HOW TO READ

THE MICHIGAN
STATE MAP
 ROAD MAPS
• Road maps can help you get
from one place to the other in
Michigan on state, county
and city roads.

• Sometimes your GPS or phone

won’t work. It’s important to
be able to read a map so you
can get to where you need
to go safely.
WHICH WAY’S UP?

• When you open the map,

hold it so the Upper Peninsula
is above the Lower Peninsula.

• Most maps have a compass

that shows which way is north.
Can you find the compass on
your map?
 MAP ORIENTATION
• When you look at a map, the top
will always face north. That means
the right side of your map is east
and the left side of your map is
west.

• Can you find north, south, east and

west on your map?
 FINDING YOUR DESTINATION
• The map has a list (also called an
index) of the cities and towns that are
on the map.
• The map is made to help people who
are traveling, so towns are only listed if
they provide a place for people to
stop and get gas or food.
• Find your hometown or one close to
you in the index. Next we will learn
how to use the grid to easily find it on
the map.
 USING THE GRID
• There are numbers along the top of the
map and letters down the side.
• These numbers and letters form a grid.

• To find a location on the map, put one

finger on the number and another finger on
the letter. Go straight down and straight
across until your two fingers meet.
• What city do you find at J-9?
• What state park is located at E-11?

• Can you find your city or town using the

index and the grid?
 MAP KEY/LEGEND
• Maps have a key or legend. This lets
you know what the symbols on the
map mean.

• Can you find the legend on your map?

 MAP SYMBOLS
• Symbols help you find places on the
map, like parks, airports, hospitals and
even wildlife ranges.
• These symbols can help you when you
travel. If you need to go to the
bathroom or fill up a water bottle, then
you can look for a rest area or Welcome
Center.
• Can you find a moose range on the
state map? What about the rest area
closest to where you live?
 TYPES OF ROADS - FREEWAYS
• Not all roads are the same. Our biggest
roads are called freeways.
• You have to enter or exit a freeway using a
ramp.
• Freeways are made to move a lot of traffic
and to help that traffic move faster. That’s
why freeways have higher speed limits than
other roads.
• The food and other things you buy in stores is
delivered on trucks and those trucks use the
freeways.
• What color are freeways on the state map?
 OTHER TYPES OF ROADS
• The Michigan Department of Transportation
(MDOT) builds, maintains and repairs I, US
and M roads.
• Other roads are county and city roads. The
local government owns and maintains
them.
• If you live in a neighborhood or on a dirt
road, your road probably isn’t on the state
map. To find your road, you might need to
look at a city map.
• How many different kinds of roads do you
see listed on the state map?
• There is a lot of information
besides just roads and cities on
the state map.
• If you don’t know what all the
numbers and symbols mean it
can look very confusing.
• Using the legend can help.
• Knowing what the numbers and
shapes mean can help too.
 INTERCHANGES
• Freeway ramps are shown as a square.
These ramps are called an interchange.
• An Interchange is where the freeway
connects with another road.
• Sometimes roads go over or under the
freeway but there isn’t a ramp for you to
get off or on. You have to go to the next
interchange to get to the other road.
• Can you look on the map and find the
closest interchange to where you live?
 EXIT NUMBERS
• These little green numbers on the map are Exit
numbers.
• Exit numbers can be used instead of road
names to know when to turn off one road
onto another.
• Exit numbers work with mile markers you see
on the side of the road to know how far it is
to your exit.
• If you miss your exit, it also tells you how far
you are to the next exit. So, if you miss exit 61,
and you are going north, it will be three miles
until the next interchange, at exit 64.
• If you are traveling north and you are at Mile
Marker 50 and you need to take Exit 64, how
far are you from your exit?
 ROAD SHIELDS
• Road shields can tell you what kind of
road you are on and the road’s
number.
• Some roads have road numbers
instead of names, such as I-75 or
US-131.
• Different kinds of roads have different
shaped shields. Using the legend, what
kind of road is 131? What kind of road
is 222? What kind of road is 37?
• The shield and the color of the road
can tell you if it’s a freeway, divided
road or two-lane road.
 CITY MAPS
• Because there is so much detail on the map,
larger cities get their own smaller map.
• Look on the back of your map to find these
“breakout” maps.
• Breakout maps let the map makers put in more
details in places where there are a lot of roads,
interchanges, airports, hospitals and parks.
 MAP SCALE
• We don’t have life size maps, so to make sure
everything is in the right proportion, maps need to
include a scale.
• A scale lets you know how far you need to travel to
get to where you want to go. You can also count
the exit numbers to get an idea of the distance
you need to travel.
• Map scales use what’s called a ratio. On the state
map, one inch equals 15 miles.
• This ratio simply means that 1 unit of distance on
the map is equal to 100,000 units in real life.
 OTHER INFORMATION
• There is a lot of other information on the state map to help drivers stay safe.
• How to Drive a Roundabout is a diagram that shows drivers the right way to
drive through a roundabout.
MICHIGAN DRIVING LAWS
• Michigan driving laws are shown on the back side of
the state map.

• Different states have different laws so this is important

information for someone visiting Michigan to
understand.

• The list is just a quick overview of laws, such as speed

limits, safety belt usage, and texting while driving.

• For a complete listing of Michigan driving laws ,go to

https://www.michigan.gov/sos/0,4670,7-127-1642-
103522--,00.html.
 STATE PARKS
• The back of the state map
also provides a list of state
and national parks in
Michigan.
• There are grid coordinates
so you can find them on the
map.
 SPECIALTY MAPS
• Most maps are made for a specific
purpose. The state map is made to help
people get from one place to another in
Michigan.
• Some maps are made especially for
bicyclists. Other maps are made for truck
drivers.
• A bicyclist and a truck driver need different
information to help them get to where they
are going. One would have the location of
truck stops and the other would show you
where the bike paths are.
• These are called specialty maps.
 DRAW A SPECIALTY MAP
• If you were making a map for dog
walkers in your neighborhood, what
kinds of things might you put on that
map? Fire hydrant locations? Parks?
Houses where other dogs live?
• What about a map for donut lovers?
You could make a map of all the
places that sell donuts in your town.
• Draw a specialty map of something
you like.
 DRAW A MAP OF YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD
• Using the state map as your guide, draw a map of your building or
neighborhood.
• Use different colored lines to show main roads, side roads and driveways.
• Make sure to include a legend to help people know what symbols mean.
What kind of landmarks do you want to show on your map?
• Create a grid on the top and side to help people find buildings or parks.
• If you draw a map of your neighborhood or building, make a breakout map
on the back of your house or apartment.
• Don’t forget to put a compass on your map and make sure the top is facing
north.
 PLAN A TRIP
• Choose a park or town you would like to visit in
Michigan using the index and grid.
• Plan your route from your home using the map.
Write down the directions, including what roads
to take, what exits to take and what direction to
go in once you turn onto a different road.
• Is there more than one way to get to where you
want to go?
• What are some places you could stop and visit
along the way?
• What kind of roads will you be driving on?
• About how many miles is it from your home?