Grid Crawl Maps

I enjoy grid maps for overland adventuring.  Here is one from an upcoming adventure entitled Witch Hunter.

The green squares indicate light woods.  The camo green squares indicate areas of dense woods. The dark green squares indicate areas of deep forest where encounters are the most dangerous.

Grid maps help me to create the terrain = encounter level style of wilderness I am aiming for.  On a grid you can more easily drop in a more dangerous section of terrain, forcing the party to make the decision to either find a longer way around or to risk cutting straight through.

Combing this style of map with major encounter areas directly related to an adventure, minor encounter areas which may or may not be directly related, custom random encounter tables and terrain description cards creates a very immersive experience for the players.