Using a Map and Compass

If you understand how to read a compass and how to read a map, then its about time you learned to use both map and compass together.

Separately, a good map or compass can be very useful, but limited. Together, they can lead you around the world (and back again!) but you need to know how to use them properly. The next few pages will help you understand some key skills in order to be a successful outdoors dude and impress your friends with your map and compass mastery - well, maybe at least not get too lost!

In case you want to skip over some of these pages, the order we'll cover things are:

• Latitude and Longitude - minutes and seconds don't mean time
• Declination - and adjusting your compass
• Set a Heading - from map to compass
• Orienting a Map - lining up with the real world
• Triangulation - making order out of chaos
• Planning a Route - getting a clue before going ahead

What's white and furry and lives at the north pole?   A polar brrrrrrrrrr!

Search Google News for more 'Lost Hiker' news items.

07 Aug 2025 - Minnesota hiker vanishes in Wyoming’s Bighorn mountains after texting wife to say summit was “more taxing than he expected”

07 Aug 2025 - Before you continue to YouTube

05 Aug 2025 - Rangers carry teen hiker through swamp who lost consciousness on Nippletop Mt.

04 Aug 2025 - A Hiker Was Missing for Nearly a Year—Until an AI System Recognized His Helmet

06 Aug 2025 - Joe Sullivan

05 Aug 2025 - Hiker, 38, Missing for 7 Days in Wyoming Wilderness amid 'High Winds, Thunder and Lightning Storms'

Tweet

---

Ask a Question

---