc. etc. Since retiring I use this version which is the same, without the trucking information.

Another item that might be helpful if you travel a lot is the Rand McNally Dist-O-Map: Travel Distance Finder for easily checking the distance from city to city. It's not expensive, very sturdy and never needs to be replaced until it wears out.

I personally know the overwhelming majority of truckers including myself use the Rand McNally Road Atlas for good reason, its the best.

Good atlas, worth the cost. Even though they come out with a new one every year, it is definitely needed for all of the road changes and updates. Recommend this product.

Much cheaper and actually more useful than a GPS (sometimes you want to scope out where you might go, not just get directions), a road atlas is a staple in our cars. Updating annually gives access to proposed construction locations (although it was off in places despite being only a month old). We took this on a recent trip through PA and New England. Alas, the maps a re a bit hard to make out once you get off the main drags in the more populated areas, like Southern Maine. I missed my old DeLorme Maine Atlas. I think the solution for when you are traveling about in the more congested states is to buy the large print one.

The Rand McNally 2011 Road Atlas is very large, but well worth the space it takes up in our car. We do a lot of long road trips for our business (going to shows and conventions) and always us GPS to guide us, but it is helpful to breakout the atlas before hitting the road to see the route and area we will traversing. We have also found it useful to look at the atlas we trying to decide if it would be worthwhile detouring around traffic jams, since our GPS can always find a way but sometimes only very scary back-roads are available.

We have traveled in PA, MD, NJ, NJ, and OH and have not noticed any discrepancies with what was presented in the atlas and reality.

Highly Recommended!

CFH

As always, Rand McNally provides the reader with detailed maps and additional information useful to visitors in different states. There are distance charts within each state/province, and also for the entire area covered by the book. Many pages describing sites to visit invite the reader to find those locations on each map. The best part, though, is using the maps to plan a driving vacation to various states. Altogether a highly recommended atlas for the traveler or the curious.

I like having the latest version of Rand McNally in the car for travel. Though large in size it offers a good perspective on plotting out a trip route. I use a GPS for urban/city driving, when the atlas is unable to give enough detail. My son always has one by his side. After a move to the Chicago area he orientated himself quickly by consulting the atlas. Rand McNally is a trusted name with a solid reputation.

Despite our GPS enabled phones and an actual GPS unit, each year in November we get stuck in traffic in exactly the same place. This year, we had hoped to find a map in the car that would suggest an alternative route. We were disappointed (and stuck for 2 hours). I vowed to my husband that this would not happen again and so I gifted him with two of these books - one for each car.

The Rand McNally 2011 Road Atlas is completely adequate but I found it difficult to use. Interestingly, I found the 2011 AAA Road Atlas to be more user friendly, more clearly presented and printed so that it is easier to read at a glance.

I purchased the Rand McNally Road Atlas because I wasn't paying attention. I then purchased the 2011 AAA Road Atlas and got the atlas I was truly looking for.

This atlas continues to be an excellent map for travel of all kinds. It works whenever your GPS doesn't, which happens more often than the GPS companies will admit. Must have for short and long trips to prevent/check on circuitous routings GPS can and often provide. We have one in both our cars. Highly recommended.

In this day of GPS, I still like to have a map as a back up and also enjoy looking at the map while my husband is driving. I've purchased the Rand McNally road atlas in the past but was way overdue for an update. My only complaint is the size. Where in your car do you store such a behemoth and still keep it handy?