Orange County, California, is best known for its world-class theme parks and exclusive coastal communities. But the county’s splendor extends beyond its coasts and attractions. Orange County features 60,000 acres of parks and open space, 10% of the county’s total land. OC Parks manages these spaces, which include more than 500 miles of trails across them.
This set of maps from Andrew Wallace at OC Parks spotlights two of the county’s wilderness parks. The fusion of anecdotes and clear cartography makes for a pair of elegant and engaging maps.
Both maps are teeming with information but never feel overstuffed. They identify and locate essential features such as roads, waterways, and amenities. Trails are color-coded by difficulty, with additional information in callouts. Contours and hillshades illustrate the terrain of the parks, highlighting canyons and valleys. The parks’ varied topography remains the focus.
The affection for these places is also evident in the maps’ callouts. They reveal compelling details about the history, wildlife, and ecology of the parks. The result is a pair of maps that are both beautiful and informative. According to Wallace, this is by design. He collaborated with OC Parks rangers and staff to help visitors visualize and spatially orient themselves within the local terrain. These maps show what’s possible when concise cartography combines with local insights.
More to Explore
- Visit another wild space on the California coast.
- Immerse yourself in a detailed map of the Salish Sea.
