Changing Weather in the Canadian Rockies
This spring has seen some very unsettled weather - snow one day, sunny and mid-teens the next, followed by more snow. These weather patterns are not uncommon in mountainous regions worldwide, and here in the Canadian Rockies it's expected, especially in springtime....
Glacial Recession at the Columbia Icefield
Our map updates comprise lots of work out in the field - walking trails with GPS, updating photos, working with Parks Canada and local businesses to ensure accuracy, and fact checking everything from campground facilities to trail elevation gains. For the new edition...
Gem Trek’s Columbia Icefield Map – New Edition
Announcing the release of the 6th edition of Gem Trek's Columbia Icefield Map, which was printed on waterproof and tear-proof paper by the Burke Group in Edmonton. The most important (and interesting) change to this edition was the redrawing of glacial extents by...
Showcasing the Waterproof Properties of Gem Trek Maps
Of course, the best way to test the ruggedness of Gem Trek Maps is to use them out in the field, but recently we wanted to find the most effective way to depict their waterproof properties using still photos. It was a matter of trial and error, starting with an indoor...
2020: New Editions of Gem Trek Maps (Round 2)
Announcing the release of two new editions of Gem Trek Maps: Banff Mount Assiniboine Map (9th edition) and the Icefields Parkway Map (4th edition), which were printed on waterproof and tear-proof paper by the Burke Group in Edmonton. These two maps feature our our new...
2020: New Editions of Gem Trek Maps
Announcing the release of four new editions of Gem Trek maps: Canadian Rockies (12th edition), Southwest Alberta and Southeast British Columbia (7th edition), Southwest British Columbia and Northern Washington (4th edition) and Lake O'Hara (5th edition). All four maps...
Gem Trek’s Changing Cartography Styles
The first map published by Gem Trek was Kananaskis Lakes in 1991. It was a manually-drafted 1:50,000-scale topographic map based on topographical information found on National Topographic System (NTS) maps produced by the Canadian Government. These maps, while...
2019: New Editions of Gem Trek Maps
Announcing the release of two new editions of Gem Trek maps: Canmore and Kananaskis Village (7th edition) and Kananaskis Lakes (7th edition), which were printed on waterproof and tear-proof paper by the Burke Group in Edmonton. The cartography update for both maps was...
Kananaskis Maps Press Check
We recently did a Kananaskis Maps press check for the Canmore and Kananaskis Village and Kananaskis Lakes maps at the Burke Group for new editions. Burke has been printing most of our waterproof maps for many years, and so it was good to visit with them and see the...
The History of Gem Trek Maps (Part 2)
Click here for the early history of Gem Trek Maps (Part 1). Gem Trek Publishing was founded by Donna and Roger Nelson in 1991. Here is the second part of the Gem Trek story. By the mid-1990s, Gem Trek maps had a wide following in the Canadian Rockies, especially among...