From Stonebrown Design comes this clever “subway” map of the famous Appalachian Trail, a hiking path that stretches some 2,200 miles from Georgia to Maine. Normally confined to detailed topographical maps, here it has been simplified to its very basic elements — a path, stops along the way and state lines. Clever work.

Have we been there? No, but I have a friend who thru-hiked the whole trail and loved every second of it.

What we like: Clever adaptation of the familiar subway iconography for a very different purpose. Especially like the clarification between on-trail and off-trail “stops”, an important distinction for hikers.

What we don’t like: Not a huge amount to dislike. Even the angled text – my usual pet peeve – works well in this instance, allowing text to sit cleanly within each relevant state. Hikers might complain that it doesn’t give any indication of elevation: I’ve heard some of those mountains along the way are a hard slog!

Our rating: Clever and witty reworking of standard subway design and iconography. They aren’t selling posters of this yet, but they really should be. Four stars.

Source: Stonebrown Design