Michael Hermann is the founder of Purple Lizard Maps, a State College-based recreational cartography company. The company has a new map in 2023 that features public outdoor recreation areas across the state.
Purple Lizard Maps
New Purple Lizard map highlights outdoor trails and recreation across Pa.
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Anne Danahy/WPSU
Purple Lizard Maps
Michael Hermann is the founder of Purple Lizard Maps, a State College-based recreational cartography company. The company has a new map in 2023 that features public outdoor recreation areas across the state.
A new map from a State College-based company features the hundreds of state parks, forests, rail trails and whitewater destinations across Pennsylvania, with a goal of helping people discover the great outdoors.
Mike Hermann, founder of Purple Lizard Maps, said the inspiration for the new map came from those forests, public lands and hiking trails.
“We could never find a decent map that actually showed all of that,” Hermann said. “We knew that was out there. Like a lot of our maps, it was a map that we wanted to make. It was a map that we felt could really showcase some of the amazing outdoor recreation opportunities that Pennsylvania holds.”
Hermann said the statewide map was more than three years in the making. And there were some surprises.
“We had no idea there were that many rail trails,” he said.
Purple Lizard Maps
State College-based Purple Lizard Maps has a new map featuring outdoor recreation across the state.
Hermann says there’s still a demand for maps even in a time of online apps and GPS.
“We get so many lovely emails from people saying, ‘Gosh, I’ve used apps for years. And then I found your map and I see everything that I’m missing,’” he said.
The project received support from the Pennsylvania Environmental Council and the Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation.
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