Glacier Park hiker puts out hiking map

The Kalispell man who walked all 734 miles of trails in Glacier National Park in 2011 has created a high-quality topographic map for people looking for interesting hikes.

Jake Bramante, 36, said he created the map after so many people asked him where they should go hiking. His “Day Hikes of Glacier National Park,” which features 88 trips,” is available at his Web site and several Flathead Valley retail outlets.

Not wanting to get lost among the many guide books that have been published about the Park, Bramante decided to go with a large folding map made of waterproof paper.

“It’s plastic, the batteries never die, and there aren’t reception problems,” he said, comparing his map to smart phone apps about Glacier Park.

Descriptive information on each trail hike is provided on the back of the map. Hikes range from less than five miles to 15 or more, and they’re color-coded to indicate their difficulty.

“There’s 15,000 words on the guide side, so it is a pretty legitimate guide,” he said.

Bramante said he put considerable thought into picking his featured hikes. Last year, he published a Going-to-the-Sun Road driving guide that provides interpretive information on more than two dozen stops along the historic highway.

The map is available for $9.94 online at www.hike734.com or at the Glacier Park Conservancy office in Columbia Falls and Montana House in Apgar Village.