The new edition of the waterproof Gem Trek Canmore Up-Close map, submerged in Policeman’s Creek.
For the summer of 2025, we have published new editions of our waterproof Gem Trek Up-Close maps. These maps provide more detailed coverage of the three main towns in the Canadian Rockies: Banff, Canmore, and Jasper, than is possible at a larger scale. They are all branded as Up-Close, a change from previous editions, which were named “Best of.” At the same time, we discontinued the Best of Lake Louise Map and reframed it to include Moraine Lake. It is now the Lake Louise & Moraine Lake Map.
Gem Trek Up-Close maps are smaller (18 x 24 inches) than our other maps (27 x 39 inches) but have a larger scale (1:35,000), allowing more detail in and around these communities. For the updates, we work closely with each municipality to ensure the data we use is as up-to-date as possible. We then integrate this data with that from surrounding park jurisdictions to create the base for each update. As with all our maps, we also do a lot of fieldwork ourselves, which adds an element of precision and usefulness that can’t be found from any other source. For example, in all three towns, many hiking trails start from within town boundaries before branching out into the surrounding wilderness, which is under the jurisdiction of Parks Canada or Alberta Parks.
In Jasper, where the 2024 wildfires destroyed many trails in and around the town, we spent many hours in the field checking each trail and inputting data for the new edition.
At the end of the day, we believe our Gem Trek Up-Close maps are the best resource for both locals and visitors looking to explore the wilderness surrounding the towns of Banff, Canmore, and Jasper. On the back of each map are descriptions of the best walks, day hikes and mountain biking trails. The highlights of each trail are noted, as well as distance, elevation gain and directions to the trailhead. Inset maps increase coverage of each downtown, with town services and attractions highlighted by numbers that link to more detailed descriptions.
Announcing the release of the following new editions of Gem Trek Up-Close maps for summer 2025:
Banff Up-Close Map (4th edition)
Canmore Up-Close Map (2nd edition)
Jasper Up-Close Map (6th edition)
2025 Up-Close Gem Trek Map Covers
Cover photos for 2025 Gem Trek Up-Close map covers are Two Jack Lake (Banff), Grassi Lakes (Canmore) and the Benchlands (Jasper) Starting this year, we are including a new element to our map covers – a dash of yellow, whether it be clothing or a backpack (and as a result we now have a large collection of canary yellow backpacks!)
