As an avid outdoor enthusiast, I have had the opportunity to hike and paddle throughout many parts of our nation’s backcountry and find those “special places.” In 2002 I decided to start the Outdoor Paths Map Store (www.outdoorpaths.com) to share my love of visiting our wild places and to help you in planning your next adventure and finding your own “special place.” The store has grown in popularity and I have since taken on partners, Randy and Janie Moore, also outdoor enthusiasts who, between the two of them, have thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail four times!

Though our focus is outdoor pursuits, The Outdoor Paths Map Store also stocks a wide variety of wall maps, thematic maps, international maps, as well as road maps and atlases. We also have a growing book section that includes not only your favorite guidebooks but also travel guides and narratives, books on the Appalachian Trail and the Blue Ridge Parkway, field guides, and kids books . We also have a great selection of books focusing on local history.

The store is located at the base of the Black Mountain Range in beautiful Western North Carolina and our customers were constantly asking, “What are the names of those peaks”? These requests prompted me to venture into the world of map publishing and form Outdoor Paths Publishing. My first map was a 3-D view of the Black Mountain Range naming all of the peaks. The success of this map was a deciding factor in then publishing a series of Detailed Guidemaps to the Blue Ridge Parkway.

The Outdoor Paths Map Store remains a valuable resource for all of your travel needs. Outdoor Paths Publishing is a wholesale publisher and distributor of maps focusing on Western North Carolina.

We want to hear from you. E-mail us with your comments or suggestions or just to share your favorite outdoor “special place” or experience:

Outdoor Paths Publishing, Email Us

Outdoor Paths Map Store, randy@outdoorpaths.com

 

Why The Turtle As Our Logo?

Symbolically, the Turtle has been representative of the earth and is our guide to respecting its many resources while also teaching us perseverance and patience.

One of the great creation stories in Native American literature tells of the time when there was only water and no place for the people and animals to live. Turtle, the water mother, made a great sacrifice and let the first people pack mud on her back that grew and became known as Turtle Island, the land we now live on. Thus, many Native Americans call the North American Continent Turtle Island.

During our travels on the various “outdoor paths” of the world, we should heed the message of the Turtle and slow down so that we may enjoy and appreciate all that is around us.

 

Happy trails,
Larry Odoski