In an era of cellphone apps that in a moment provide directions telling you exactly where to go and how long it’ll take to get there, who needs a road map?
You know, those 28-by-40-inch maps folded into a rectangle that never refold easily. They fit right into the glove box along with the vehicle registration and owner’s manual.
Fewer people are seeking them out, which prompted the state of Indiana to stop publishing and distributing free highway maps in 2021, redirecting map money to other resources.
“A lot of people come in asking for them, and we tell them the state doesn’t make them anymore,” said Julie Dukes, a receptionist at Bloomington’s Visitors Center.
The states surrounding Indiana — Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio — still provide the traditional paper folding highway maps for free. Their highway departments’ websites have online request forms for ordering them.
In Kentucky, you can get up to 10 free maps. Steven Drake, cartography team leader at the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, said the state prints about 700,000 maps every year at a cost of 19 cents each, adding up to about $133,000. State and federal funds pay for the maps, which are printed in conjunction with the state’s Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet.
“The map not only helps travelers plan an amazing road trip, but it also provides a reliable navigation resource that doesn’t require connectivity and promotes unique Kentucky tourism destinations,” Drake said.
Michigan asks that requests be limited, “because official Department of Transportation state maps are printed with state funds,” the website says. In Illinois, where a new map is published every other year, free maps are limited to one per household. Illinois also provides large-print and wall maps, but both are currently out of stock. Ohio prints a new map every four years and limits free ones to five per order.
But Indiana travelers? You’re out of luck. The last of the state’s free highway maps have been distributed, and the state won’t be printing more.
“We just say, when people ask, that we don’t have any paper maps,” said Sarah Agostino, business operations manager at Indiana Destination Development Corp.
Agostino suggests downloading maps from the Indiana Department of Transportation website.
“For many years, INDOT stocked and distributed free roadway maps in interstate rest areas and provided them to businesses and citizens as requested,” the website says.
“INDOT and the Indiana Destination Development Corp. decided in 2021 to no longer print the annual state roadway map. With most travelers now using GPS or smartphone map apps, there is far lower consumer demand for printed roadway maps.”
That doesn’t mean the traditional fold-up paper maps don’t exist. You can buy a Rand McNally-produced map for about $10. Smaller 18-by-17-inch laminated folding maps are sold as well. For about $15, you can get a U.S. road atlas with big page maps of each state. You can also order them for free from AAA if you’re a member.
Some Hoosier tourist centers, like the Southern Indiana Visitors’ Center in Jeffersonville, stock maps they buy in bulk and regularly pass them out.
Want to download a map of Indiana? Go to the Indiana Department of Transportation website: https://www.in.gov/indot/resources/maps/
FPI News reporter Laura Lane covers the people and issues of rural Indiana. Reach her at 812-760-1540 or laura.lane@fpinews.org.
FPI News, a nonprofit newsroom, is funded through grants and donations from individuals, foundations and organizations.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
