Map Skills

A compass without a map for reference is only half the challenge. Keeping a detailed map in your side pocket and knowing how to read it correctly will complete your wilderness navigation toolkit.

As kids, my friends and I hid treasure in the woods and then made maps and used compasses to find it. It was great fun to walk to the big apple tree, walk 50 steps east, then 125 steps south to the big rock, then 25 steps west and look for an X on the ground. Of course, we need a bit more detail than that out in the real world, but much of the skills are the same.

Map reading is a satisfying experience. When you use your imagination to picture what the map is representing, the mountains and rivers can come alive even before you actually walk them. Once you understand a compass and can read a map, you can then use a map and compass together efficiently.

These map information pages include:

• Read a Map - a picture worth 1,000 words
• Map Scales - it doesn't look that far on the map
• Map Symbols - see what's blue, brown, green, and red
• Topo Maps - what are all those lines for?
• Contour Map Quiz - check your topo reading skills

Why did the polar bear go to the south pole?   To visit his Aunt Arctica!

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

13 May 2026 - Search underway for missing 80

14 May 2026 - Tennessee Guardsmen airlift lost hiker from National Forest

16 May 2026 - Body found in hunt for Brit mountaineer, 61, after hiker made terrified SOS call before vanishing in national park

15 May 2026 - Site Not Available

10 Feb 2026 - How an Ultrarunner Saved a Lost Hiker's Life

12 May 2026 - Hiker, 26, Vanished in Grand Canyon as Brother Said, 'We Need Closure.' Officials Made a Grim Discovery Days Later

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