Below you'll find a full list of free state maps available from most state tourism departments. As a backup, I've also linked to any state Department of Transportation (DOT) that give away free road maps, both online or physically mailed to your house.
Almost every state offers a full map in their visitor's guide. Many of them also have a downloadable version of the guide. This is nice because it lets you see the map before actually requesting it. These digital versions are often at the bottom of the travel guide request form.
For the DOT links, virtually all of them offer multiple free, highly detailed online .pdfs of their highways, roads, and other travel methods.
With the DOT sites, you might have to click “highway map” or “road map” before the order form will appear. You might even want to click “Maps” in the menu bar and do a fresh search, because like I said, it's an option for most states. States frequently change these links for some reason and I do my absolute best to keep this list updated on a weekly basis.
If you manage to find an order form that I missed, please let me know. Here's to never getting lost again!
Free Alabama State Map – This is the first .travel website I've ever seen. Cool story, huh? (al dot map)
Free Alaska State Map – Here's the first case of “so, does this come with a map?” They don't say if the travel guide comes with a map, but I personally requested one a few years ago and it had a map in the back. I don't see why Alaska would have changed it since then, unless there's some great Hide the Grizzlies conspiracy that I'm not aware of. (ak dot map)
Free Arizona State Map – Their site promotes “Old West activities.” The heck is that? Like riding around on a horse and shooting pistols in the air? If so, then Arizona here I come!
This is one of the many pages that contains a digital version of the travel guide. If you scroll down to the bottom, you can download the guide and see for yourself what their map looks like. (az dot map)
Free Arkansas State Map – They have a plethora of travel brochures and even a Living in Arkansas guide for those considering moving there.
Wait, where are you going? Don't leave right now! (ar dot map)
Free California State Map – It's no wonder they offer a free map given how many freaking tourism commercial they run! (ca dot map)
Free Colorado State Map – Back when I originally started this list, their site tagline was “come to life.” It always made me think they were reanimating the dead out there. Zombies certainly would be a unique vacation experience! (co dot map)
Free Connecticut State Map – As of 2025, I believe they've eliminated their physical tourism guide. I just checked again as of date of publication and I still can't find a travel guide request form.
This is actually the first state I've ever seen revoke their travel tourism guide, which is kind of baffling to me. Their DOT still has high-quality highway maps on their site, but I'm also struggling to find a link to request a physical copy. If anybody finds one, please let me know in the comments! (ct dot map)
Free Delaware State Map – The only thing I know about Delaware is that President Biden used to frequently commute there via train from D.C. and it's the only state that sometimes loses commercial air travel.
During four periods since 1990, Delaware has been the only U.S. state without any scheduled airline flights: from 1993 through 1998, again from 2000 to 2006, from April 2008 until June 30, 2013, and between April 2015 and February 2021.
No wonder people are looking for highway maps here! (de dot map)
Free Florida State Map – When I first made this list in 2009, there was an “Authentic Florida Expert” everywhere on the site. She looked like a stereotypical grandma, but now she's nowhere to be seen. Uh oh, you know what that means… (fl dot map)
Free Georgia State Map – If I know Georgia, they'll also send you a peach. (ga dot map)
Free Hawaii State Map – To heck with the map; their site has some sweet pictures of volcanoes and lava! (hi dot map)
Free Idaho State Map – Not only do they have free maps, but Idaho even offers a free children's brochure.
Sure, it's probably just be a single page that says “hope you like potatoes,” but hey, at least it's something!*
*Obviously it's more than just a single page. I make dumb jokes here. It's one of my only skills. (id dot map)
Free Illinois State Map – Every time I visit Illinois, I lean into their state name and always drop the S at the end of words. It drives my friends bananas. (il dot map)
Free Indiana State Map – Indiana has a second on things to do there and they highlight the TV show Stranger Things…but they don't have a section for Parks & Rec?! What?! If the fake town of Pawnee can't get me there, nothing can. (in dot map)
Free Iowa State Map – Just the place to go if you're really excited about Presidential elections over a year ahead of time! Maybe one of these days I'll use my map to drive there and learn what a caucus is. (ia dot map)
Free Kansas State Map – My old joke here used to be “can anybody name three cities in Kansas?”
Well, today I checked their site and realized they now have a list of every city in Kansas! Haha, well played to whichever Kansas Hiffer did that. Don't let anybody tell you freebies and HIF can't change the world! 😀 (ks dot map)
Free Kentucky State Map – Kentucky, we need to talk. Meet me at camera 5. *Goob turns 90 degrees and starts addressing his cats*
What in the world did you do to your logo?!?! You used to have the coolest state logo by a country mile, with the horse coming off the end Now it's just some plain, boring block lettering? With zero horses! (ky dot map)
Free Louisiana State Map – I have nothing bad to say about Louisiana because New Orleans lets you walk around with alcohol in TO GO CUPS. (la dot map)
Free Maine State Map – While signing up they want you to “be sure to indicate which regions of Maine and activities interest you.” Uhhh, does eating lobster and telling people I've actually been to Maine count as interests? (me dot map)
Free Maryland State Map – I can't tell you the number of times highway construction has caused me to get lost in Maryland. Back in the early days of the internet, MapQuest had me get one 3 different highways that didn't even exist. Ohhhh, what I would have given for one of these paper maps back then! (md dot map)
Free Massachusetts State Map – I've still yet to ever correctly spell this state's name on my first attempt. Or second… or third…
It's the only item on my Bucket List I doubt I'll ever accomplish! (ma dot map)
Free Michigan State Map – Michigan's page has a section called “Air Zoo.” You know what that means – we can finally see pigs fly! (mi dot map)
Free Minnesota State Map – Minnesota has over 11,000 lakes. I want maps for each and every one of them. That's not too much to ask for, right? (mn dot map)
Free Mississippi State Map – They welcome you to “explore Mississippi, the Birthplace of America's Music.”
Uhhhh…what? I'm gonna need a source or citation on that big ol' claim. Are you telling me the original 13 colonies didn't have any music until we settled Mississippi? (ms dot maps)
Free Missouri State Map – Their site advertises that internships are available. For the whole state? (mo dot maps)
Free Montana State Map – They offer a free winter guide in addition to the state map, but I can give you the guide right here.
- Step 1: stay inside during winter.
- Step 2: go outside once spring arrives.
Then again, I might just be a weenie who can't tolerate cold temperatures. (mt dot map)
Free Nebraska State Map – Their latest travel guide has some cool artwork on the cover, but it does raise a serious question: are people living in domes in Nebraska?! If so, then I'm on my way. (ne dot map)
Free Nevada State Map – Fill out the form you'll get a free state maps for the price of none! After spending a weekend in Vegas lately, “none” is about all I can afford now. (nv dot map)
Free New Hampshire State Map – Their phone number used to be 1-800-FUN-IN-NH. But now it's disconnected! I guess too many people were calling it looking for 1-800-DUNG-ON-I. (nh dot map)
Free New Jersey State Map – “It's never too early to begin planning your next New Jersey getaway vacation!” Really? Bet. I want to book a room for August 10-12, 2081 please and thank you. (nj dot map)
Free New Mexico State Map – I say they capitalize on Breaking Bad and change their slogan to “Come for the meth. Stay for the nature.”
I really should be charging big money for all these great ideas. (nm dot map)
Free New York State Map – I always thought the “I Heart NY” campaign was for the city, not the state. Shows what I know.
And I've freaking lived here for over a decade! (ny dot map)
Free North Carolina State Map – They offer a free winery and Civil War travel guide. It's as if they were targeting me and me alone. (nc dot map)
Free North Dakota State Map – I heard North Dakota actually exists. I always thought it was a myth, like Bigfoot or tapioca! (nd dot map)
Free Ohio State Map – Their website used to be called DiscoverOhio.com. But then Ohio 2 was discovered and they've been awfully quiet ever since. (oh dot map)
Free Oklahoma State Map – I'm kind of interested in their additional “Agritourism Map.” Is this a tourist industry that Oklahoma made up? (ok dot map)
Free Oregon State Map – I love that they also offer an official kid's guide to Oregon. Like it's that complicated. “Hey kids! Are your parents coming here? Then so are you and there's nothing you can do about it!” (or dot map)
Free Pennsylvania State Map – The last time I drove through PA, I paid around $12 trillion dollars in tolls. This is me right now thinking about my next road trip through the state. (pa dot map)
Free Rhode Island State Map – Their site says “put down that spreadsheet, tear yourself away from your inbox for a second, and fill out this form.” Uhhh … RUN, THEY'RE WATCHING US THROUGH OUR COMPUTERS!! (dot maps)
Free South Carolina State Map – Home state, represent! They finally went out and bought themselves a grown-up domain instead of that weird spammy one they used for years. (sc dot map)
Free South Dakota State Map – Ok, wait a minute here. South Carolina's slogan: Smiling Faces, Beautiful Places. South Dakota's slogan: Great Faces, Great Places. It's like South Dakota wasn't even trying! (sd dot map)
Free Tennessee State Map – I doubt their slogan of “we're playing your song” is accurate. I didn't hear any polka music being played when I visited the state earlier this year. (tn dot map)
Free Texas State Map – Their travel guide used to be 272 freaking pages long! That's wasn't a guide, it was a book.
However, I just peeped their latest version and it's down to a slim 188 pages.
See! Everything doesn't have to be bigger in Texas. (tx dot map)
Free Utah State Map – I'm extremely disappointed Utah removed the separate checkbox for German visitors, as it completely ruined my Utah being a vacation mecca for Germans joke. (ut dot map)
Free Vermont State Map – I'm not sure how all the seasonal maps differ from each other, but it's nice knowing that I have so many options with them. (vt dot map)
Free Virginia State Map – I once lived in Virginia. It was about as exciting as this story. (va dot map)
Free Washington D.C. Map – Our nation's capital isn't quite a state (even though it should be!), but you can still get a free map. (dc dot map)
Free Washington State Map – As a Mariners fan and frequent traveler to the Pacific Northwest, I must say I absolutely love this section of the world. (wa dot map)
Free West Virginia State Map – I imagine West Virginia looking like a scene from Justified but with more coal and moonshine. (wv dot map)
Free Wisconsin State Map – I spent some time in Wisconsin once. Believe the hype. They've got some good cheese. (wi dot map)
Free Wyoming State Map I updated their slogan to “Wyoming: Forever west. Until continental drift takes care of that.” (wy dot map)
Free National Park Maps – This website has over 1,600 high-res scans of national parks! You can search by state or alphabetically, as well as download many of them.
Free Topographical Forest Service Maps – While you can't order a physical copy of these, the USDA and Forest Service offer free digital maps containing topographical information of the entire continental U.S.
That took a lot longer than I thought it would. I need a vacation. If only I had a map on how to get there.
Why do states give away free maps?
I'm gonna be honest here – I have no clue! My expert hunch is paper maps are:
- Cheap to produce
- Cheap to ship
- Promote traveling around the state, which in turn spurs local spending on gas, food, lodging, etc.
So if you think about it, the cost it takes to print and send maps is likely recouped after only a dozen people use them for a roadtrip they might not have otherwise taken.
How do I get a free map for my state?
It couldn't be easier. Simply go to your state's dedicated website offering the maps and fill out the request form.
And that's about it! There's no additional hoops to jump through, nor any payment required.
States typically make it very easy to request and receive their free maps.
Can I get maps from states I don't live in?
You sure can! Most states only require you to live somewhere within the US to qualify for free shipping. Which makes a lot of sense, because most of us travel across state lines fairly regularly.
There are a select few states that only give free shipping to their own residents, but the out-of-state delivery cost is usually only around $1.
What's the different between the two maps most states give away?
That depends on the state, but roughly the DOT maps are usually detailed road maps that you'd expect the navigate by. Similar to the ones that used to be found in gas stations or a Rand McNally atlas.
Meanwhile, the travel guide maps might be like the detailed road maps, but they're more likely to be simplified and lack granular detail.
There are some states with truly atrocious maps – I just can't pretend otherwise. They're the kind of maps you'd expect to find on a kid's menu leading to a pot of gold. Thankfully, most states have gotten the memo and realized that people want good maps!
Will I ever have to pay for a map?
No! You never will get a bill for any of these maps.
Most states offer both versions of their maps 100% free, including free shipping.
There are a few states that charge a shipping fee for the DOT version of their maps. I believe the current count is 4 states, but that can sometimes fluctuate. It mainly depends on the state budget for a given year.
There are also a few states that only give free maps to state residents.
But overall, these maps are mostly 100% free, no matter where you live in the country.
Are these only free maps by mail?
Yes. I'm not aware of any states where you can easily pick up one of these maps in person.
That means you'll need an accessible mailing address to request any.
Can I get an elevation or topographical map?
You know, I think this would be a great idea! Especially for some of the more mountainous states.
But unfortunately, these maps are mostly roadway maps for navigation by cars and vehicles. You can get digital topographical maps of the entire continental United States though.
Some of the tourism maps contain popular hiking trail information. But they're unfortunately not hyper in-depth elevation or topographical maps.
How do I order a free map from my state's Department of Transportation?
Most of the pages have a link that says something like “order a map” or “request your map” – clicking that will take you to a mailing request form.
I don't link directly to these forms because their URLs often change.
Can I download the maps?
Absolutely! While most states send out free physical maps, almost every state offers free, high quality downloads of their highway maps. These maps are often in PDF format and they can be saved and used on your computer, tablet, or mobile phone for future access without any internet access required since the map is already saved onto your electronic device.
