How to Use a Map and Compass for Wilderness Navigation

When you head into the outdoors, knowing how to navigate with a map and compass is an essential survival skill. Whether you are planning a camping trip, hiking through unfamiliar terrain, or hunting in remote areas, proper navigation helps you stay safe and avoid getting lost. For hunters, poor navigation can also mean missing opportunities and wasting valuable time in the field.

This guide explains the basics of using a map and compass so you can confidently navigate the wilderness.

Before using a compass, it is important to understand its main components and how they work together.

Here are the key parts of a compass:

• Baseplate: The transparent, flat section that supports the compass housing. Because it’s see-through, you can view map details underneath it easily. Many baseplates also include rulers and a magnifying lens for examining small topographic features.
• Direction of Travel Arrow: A fixed arrow along the edge of the baseplate that shows the direction you plan to move or the destination you want to reach.
• Rotating Bezel (Azimuth Ring): The circular dial around the compass needle, marked from 0° to 360°. It rotates so you can set and measure a specific bearing.
  Index Line: The mark located at the top of the bezel where you read the bearing value.
• Magnetic Needle: A magnetized needle that pivots freely inside a fluid-filled housing. The colored tip, commonly red, always points toward magnetic north.
• Orienting Arrow: An outlined arrow inside the compass dial used to align the magnetic needle when setting or following a bearing.
• Orienting Lines: Parallel lines inside the compass housing that are aligned with the north-south grid lines on a topographic map to ensure accurate navigation.

While most maps are oriented to true north, a compass needle points toward magnetic north. The difference between the two is called magnetic declination.

In the United States, declination varies widely, ranging from approximately 20 degrees east in parts of Washington State to 20 degrees west in parts of Maine.

Even a one-degree error can put you off course by more than 90 feet over a mile of travel. To navigate accurately, you should adjust your compass for the declination in the area where you will be traveling.

You can find local declination information by:

Checking your map's declination diagram and revision date, using the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) magnetic declination calculator.

Orienting your map means aligning it with the surrounding terrain so the map matches the real world.

Follow these steps:

1. Place the map on a flat surface.
2. Lay the compass on the map with the direction-of-travel arrow pointing toward the top of the map.
3. Align the edge of the baseplate with the map’s vertical north-south grid lines.
4. Rotate the bezel until the “N” lines up with the direction-of-travel arrow.
5. Hold the map and compass together, then rotate your body until the red magnetic needle aligns with the orienting arrow inside the compass housing.

Once the needle and orienting arrow are aligned, your map is properly oriented.

A bearing is the direction from your current location to a destination or landmark, measured in degrees clockwise from north.

Steps for Taking a Bearing

1. Locate your current position and destination on the map.
2. Place the straight edge of the compass on the map so it connects your starting point and destination.
3. Make sure the direction-of-travel arrow points toward your destination.
4. Rotate the bezel until the orienting lines are parallel with the map’s north-south grid lines.
5. Read the number at the index line. This is the bearing you should follow.

Once you have your bearing, you can begin traveling.

1. Hold the compass level with the direction-of-travel arrow pointing away from you.
2. Rotate your body until the red magnetic needle aligns with the orienting arrow.
3. Follow the direction-of-travel arrow carefully.

To stay on course, choose a visible landmark such as a tree, rock, or hill in the distance and walk toward it. Once you reach it, check your compass again and repeat the process.

Even if you are not on a trail or near a recognizable feature, you can still determine your location using triangulation.

Triangulation uses bearings from multiple landmarks to pinpoint your position on a map.

Steps for Triangulation

1. Identify a visible landmark and locate it on your map.
2. Take a bearing to the landmark.
3. Repeat the process with two additional landmarks.
4. Choose landmarks that are at least 60 degrees apart for greater accuracy.
5. Draw the bearings on your map.

Ideally, the lines will intersect at a single point. More commonly, they form a small triangle. Your actual location will be inside or near that triangle. If the triangle is very large, recheck your bearings and repeat the process.

Learning how to use a map and compass is one of the most valuable outdoor skills you can develop. Before heading out on a hunting, hiking, or camping trip, take time to understand your compass, read topographic maps, and practice basic navigation techniques.

The more you practice, the more confident and accurate you will become in the wilderness.