I don’t really bother with them. I kind of treat it like LA time in 24. The characters get to places when they get there and I don’t really want to worry about impracticalities in this regard.
Real-life maps interest me much less than fictional maps. They’re useful, certainly, and I like to have maps of any area I’m going to be navigating in, but I generally don’t study them for their own sake.
But how far from Intercourse is Gobbler’s Knob? 
Here are some “real” maps of the area.
The more salient question is “How far from Intercourse are Blue Ball and Paradise?”
I study maps in fantasy books, both because I love maps, and because I wanted to draw them, once upon a time. I don’t have an artistic bone in my body, but I can do fantasy cartography fairly well.
I used to while away the time drawing up various maps of imaginary fantasy lands when I was younger.
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I think maps really help. Maps and invented languages. Maps, invented languages and arch-type fantasy races. Maps, invented languages, arch-type fantasy races, genealogies, creation myths, etc. … Sorry about that.
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Wouldn’t it have been quicker to write “Tolkien rocks!!!”
Yes, but not as much fun.
But the professor does rock. Well, did rock, till September of 73.
I take a quick look before reading, then quick peaks back to refresh my memory if I get confused during the book. I don’t really consider it all that important, though. If they say they’re going east to Wherever instead of south to The Other Place, I usuallyl just shrug mentally and read on.