The Kessel Run is somewhat confusing in concept, from Han Solo making it in under twelve parsecs, to miscommunication between sources. (My idea here is based of off "Fate of the Jedi: Allies on page 30, which says that it ends at Klatooine) Most of this is based off of Legends canon, but that is technically where Edge of the Empire is. I took quite a few creative liberties with this, but I created a relatively interesting map of the Kessel Run, and described a few of the planets nearby, in one big, handy dandy guide to the Kessel Run. It is really just my attempt to come up with something that makes sense, then write it all down in a big, nice, essay thing.
A look of the Kessel Run
This is the link to the map: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3p3_lXMULordWNEc2d2QkRDUUk/view?usp=sharing
Most of the danger is between Kessel and Horssa, the rest, from Horssa to Klatooine, is a relatively safe 4.5 parsec route. The route on the left from Kessel to Horssa, is 6.5 parsecs and the one on the right is 13.5 parsecs. The highlighted blue area is the middle ground between these routes. The highlighted red area has heavy Imperial patrols, but a majority steer away from the Pit. Green planets are not on the Kessel Run, black ones are. Green hyperlanes are not part of the Kessel Run, blue ones are.
Bargon Magi is the main stop. 54 percent of cargo on the Kessel Run is dropped off at Bargon Magi, and the world is Huttese for "Trading Competition," symbolizing all the trading that occurs on the planet. It has a small population of under 1 Billion, yet the spaceport is huge and it is incredibly busy. In reality, though, the planet is little more than a bunch of glitterstim addicts, and a bunch of people selling and trading glitterstim. Several Hutts are residents of Bargon Magi, though most are fairly minor. The most powerful is Koona the Hutt, one of the few Hutts to consider herself female. (Hutts are technically both genders, but often pick a gender to call themselves) The landscape is rocky and dry, with a hot red sun. A few jungles are present near the poles, but the landscape largely forbids any agriculture, and it has few other resources to make it worth settling.
Kessel is a misshapen planet, small enough for some to consider it an asteroid. It has a very thin atmosphere, but has one resource that makes it a critical part in galactic society. It has an abundance of glitterstim. The only planet with enough of abundance of glitterstim to make it worth mining, Kessel is covered inunderground mines digging to find all of the precious ore. The mines are dangerous, and rely on slave labor. The mines were annexed under direct Imperial control, as the drug had therapeutic uses, but mainly to regulate the Hutts from mining the spice. However, glitterstim is far more valuable on the black market as a drug, so corrupt officials sell a large percent of the output to the nearby crime lords. Though the Moffs largely turns a blind eye to this, they still attempt to patrol the Kessel Run, so as to appear as if they try to stop glitterstim smugglers. However, this doesn't mean they tell Star Destroyer crews to show any mercy...
The Maw is a dangerous series of black holes with high gravitational pull. For starships to near them is a near death sentence, as they face high danger of being sucked into the black holes, although eaten is a more appropriate term given the name. It is possible to navigate through, but doing so requires a winded route that is very inefficient and takes a large amount of time. Few planets reside inside, and none are known to be of any value.
The Pit is a dangerous area of space surrounding the Maw. In addition to the heavy gravitational pull of the black holes, it is a nebula, which causes near constant communications disruptions and makes scanning difficult also. (While resisting inspection is considered a minor crime and causes suspicion, smugglers do it often in the Pit, as it is difficult for Imperials to scan and register their ship without boarding). Most of the Imperial patrols are in the Pit, as that is where smugglers are pulled out of hyperspace, and make easy prey. They do not go deep into the Pit, closer to the Maw, but for this reason, pirates are nearly everywhere in the inner regions of the Pit, preying on smugglers who cannot defend themselves using legal means. Finally, the Pit is home to a large asteriod belt, which moves at an unusually high pace due to gravity from the Maw.
Klatooine is the final stop on the Kessel Run. The harsh and dry planet is home to Klatooinains, who are almost entirely in "contracted indenturehood" to the Hutts. The Hutt prominence on Klatooine, and power over Klatooinians (they protect the old "Fountain of the Ancients" in exchange) makes it hard for Imperials to keep hold of the planet, and it is a safe haven for those who are allies of the Hutts. It is mainly another pick up and drop off point, as it is an easy place for Hutts to do their bussiness.
Horssa is a swampy planet nearly no Imperial presence. Primitive but semtient amphibious natives with pale skin and large flippers inhabit the planet, but a shadowport, the planet's one location of interest, and a small city in itself, is filled with sentients. Smugglers relax for a bit after finishing the dangerous leg of the Keseel Run, and sell some of their goods. The natives work in Hutt controlled factories for small amounts of glitterstim, although sentient addicts live on the planet as well.
Enexo is a proud planet, with native insectoids known as Enexans being a prominent voice in the early industrialization of the galaxy. The population is about 50 Billion, and it is still an industrial superpower. Large companies and their factories span the planet, and it includes the headquarters of several large galaxy wide companies, the most prominent being a fashion company that is both the largest and trendiest in the galaxy. Many people have immigrated to the planet, and it continues to grow (as do its companies) though a slight perk of being and immigrant is the easy access to glitterstim once the work day ends. Enexo has the highest Imperial presence on the Kessel Run, but the large amounts of imported materials makes it hard for Imperials to regulate glitterstim imports.
Formos is of high significance to the Kessel Run, even though it is not on it. The dry planet has little reason to be inhabited, but it is convieniently close to Kessel and acts as a starting point for smugglers as they prepare for their missions. The Imperial barracks is small and mostly inactive. Given this, it makes for an easier haven than the more deserted world of Sleheyron.
Honoghr is very close to Kessel, but the native Noghri are very isolationist, and have strong Imperial ties. Most of the planet is poisoned by an incident from the Clone Wars.
Sleheyron is world that has powerful Hutt influence. Huttese for "Pink Water," due to the large amounts of pink microorganisms floating near the ocean planet's surface, it is impractical for non aquatic inhabitants. However, Thakba the Hutt uses a floating city on Sleheyron as a base, taking advantage of its isolation. Thakba is not very welcoming to visitors not doing bussiness with him, however, and the world has almost no other inhabitants.
Edited by YaccarusI am having struggles posting the map. (I am currently on an IPad, so that may be part of it.)
Use imgur and just link it?
The Kessel Run is based upon parsecs due to the instability of the region. There are space anomalies like black holes, nebulae, etc.. that are always shifting, so a straight shot is impossible. When Han mentions he did the run in 12 parsecs and was the fastest it means that he was able to navigate the area using the closest distance available. No one else in canon has beaten the record because of the instabilities. It's not a straight line race, but a race that winds around crazily.