Wilderness Navigation: How To Use A Map And Compass Like A Pro

You want to go on a hike, you grab your backpack and head out. You’re in the woods, feeling good about nature, when suddenly you realize you forgot your map and compass. What do you do then? 

A lot of hikers would panic at this point, but not us! We’ve got everything you need to know about wilderness navigation so that this scenario never happens again. 

That’s why we’ve put together this list of tips for using maps and compasses in the great outdoors:

Buying The Right Equipment

Before you head outdoors, it’s important to think about what kind of equipment you need. The first step is to consider how often you plan on going into the wilderness and how far from civilization you will be traveling. 

If your excursions are short and nearby, then a quick search on Google Maps or an old-fashioned paper map should suffice. But if they’re long or far away (like a week-long backpacking trip in Alaska), then investing in a GPS device may be necessary.

The second thing to think about is what kind of terrain the maps and compass are meant for—mountains, forests, deserts? When navigating through mountainous areas where there may not be much vegetation around for landmarks, it might be best to buy something that has more options than just “North” (i.e., “Southwest”). 

This can help ensure that no matter which way your path leads during navigation time travel adventures through time portals hidden within caves located deep within underground caverns guarded by dragons who have been given orders by aliens who secretly rule earth since their arrival at Roswell!

Learn Map Reading Basics

Learn map reading basics. The first thing you need to do is learn the basics of map reading. Start by getting familiar with the features and symbols on a map, and how those features correspond to real-world objects that you can see or touch in the wilderness. 

This includes learning about different types of scales, orientation lines, and other details such as contour lines (which show elevation changes).

Get used to working with a compass. Before you head out into your first trip with just yourself and your compass, practice using it! 

Practice finding north in different environments like forests or open plains you’ll need to be comfortable moving through various terrains while taking compass bearings when navigating on your own!

Use Your Compass Properly

It’s easy to get frustrated when you’re trying to use your compass, especially if it’s not working properly. But remember that this tool has been in use for centuries and is still the best way to go if you’re in remote areas with no GPS signal or cell phone service.

Knowing how a compass works will help make sure you don’t lose it and also save you from navigating by the moon or stars (which is actually surprisingly hard).

If you’re new to using a compass, there are three things that we want you to know: Your compass isn’t a GPS; it’s not a clock; and it’s not good at telling time. 

It also isn’t supposed to be used as a flashlight or camera those are other devices that can come in handy when navigating outside of urban areas, but they shouldn’t replace your trusty old map-and-compass combo!

Pace Yourself

The number one piece of advice I can offer to wilderness backpacking newbies is that you should never try to cover too much ground in a day. 

You will only end up tired, exhausted, and cranky with the people you’re hiking with (and maybe even yourself). It is always better to go slower and enjoy the scenery around you than it is to go fast and miss all of it.

The best way to pace yourself while on your backpacking trip is by setting aside specific times during your hikes where you stop for snacks or breaks even if they’re only 15 minutes long! 

These breaks are great opportunities for everyone in your party who needs some time off their feet before heading out again.

Practice Before You Go

When it comes to wilderness navigation, the best way to prepare is by practicing. You can’t just show up at camp and expect your map and compass skills to be on point right off the bat. You need to work at it before you go out into the wilderness on an expedition or vacation with friends or family members.

Practice indoors: Try navigating someplace that’s familiar and comfortable, like your backyard or living room if you don’t have access to a nearby park or forested area. Use a map with landmarks that are recognizable from space (like cities). 

Then try using a compass. You can even use Google Earth for this purpose! Practice walking around slowly while looking at both your map and compass together for direction cues it may sound simple enough but it helps build muscle memory so that when things get more challenging in real life situations, you’ll know what to do instinctively rather than having confusion clouding your judgment

Take A Compass Bearing On A Landmark

You can take a bearing on a landmark by using your compass as you would for map-reading. With the distance between you and the landmark (known as “range”) in mind, rotate the bezel of your compass until 360 degrees is displayed on it. 

Then, hold your compass level with one hand and point it at the landmark with your other hand. The direction of travel indicated by the arrow will be along a line connecting both points; this line is called a bearing.

It’s important to take bearings when possible because they give you an accurate sense of direction while walking through unfamiliar terrain and they’re also easier to plot than magnetic azimuths!

For instance, let’s say we’re trying not just to find our way out of this forest but also use something called an “index finger rule” so we can return home after camping there tonight…

Identify Your Location By Resection

Once you’ve identified your location, you can begin to determine where you need to go.

One of the easiest methods is resectioning. This method will allow you to determine your location via a series of bearings that are drawn on a map and then compared with the terrain around you. 

It’s important that before attempting any navigation, whether in urban or wilderness areas, that you understand how to use a map and compass together effectively!

Relocate Yourself If You Accidentally Stray Off Course

If you accidentally wander off course, don’t panic! There are a few ways to get yourself back on track. One of the most common methods is to use a compass bearing to relocate yourself. 

This method works best when you’re with your group because each person will be given a heading based on their position relative to yours. 

If they start walking in that direction and stay close together, they should eventually converge with where you are.

The second way is by using map reading skills to fix your location by determining what terrain features are around and then finding them on the map. 

Knowing how far away those features are will help give an idea of where exactly on the trail or riverbank you may be standing at that moment in time (or floating down).

Don’t Fight Against Nature

You should never fight against nature. If you find yourself in a situation where the weather is hot and dry, don’t try to go against it by wearing thick clothing or starting a fire. Instead, allow yourself to cool down by shedding some layers and walking into the shade once in awhile.

The same goes for elevation: if you’re hiking up a mountain, resist the temptation to sprint up every hill like Rocky Balboa (unless you have been training as hard as he did). 

Instead of forcing your body through difficult terrain or demanding that it climb faster than it’s comfortable, take smaller steps and conserve energy for what lies ahead.

If there are mosquitoes buzzing around your head (or worse yet! ticks), avoid swatting at them or slapping your clothes like some sort of crazed lunatic they will only get agitated at this behavior and continue their assault on your body parts with renewed vigor; instead just ignore them until they get bored and leave on their own accord (which usually doesn’t take long).

Learn Trail Finding Techniques

• Use your map to identify landmarks, such as lakes or rivers, distant peaks and other features of the landscape.
• Use the map to identify trails and other features of the landscape.
• Use the map to identify your location relative to trail junctions, campsites or water sources.

Use your compass for determining direction – North is always at a 90 degree angle from vertical reference lines (such as magnetic north). 

You can find this by using some basic math: if you hold an arrow pointing north up 45 degrees above horizontal line on horizontal plane then it will point exactly at magnetic north line which has 15 degrees difference from true north line (which was used in ancient times when there were no compasses available)

Don’t Rely On Your Gps Or Cellphone Alone

Don’t rely on your GPS or cellphone alone. Although these devices can be extremely useful, they aren’t perfect. You should always have a backup plan in case you need to navigate without them.

They’re not as accurate as a map and compass. Even if you have the latest technology, it’s not going to replace a well-made map with landmarks drawn in by hand by someone who knows what they’re doing.

They can fail at any time or worse, break! If your GPS fails during a trip out of town or somewhere remote where communication is spotty at best (like when camping)

Then you may find yourself lost for good unless there are other people around with whom you can coordinate your search party efforts and even then there will likely be no guarantee that everyone will make it back safely from wherever they went missing from after getting separated from each other during their journey back home/to campground headquarters/etcetera.

Conclusion

All in all, wilderness navigation is an interesting and complex subject. There are a lot of different techniques you can use to find your way around the mountains or forests. 

The most important thing is to keep your head up, stay calm and pay attention to what’s around you. You’ll be fine!