Today (May 9, 2022) I received the Canada + US map sets of the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route. It was a bit of a wait because they have been out-of-stock for a while over here in the Netherlands. But after several weeks, they arrived at the shop which sells them here in the Netherlands, which is FietsVakantieWinkel.
Although I have read a lot about the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route, and bought quite some gear in the past couple of months, receiving these maps makes things (again) more real. It is less than three months from departure and I am getting more each and every day.
The total map set contains one map for the route in Canada and six maps for the route in the United States. Of course, they are bigger and heavier than expected. I will not throw them away after each section, I would like to keep them as a souvenir and maybe frame some. There is a lot of detail on the maps. Of course, the always present red line marks the route. But there is also weather information, elevation profiles, information on what to expect combined with some historic facts, and points of interest (food, accommodations, shops, libraries, water sources, etc.). Certainly, a lot of pre-trip fun to study all seven maps.
During the trip, I will store the maps in a waterproof zip-lock bag. I will probably only study them when at a campsite, or maybe during a rest stop to see what might be nearby. UPDATE: I am considering to leave the maps at home and take photos of the maps that I will take with made. This saves again some weight (almost 400 grams for the paper maps only).
As part of the preparation, I should download updates and corrections from the Adventure Cycling Association website. I will also add my own additions based on information I got from reading blogs (especially remarks that people made about certain destinations / locations).