Hiking 411 | How to Use Maps

Even seasoned hikers trust GPS devices or hiking maps to traverse trails and travel through the wilderness. Actually, it's the MORE seasoned pros who lean toward doing this and the amateurs who think they can get by without them.

Beginners often will argue that they can stay on oft-traveled routes and swear off the difficult task of learning how to use a map. 'Good luck with that. Let me know how that works out for you' as the motto goes.

All mocking aside, you can actually get badly lost, even alongside visibly marked paths. Going even 5 yards off the route into dense woods has confused more than one amateur. Lacking landmarks, stars, or the sun, it's simple to get twisted around. You can end up hiking even further off the hiking trail. Before you realize it, you don't know where you are.

Lots of hiking trail maps don't actually guide you out of those woods, per se. But you will normally come by another trail that, unbeknownst to you, joins up with the one you were initially on. Good maps will help you to smoothly get back to your initial position.

How do you begin?

Obtain an up-to-date map covering the region you plan to hike. Examine it at home in a calm setting. You will not be able to compare the map versus any landmarks, but it'll help you recognize the signs used.

Pretty much any map has a legend. Become familiar with the symbols. They will fluctuate between different publishers. Determine what the scale is - look for 1 inch = 1 mile or like markings.

Remember that distance is only one chapter of the book. A mile on flat ground is one thing. But if 75% of that mile runs from sea level to 2,000 feet high via an extreme, twisting incline, that's a different ballgame.

To account for the latter, one needs to take elevation into account. Elevation markings are typically designated by a sequence of curved lines that, if stretched, would form a circle. The distance between 2 curved lines around a natural landmark like a big rise indicates elevation. Frequently numbers will also be printed alongside the lines to assist you. These are periodically called contour lines. The nearer together the lines are, the steeper the landscape.

Now look for the latitude and longitude lines. . Latitude travels 'right and left', or east and west. Longitude travels 'up and down', or north and south. Those directions are put into quotes because they're only conventions. Perhaps you have come across one of those maps that has the world turned 'upside down' with Australia on the top and Canada on the bottom.

During the daytime, the sun and natural landmarks can be utilized to position yourself. The sun sets in the West and rises in the East. Early in the morning, find the sun and you are standing generally East. Later in the afternoon, face the direction of the sun and you are pointing predominately West. Variations exist because of coastlines, latitude, etc. - it's only an approximate starting spot.

Follow the stars at night. You can frequently see the night sky acceptably well - most wild areas are by comparison far from the lights of the city. Look to the sky around 8 p.m. at night. Find the Big Dipper, a group of stars that resemble a cooking pot. The two stars on the end of the 'scoop' form a line that points toward the North Star, away from the scoop.

So, even during the evening, then, if you have a flashlight handy to read your map with, you can get back onto a trail to find your way back.

Hiking Trail Maps

How to Use Maps

How do you begin?