Topanga State Park Trail Map: Topanga, Will Rogers, Tuna Canyon, Backbone Trail, Red Rock Canyon, Temescal Gateway: Shaded-Relief Topo Map (Tom Harrison Maps)

I've regularly used the Tom Harrison Yosemite map for awhile now, and recently picked up a set of map for our local range (Santa Monica Mountains) and couldn't be happier with these! IT's great to finally have a map of the trails in the area (I previously couldn't find anything that wasn't a random trip report online). I now have more flexibility when I'm out there to try different routes, and have thus far found this map (and others for the area) to be accurate. Finally, the paper coating is really nice and as always, has kept me from destroying it!

I was looking to buy a map to help guide me through the Santa Monica Backbone Trail. I bought this map as well as the Nat Geo Santa Monica map since I wasn't sure where one map ended and the other began. To my surprise the Nat Geo map perfectly encapsulates the entire east-west trail from the Naval Base near Pt. Mugu all the way to Santa Monica City. The Nat Geo map is highlighted, marked and detailed perfectly for my trip. I didn't find the Tom Harrison Map to be very useful for my purposes. It is a 15 minute version of the Nat Geo's more 30 minute map scale and only covers the eastern side of the Santa Monica's. It's also one sided which was a bummer. I'd use the Tom Harrison map if I was doing a small trip on the eastern side of the santa monica mountains but even then I think my eye is more comfortable following the Nat Geo maps, I'm just more used to their approach and style of mapping.

This map only contains the major trails--and with very little detail. I was hoping for something larger that showed many more trails, including the dozens of smaller trails in the area. This is no better than the small, free hiking maps that one can get at the state park ranger stations.

Tom Harrison Maps best for hiking and don't have to worry about battery life!