Does Caltrans have a State Highway Map?

[Roadmapfan66]

  Does Caltrans have a State Highway Map?   Once in the 1960s, about 1966 they did publish a road map from the now defunct H. M. Goshua map company.   One thing I have known, is to where to find such a map on the Caltrans web site.  Any suggestions?

Scott C. Presnal
Morro Bay, CA

[mapman]

I found this...

http://caltrans-opac.ca.gov/doc/order.pdf

This link connects to a price sheet for ordering documents from Caltrans.  Look for "California State Highway Map."  It costs $2.  Note that the map represents the state highway network in 2008 (I assume the last time the map was updated, as the price sheet is effective April 2012).

[rschen7754]

I've been looking for one for years... try the welcome centers? I've never tried there...

[Bickendan]

You'd probably want to go with AAA for state wide maps of California. Last time I had looked at a AAA map of California, it was in-house cartography (but it's been a while). I'd normally recommend Thomas Bros... but RMN 'fixed' that 'problem' for us.

[tdindy88]

I took a trip out to Los Angeles last April and went into the Caltrans office in Downtown LA asking about this, the person I talked to hasn't heard of an offical highway map in the ten years he worked there, so that likely answers the question. As for the AAA maps, the California one I got from my local office in Indiana seems to be the standard cartography that you'd get from any other state, but the regional and local maps are a different style and I do like the regional maps, such as for Southern California and I used those more than the state map when driving around.

[agentsteel53]

  Does Caltrans have a State Highway Map?   Once in the 1960s, about 1966 they did publish a road map from the now defunct H. M. Goshua map company.   One thing I have known, is to where to find such a map on the Caltrans web site.  Any suggestions?

Scott C. Presnal
Morro Bay, CA

I have a physical example of this map.  1966 indeed.  let me know if you'd like it.  I think I got it for something like 7 bucks.

[Roadmapfan66]

I would probably get a map like this when I can this year, but I think the ACSC maps are the best.  Automobile Club of Southern California (AAA) but not directly the AAA maps, but of ACSC quality and the old H.M. Goshua maps too.

Scott C. Presnal
Morro Bay, CA

[rschen7754]

Yeah, the Thomas Guides have gone downhill since Rand McNally bought them out.

[andy3175]

The state tourism agency puts out a map of the state of California every year as part of its vacation guidebook. You can order your free copy of the book and pull-out map at:

http://www.visitcalifornia.com/Visitors-Guide/Step-1/

This guide and map are also available at the various Welcome Centers scattered around the state (see http://www.visitcwc.com/). The map within the vacation book is not produced by Caltrans. The map enclosed in the welcome guide is billed as the official state map, and is in my opinion of uneven quality with a few typos and incorrect information. Go ahead and order it; you be the judge.

As mentioned earlier in the thread, Caltrans produces maps that show the state highway system on a somewhat sporadic basis, and they may be obtained only through purchase online and are not generally at the Welcome Centers. I have copies of the somewhat easy to find 1966 map, and there have been other issues since then (I also have 1994, 1998, 2003, and 2008). I am not aware of any update since the 2008 map. The Caltrans map is not terrific for navigation, since non-state highways are either not shown or are generally deemphasized from the state system.

This map is, however, useful to see a map that shows the latest legislative designations. Some routes have been truncated or decommissioned in some cities (examples include California State Routes 2, 19, 39, 84, etc.), with some signage remaining in place. I will be interested to see if the next issue of the official Caltrans map shows this distinction.

Regards,
Andy