Review the road map legend, generally located in the first few pages of the atlas. The legend contains color-coded symbols that appear on your road map, along with their meanings. For instance, there are symbols for highways including tolls, ramps, rest and service areas, as well as Interchange highway markers and exit numbers.
Turn to the state map in your atlas for your trip. Locate the route symbols from the legend to plan your driving route.
Read and review other atlas features such as time-zone boundaries, mountain peak elevations, city mileage and driving-time maps to accurately plan your trip and prepare alternate driving routes.
Read through the mileage conversion table to map out exact distances for tolls, ramps and exits. The table will show conversions, such as 1 mile equals 1.6 kilometers.
Open the atlas to a specific state and review the grid coordinates, which are composed of intersecting letters and numbers positioned on the page borders. The coordinates help you find cities on the state map. The atlas includes an index that lists the cities in a state, along with the letters and numbers of their coordinates.
Highlight your chosen routes. As an alternative, make copies of the atlas pages to highlight a specific route as well as alternative roads, ensuring your original copy is free of smudges or page-bleeds from the highlighter.
