The main competitor is DeLorme's series of state atlases. Here's how they compare: Benchmark is better for primary and secondary roads, better for labeling landmarks, far better on land forms. Benchmark also has a dedicated set of pages showing what government agencies own what lands. DeLorme is larger scale, with occasionally better detail on local features.

Neither is a definitive guide to back-country roads, although Benchmark does more to classify which roads are actually driveable vs. which are mere tracks.

Benchmark covers only the Western states, DeLorme all 50 states. For any state covered by both, I would want to have both atlases in the car, but if I had to chose just one it would be Benchmark.

11 of 11 found the following review helpful:


A tremendous atlas  Apr 19, 2002
This series of atlases is fantastic. The relief shading adds a tremendous amount of information and without cluttering or distracting from the road detail. Absolutely great for camping in remote areas, for example. With a GPS you can practically pinpoint your location on every page.

Printing and binding are excellent. My old edition went through hell and came out battered but alive.

16 of 18 found the following review helpful:


Not for the Accidental Tourists  Sep 09, 2003 By Kyle D. Macdonald
If you love California roads and traveling off the beaten path this is your guide. If you are a tourists or just passing through there are better solutions.

As an avid off-roader this is the best for the entire state.

9 of 9 found the following review helpful:


Benchmark Atlas  May 09, 2007 By jp
Benchmark are absolutely the best road atlases out there. I have the AZ, UT, OR, and CA maps that I have purchased for trips (I use my CA one all the time, but I live here) and find them invaluable. I can always find my way when lost, and they really do a great job of showing detail that you wouldn't expect, even in metro areas. They show the most random and remote Forest Service or BLM roads, and points of interest on those roads that you would otherwise need specialty maps to see. If there's a dirt road or otherwise going there, these maps show it. Highly recommended!

7 of 7 found the following review helpful:


first major disappointment from Benchmark  Aug 20, 2009 By L. Coghlan "cholodog"
We've had excellent luck with benchmark maps in the past, especially Idaho, Oregon, and (for the most part) Washington. The ability to zoom in at 3 different levels of detail on a particular area is a major bonus. The landscape level detail typically far exceeds the Gazeteer maps. California is really out of date, however, and caused miles and miles and hours of wasted time. In particular we were traveling in Northern California, and time after time, the map failed to indicate that roads no longer were open to the public due to privatization, development, gated resort compounds, logging, etc. Mileage accuracy was also poor for the region near Mount Shasta. We traveled miles down dirt roads to find locked gates and campgrounds that no longer existed. Benchmark sorely needs an update to California. We won't give up on the company yet, but this book was truly disappointing.

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