SLIPPERY ROCK — For many, maps simply show the way to get somewhere: what route to take, what streets to avoid.

But to Stentor Danielson, they lead the way to another world, one that could be populated by dragons, castles and mythical sea creatures.

Danielson, an associate professor of geography, geology and the environment at Slippery Rock University, teaches wildfire management during the day.

But during his free time, the Pittsburgh resident draws and sells fantasy and paper cut-out maps that bend reality. An ordinary office building might be turned into a castle. A calm lake may now be the home of a fierce sea monster.

Danielson said he became fascinated with maps of faraway fantasy lands when he read “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy as an elementary school student.

He said he would spend hours poring over the maps in the book and atlases, which led to Danielson drawing his own maps.

“My bedroom walls were completely covered,” Danielson recalled.

His interest in maps sparked an interest in geography, leading to a major in college, a doctorate and eventually his teaching job at Slippery Rock.

Danielson crafts two kinds of maps, the hand-drawn fantasy maps and paper cut-out maps.

To make a cut-out map, Danielson downloads street data for the town or neighborhood he plans to re-create, puts it into a geography information program to craft the look he wants and then prints it onto heavy cardstock. The streets are then cut by hand and placed onto a bright background.

When he begins a fantasy map, the associate professor uses computer research, Google maps and United States Geological Survey topographical maps, Danielson said.

“(Each map displays) prominent buildings and quirky things as well as tourist attractions,” he said.

Look closely at one of Danielson's fantasy maps of Pittsburgh and one can see PPG Place re-imagined as a castle and the University of Pittsburgh's Cathedral of Learning as a tall tower. The neighborhood of Green Tree is depicted only as a tree atop a small hill.

Danielson drew his first fantasy map of Pittsburgh “on a whim.”

“It got such a huge response” he said.

Danielson has drawn cities ranging from Seattle to Washington, D.C., to Cleveland, but says Boston was one of his favorites.

“The Boston-area has a good balance of different things.” he said.

Last summer, Danielson vacationed in Sydney, Australia. While others might bring home postcards and stacks of pictures, it inspired Danielson to draw a map.

“I was pretty happy with how that one turned out,” he said.

Danielson sells his maps online but also draws made-to-order maps in which the customer will ask for details such as their home, school or a favorite restaurant, he said.

Danielson also sells his work at the Robin's Nest gallery in Friendship.

Robin Snyder, owner of the shop and gallery, said she saw Danielson's work online in 2014 and thought it might be a good fit for her Penn Avenue store.

“It's quite unusual work, so I contacted him, and he was happy to have a brick and mortar store,” she said.

Snyder said the maps are great conversation pieces with her customers, who are quick to point out their neighborhood or the street where their parents grew up.

“It's really a great tool for giving people a sense of belonging,” said Snyder. “He's very talented. It's good work, excellent quality.

The maps, which can be found online, come in two sizes, an 8 ½ by 11-inch and an 18- by 24-inch poster.

Danielson said the time needed to draw a map depends on the size of the map, the area he is drawing and, in the case of a “one-off” map, the amount of detail the customer wants.

Generally, he spends five to 10 hours on a smaller map and 15 to 20 hours on the poster-sized creations.

The maps can be found online at mapsburgh.com