Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Outdoors

A Beginner’s Guide to Backcountry Navigation

Tom Kilpatrick
By

Knowing how to navigate in the backcountry is a foundation skill for every hiker and backpacker. Whether you’re sticking to the established trail, plan to beat your own path through the undergrowth, or venture into the open hillside, knowing you’re not going to get lost is pretty reassuring. Navigation goes a lot further than just not getting lost on the trail, though. Basic navigation is useful for planning your trip as well as dealing with any emergency situations that arise while you’re out.

If you’re new to the trails, it can be tempting to leave the navigation in the hands of the grimy old expert who has taken you under their wing. But even the most experienced outdoorsmen make mistakes. Even someone who has spent many years on the trail with command of a map and compass will welcome a second pair of eyes and someone to share the task of navigating. When the time comes for you to go out alone, you’re going to need to know how to keep yourself on track, so here’s our rundown of beginner navigation, the tools you need, and how to use them.

Two people look at a map and decide which way to go.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Get a Topographical Map

This bird’s-eye view of the area is key to navigational success. As you spend more time looking at maps, you’ll get a better understanding of how the lines and symbols relate to the ground around you. Before you head out on the trail, spend time learning how to read a topographical map so you understand the symbols and details shown on it. Maps come in different scales and will show varying degrees of information. A smaller-scale map will show more information, but a larger-scale map will fit a wider area on a single sheet.

Related

Eventually, when you look at a map you will build a three-dimensional image in your mind, using contours — lines that connect areas of equal elevation — to build the mountains and valleys of the area. Whether your topographic map shows trails could depend on the scale and location of your map, though most will. These might not be totally accurate, as trails change over time, so you may have to depend on other features and tools to help you navigate.

Recommended Videos

Learn To Use a Compass

Maps and compasses go together like eggs and bacon, or thru-hikers and body odor. One without the other is unthinkable. A map is only useful if it’s pointing in the right direction — otherwise, it’s an efficient way to walk confidently into the unknown. Having a compass is half the battle, but knowing how to use a compass to orient your map and to take a bearing is essential.

Compasses are always useful, but in poor visibility or on featureless ground, knowing how to follow a bearing is essential. Bearings can stop you from following the wrong ridgeline off a mountain’s peak, or being drawn into following animal trails that lead you off in the wrong direction. Natural instincts are great sometimes, but when it comes to finding your campsite in the dark, a compass is always more trustworthy.

A man holding a phone in his right hand and a Somewear Global Hotspot in his left hand on a mountain.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Get Tech-Savvy

A controversial statement, we know. Recommend a GPS to the wrong outdoorsman and you’re in for a lengthy explanation as to why they will never supersede the age-old map and compass. Don’t worry — if you don’t want to use a GPS, we aren’t going to force one into your hands and send you out into the woods. We totally agree that there’s no getting away from a map and compass, and we suggest that anyone using a GPS should also carry these tools and know how to use them as a backup.

But this is 2022 after all. We’re all familiar with using technology to navigate as we drive or explore unfamiliar cities. Whether you use an outdoor specific GPS unit, choose to use your smartphone as a GPS, or download a GPX file onto your navigation watch is up to you. If you’re going to use your smartphone as a GPS, carry a spare or a personal locator beacon, so you can still access help in an emergency.

A man hiking on a rocky trail, surrounded by pine trees.
Josh Hild / Unsplash

Practice in a Familiar Place

Whatever tools you choose to use, you need to practice your skills before you head out into the backcountry for real. The best location to practice is one that is familiar enough that you can find your way back, but not so familiar that you won’t even look at the map and compass. An area with obvious features makes for a great starting point, and these can be used to catch any mistakes you might make along the way.

One of the most difficult skills in navigation is pinpointing your exact location when you haven’t been following each and every step you have taken. Start by using large features to locate yourself, like obvious cliffs, trail junctions, or creeks. Once you become more skilled you may find you can use small inlets in the hillside, breaks in the forest, or knolls on the ground to work out your exact location.

A couple sit on a bench and read a topographic map.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Plan Your Hike

If you plan your trip right, half the navigation battle should be complete before you even step out of your front door. Study the map before your trip, get to know the twists and turns of the trail, and give yourself a mental — or physical if it’s easier — checklist of features you will see along the way.

You should always have your map close at hand on a hike, but if your nose is never less than an inch from it, how can you take in the surroundings and enjoy the view? It’s much easier to know that half an hour from the trailhead you will cross a stream, then climb a steep hill, and shortly after you will round a bend and walk alongside a lake for 20 minutes. You should still check your map periodically, but you don’t need to be glued to it.

To work out this mental tick-box, you need to know how long it takes to hike a mile. Work out distances between features and how long each leg of your trip will take you, and use your watch to check them off. Remember, this is only a guide, and your speed will be impacted by steep hills, heavy packs, energy levels, wind, and any other number of factors. But if you expect to see a lake coming up in half an hour and you find yourself by it in five minutes, or vice-versa, something in either your planning or execution has gone wrong.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Tom Kilpatrick
Tom Kilpatrick
Contributor
A London-born outdoor enthusiast, Tom took the first ticket out of suburban life. What followed was a twelve-year career as…
How to Surf: A Beginner’s Guide
how to surf surfboard

In order to ride a wave, one does not need to be Kelly Slater, because even the least coordinated folks can enjoy a good offshore set.
Karlee Dahlin, who's a therapist by trade but a surfer at heart, surfs weekly. As part of the third-generation of a Venice, California family, she’s always been close to the water. And it only further piqued her interest when her big brother taught her the ropes when she was young, initially on a boogie board.
“Surfing can feel really complicated and scary for a beginner but it’s actually the most peaceful thing I do and makes me feel like I’m connected to something much bigger than myself,” she says, admitting that there are still butterflies now and again.
The right gear certainly helps. In California, that means the proper wet suit for extended stays in the water. In the warm currents across the Pacific in Hawaii, that might mean moisture-wicking, sun-repelling surf ware, or a solid longboard. “My dad always told me to never look like a tourist,” she adds. Meanwhile, fashion usually falls secondary to mindset.
“In my opinion, the most important thing it is to be a very strong swimmer and love the ocean,” Dahlin says. “And don’t be ashamed of riding a foamie because when you hit someone with your board, it won’t hurt!”
Here are a few other tips for getting up on a board, whether it’s your first time or it’s just plain been a while:

Prepare
Surfing requires a lot of patience. By default, the sport demands stamina and a certain brand of fitness. If you’re going out as an amateur or even intermediate wave rider, some prep work will only help your chances. You’ll be able to stay in the water longer and pop up when you need to.
Surfing is a full-body activity with acute demands on your shoulders and a call for balance. Swimming is a fantastic way to tune your body up beforehand, getting you all the more acquainted with water while waking up some of those muscles you may not use as much. For balance, try single-legged squats and some time on a hemisphere ball. Even a few minutes, while you’re listening to music or bingeing Netflix shows, will help.

Read more
A Beginner’s Guide To Bird Watching
beginners guide to bird watching birdwatching 1

Since the dawn of time, people-watching has been a way for humans to make sense of the world and people around them by picking up on idiosyncrasies to try and portray another’s backstory. Although our capacity for idly observing people in crowded places has been hindered by quarantine lockdowns, there is still an abundant reserve of entertainment out in the world if you know where to look. It’s time to spread your wings and take to the Audubon with The Manual’s beginner’s guide to bird watching.

There’s something soul-soothing about watching a creature in its natural habitat -- calm, collected, and congenial. Not only does birding offer many mental, physical, and social health benefits, one of the biggest drivers of the recent bird watching revolution is its convenience. Bird watching is an inexpensive activity as well, made all the more interesting because birds are the closest relatives to dinosaurs we have left on Earth, and it can be done anywhere from your own backyard and local city park, to national and state wildlife sanctuaries and refuges. 

Read more
How to Remove a Tick: A Simple Guide to Safely Getting Rid of Ticks
tick leaf

For even avid outdoorsmen, dangerous wildlife encounters are exceedingly rare. Most apex predators from bears to sharks to mountain lions tend to keep to themselves. It’s the smaller critters that are often of most concern. That includes everything from ants to spiders to ticks. Bites from the last of these are among the most common. Unfortunately, they also have the highest potential for health risks and even death from complications. Here’s a step-by-step guide for avoiding and safely removing ticks.
How to Avoid Getting a Tick Bite
If you’ve spent any significant time outdoors, knowing how to avoid ticks and tick bites is probably second nature. The most obvious way to avoid an encounter is to stay away from areas where they’re likely to be hiding. Tall grass, dense brush, and fallen logs and branches are all prime grounds for ticks. Wear light-colored clothing and tuck pant legs into socks when heading out on a hike or in any of these areas.

The most proactive way to avoid ticks is to repel them by wearing bug repellent on your skin. If you prefer the all-natural route, lemon eucalyptus oil is the most proven and effective chemical-free option. Nothing works better, however, than DEET. Wearing a chemical repellent that’s at least 80% DEET— something like Sawyer Jungle Juice 100 is best — is almost guaranteed to keep mosquitoes, leeches, chiggers, in-laws, dogs, babies, and ticks away. If you spend significant time outdoors, consider doubling up on the repellent by treating clothing with a spray-on permethrin treatment.

Read more