For the first time ever, there is a complete

For the first time ever, there is a complete collection' of up-to-date, full-color topographic maps covering the entire state of Virginia, all in one easy-to-use book.

The Virginia Atlas & Gazetteer, published by DeLorme Mapping of Freeport, Maine, contains 63 pages of maps, plus more than 700 recreational listings in 19 different categories.

The maps are produced at an unusually large scale of 1 inch to 2.3 miles. To put that in perspective, if all the maps were joined together, they would form a mosaic 17 feet wide by 7 feet high.

“Using such a large scale allows us to show an enormous amount of up-to-date detail,” explained Martin Kunas, DeLorme’s vice president for mapping. “For example, we show and identify just about every road in Virginia, even unpaved roads and jeep trails. We also show ponds and creeks you don’t often see on other maps.

“That level of detail is especially important to outdoor enthusiasts. For example, hunters want to know where its’ wooded, or swampy. Fishermen and canoeists are interested in an accurate picture of all the waterways. Hikers want to see the trails and the elevation contours. And they all want to see the back roads.

“Our purpose in creating this atlas was to provide the most accurate available picture of all Virginia’s back roads, as well as the land and water features important to outdoor enthusiasts.”

Those features include forests, wetlands, dams, wateralls, railroads (in use and abandoned), airfields and powerlines.

Roads are identified as interstate or U.S. highways, primary or secondary state routes, forest routes or town routes. Named roads, including dirt roads, are also identified.

The maps also pinpoint hundreds of boat launch sites, using different symbols to denote trailerable or hand-carry status.

Elevation contours accurately define the lay of the land, and boundary lines are shown for cities and counties as well as state and federal