Online satellite maps

Publisher: Google and Microsoft
Price: Free
Purpose: View the trails from above.

Satellite maps are great for obvious reasons -- quickly browsing over real views of the terrain.  Google and Microsoft each have an online map site that is fairly easy to use and both offer free stand-alone applications with additional features that integrate back, somewhat seamlessly, with the browser view.

Both sites are useful in different ways.  At the very least, the images are taken at different times.  For example, when I was looking for better trail detail in a certain area, the image from one was taken in the winter, so the trails were covered in snow.  The other was summer and looked great.

There are also less obvious reasons to use these sites.  Microsoft has a feature that I hope will be adopted by Google, and although it needs some work and doesn't have very good coverage, it makes me giddy just thinking about the possibilities.  Its the "Bird's eye" view, which uses images from low flying planes.  This gives beautiful elevation views that don't have the distorted CGI look that overlaying satellite images on elevation profiles gives when trying to see real detail.

The downside of these sites is that I have found it hard to do much with their satellite maps besides browse them while at my computer.  I tried printing a couple of views that I wanted to take with me and they ended up being less than helpful.  I am not sure if this is because I couldn't get the detail I needed or if the maps just tend to work better interactively.

Wasatch Hiking Trails

Price: $12
Purchase: Online (ie. http://www.mapstore.utah.gov, you can also get them sporting good stores and REI)
Purpose: All purpose.
Properties: Waterproof and tear resistant.  Landmarks, elevation, trail types and mileage in a very easy to read fromat.

This map, along with Adventure Map's map of the same area, are the two best maps I have found for my needs.  This map is great for two reasons.  First, there are trails marked on this map that I cannot find on any other map, and second, it is very readable.

Ski Resort Trail Maps

Publisher: The resort.  Some are available online (Sundance, for example)
Price: Free
Purpose: Navigate the hiking, biking, ski and snowshoe trails in the area.

Ski resorts have some great summer trails.  Some do not run their lifts, but are open for free parking.  For example, Brighton has trails like the Five Lakes Loop.  Some run the lifts, and allow you to buy day, half-day or single ride passes.

One of the advantages of resort trails is that they are usually more accessible, either because you can park right next to the good stuff, or because you can just ride the lift up, then back down, and see some great scenery while doing it.

Some resorts cater to downhill bikers, who use the lifts to get to the top, then jet down the trails.  But resorts are not just for downhillers.  The trail on the map above at Sundance that loops around the left (Archie's Loop) is a great cross country trail.  We also tried one of the hikes, the one that loops over to the right, going over to Stewart Falls, and it was beautiful.  We like hiking to the Falls from the other direction, but this was a fun way to see some different terrain and even though it was "downhill both ways" (you get all of your elevation with the ski lift), it was a decent hike for the kids.

Adventure Map's Salt Lake/Park City, Utah Trail Map & Guide

Publisher: Adventure Maps
Price: $10
Purchase: adventuremaps.net (You can also get them at bike stores, sporting good stores and REI, but they are rarely in stock)
Purpose: Use it to plan.  Use it on the trail.  Use it to show others where you have been.  An all around great map.
Properties: Waterproof, tear resistant, trail information on the map and small, useful trail guides on the edges for popular hiking and biking trails.  Both sides of the map are full of different locations along the Wasatch Front.

One of my favorite maps.  Trails on the map have distances and trail names or numbers.  Major trail junctures have GPS waypoints.  Useful land features are identified.  Symbols identify trailheads, parking, camping, etc.  Different styles of trails are identified and trails are rated for technical difficulty.  One side of the map has a large map from Parley's Canyon to Provo Canyon, the other has a map for Park City Trails and a map from Mueller Park to Emigration Canyon.

Utah Mountain Biking

http://www.utahmountainbiking.com
Purpose: Trail locations and details for mountain bikers.
Properties: Digital. Trail reports are in an easy to read format, have all of the details a biker needs and include a mile/gps summary.  Many have GPS coordinate files in different formats as well.

This site is more than just trail reports.  It has an active forum and quite a few non-trail pages such as race reports and bicycle maintenance.  However, the trail reports are a good example of how a website can create great maps and guides because they are specific to a community and because of the passion that goes into the effort.

If there is one thing I would like to see added, it would be overall maps of areas with links to the trails.  Here is an example.

Trail running sites

Purpose: Accurate trail maps and information.  Sometimes great for trail conditions as well. 
Properties: Digital. Many of these sites have GPS coordinates, or just print out the maps.  Use waterproof paper if you want something durable.

For accurate, up-to-date trail information, I have found trail runners and their websites to be particularly helpful.  After hiking a trail I came across on a drive, the only information I could find about it was one of these sites.  None of my maps showed anything about it as well, despite the fact that it had official (looking, at least) trail signs and linked up to maintained parking areas.

Here are two I use:
Timp Trail Running
RunUtah.net

Wasatch Front Panoramic Hiking Map

Publisher: Trail Tracks
Price: $12
Purchase: trailtracks.com (not sure the store I picked it up at)
Purpose: Not the most useful map for taking out on the trail, but the unique view angle gives useful elevation information quickly that is hard to get from other maps.
Properties: Waterproof, tear resistant, trail information (distance, elevation gain, difficulty) on the front, additional trails and general information ("Human sexual activity attracts bears") on the back.

Although this is a fun map to just look at, the look is also useful in ways that hard to describe.  I just know that when I am describing where I went over the weekend to someone, I like to use this map.  For example, the Wasatch Crest trail on Utah Mountain Biking shows this map, which is the one I take out with me:

On the panoramic map, the trail looks like this: