All geographic features on a trail map should be properly identified and labeled. The map should have a North arrow with magnetic deviation identified, a graphic scale bar (not just a numeric ratio, i.e. 1:24,000), date of the last information update, and the agency responsible for the map (preferably with contact information).

If the trail map you have doesn’t show the proper information, you should augment it with the USGS topo map for the location. Digital USGS topo map versions are easy to acquire and free. You can download a map and print at home. The topo map may not show all the latest trails and features, or it may show old trails that are no longer there. Check the publication date of the map for the area you need.

The fundamentals of trail navigation with map and compass are a necessary skill whether you are hiking with friends or on a solo adventure. We’ll also provide information on where to find a wilderness navigation class to learn and practice skills with map and compass. Recommendations for trail maps and compasses are given. Also addressed are dedicated GPS (Global Positioning System) devices, cell phone and watched based GPS. Trail navigation with map and compass can be a fun exercise to practice at a local park or woodland. Regardless of the tools used, knowledge of wilderness navigation is needed to ensure your well-being in the backcountry.

Planning and training for an adventure trip takes a certain level of commitment to ensure that you’re physically and mentally prepared to deal with the expected and unexpected. It is equally important to be prepared for your training hikes, just in case you get a surprise. Murphy’s Law appears regularly in the great outdoors!

Your first thought may be: “I’m hiking trails I’ve hiked for years, so I don’t need a map/compass/GPS.” Fair enough, but if you have to train for distance or steep mountain trails, there is a good chance you will be hiking in unfamiliar areas. Search and Rescue (SAR) teams are regularly sent out to find hikers that became lost on familiar trails. Something as simple as a downed tree that forces you off the trail can result in your inability to find the trail again and leave you a bit lost throughout a cold/wet/buggy night until a SAR unit finds you the next day. Please note the vast majority of SAR searches are for day hikers only a few miles from their car. Half the rescues are for experienced hikers in areas they know well (or so they thought). Stuff just happens sometimes. It’s wise to keep track of where you are at all times.

In a similar vein, I hear hikers say: “There are signs; we don’t need a map.” Some trails have signs that are maintained better than others (state parks); some trails have signs torn down regularly by disenchanted locals (Forest Service; Bureau of Land Management [BLM] ). Old signs may have illegible text on aged wood or have rotted and fallen over — don’t be totally dependent on signs. Well-maintained trails often have painted marks on trees and boulders (the famous Appalachian Trail white blaze), but storms can cause those well-maintained marks to disappear overnight. Trails cross and trails fork off — stuff just happens, so navigate well and don’t get lost.

Knowing how to navigate is important for your safety, the safety of fellow hikers, and SAR teams. By applying a bit of wilderness navigation skill to your hike, you can avoid getting lost. Your family and friends will be glad you made it back.

If you’re hiking in an urban area, you’ll most likely have cell phone communication and by extension, the phone’s GPS maps. They are convenient but should not be totally depended upon at the expense of carrying a paper map of your hiking area. Many popular trails are now available for your phone via GPS map apps. Some of the most popular phone apps are AllTrails, Gaia GPS, Locus Maps and Map Project. Learn how to use the GPS map app BEFORE you hit the trail! They are not quite as intuitive as Google Maps, but neither do they require great skill to use.

Modern GPS technology is now available on some smartwatches. Garmin makes rugged outdoor watches with considerable battery life using GPS map navigation. Maps of your hiking area can be loaded on the watch much like on your phone. Apple watches can do similar things, but without the durability and battery life needed for prolonged outdoor excursions.

Cell phones regularly have drop-out zones in heavily wooded areas and rough terrain, eliminating the availability of the phone’s map data (typically an area of a map can be downloaded to your phone’s drive so it’s always available). Limited battery life, lack of weather resistance, and the infamous cracked screen all combine to make a cell phone as a navigation tool less than reliable. Bad weather is infamous for knocking out cell towers (as are wildfires). However, the phone’s camera can come in handy. There are ways to pre-download an area of a map for offline use, but that doesn’t make the phone any more dependable. That said, long distance hikers use their cell phones for GPS navigation by making use of a rugged, highly protective case and taking a battery bank for recharging the phone.

Lastly, the one beneficial use of a cell phone in the wilderness is due to the location signal it sends to cell towers (if some are in range). Rescuers can track those signals to your phone’s location, but the phone has to be turned on (most phones from 2016 onward can be tracked even in Airplane Mode, as GPS is a receive-only signal using minimal power). The proposition of its signal use will depend on how long the battery lasts when the phone is on. For a day hike this is usually not an issue, assuming you start your hike with a full charge and aren’t running any apps.

A few years ago, an experienced hiker was in the Smokies when an unpredicted snow storm moved in (rain below, snow at higher elevations). He slipped on an icy rock and fell down a steep mountain side into the thick woods and rhododendron. With an injured shoulder and out of site of the trail, he was unable to climb up the slippery slope to the trail where he knew hikers could eventually find him. That night his wife called authorities when she hadn’t heard from him and was worried because he hadn’t returned. She told them he had a cell phone, but she couldn’t reach him. With the fresh snow, all tracks were covered, so authorities asked the cell phone company to try a position triangulation. They got a very weak, intermittent signal, but it was enough to lead them near his location. As the SAR team hiked past, the hiker heard voices and blew his emergency whistle (see upcoming article on Hiking Essentials), which SAR could hear despite the raging winds. This goes to show that your cell phone can serve in some areas as a pseudo emergency location device. However, a proper emergency location device (like the Garmin InReach Mini or Spot devices) uses direct satellite communication and is the way to go for regular solo hikers or anyone in the backcountry (skiers, climbers, etc.). Once activated, it will lead SAR teams directly to you.