Follow the paper trail

Even couch potatoes are guaranteed to get itchy feet poring over a map that personally beckons you to the outdoors.

Illustrated by local mountain biker and budding cartography guru, Frank Nielsen, this 3-D topo and the rest in Franko’s SoCal series give you an instant spy-hole into all our local beaches, trails, islands and estuaries.

Impeccably researched and colorfully seductive, Franko’s sweat-proof, no-tear, plastic-on-paper maps are virtually indestructible.

With the Orange County Coast map, bikers can zoom in on the No Name trail in Crystal Cove State Park. Scuba divers can see where golden garibaldis and moray eels lurk. Kayakers are warned of afternoon onshore winds that may make paddling home in Newport’s lagoon difficult.

Surfers will uncover awesome point breaks to share with migrating gray whales. And curious day-trippers can find critter-filled tide pools.

These maps may be the one paper product you’re sure to pack in and out again and again.

-- Susan Dworski