Hiking navigation is one of the most important skills hikers and backpackers need to stay safe on the trail. Ultimately, this is what gets us from Point A to Point B.

Which is why I’m here today.

In this article, I am going to introduce to you a few simple concepts that will make hiking navigation easy and simple so you can enjoy your favorite pastime.

Without further ado, Let’s go hiking!

 

 

For more information on hiking safety, please check out the All-Trails App. This is one of my favorite hiking apps for finding my favorite trails. You can check them out here.

 

 

A Few Simple Tips for Hiking Navigation

 

Learn How to Use a Map and a Compass

 

 

 

With the increasing popularity of GPS devices and smartphones, many people have ditched the tried-and-true method of basic map reading.

The same thing goes for the old-school compass.

Even in a world where technology reigns supreme, the skill of map reading is one that every hiker and backpacker should have in their repertoire.

My mantra when hiking is safety is always first!

By becoming a skilled map-reader and compass user, you’ll be a lot less reliant on your smartphone and GPS devices in case those fail you.

Approximately 50 percent of mountain rescue callouts around the world are accounted for by hikers becoming lost.

We have to flatten the curve on this.

Learning to read your map means you lower the risk of getting lost in the first place. Essentially, a map is a visual resource that has important information about the terrain in which we’re hiking.

The compass is a vital component of camping gear if you ask me. This instrument remains steadfast through poor weather conditions, and it is easily packable.

For me, this is the basic rule of hiking navigation.

What features do I look for in a Compass?

Depending on the type of compass you purchase, basic compasses all contain similar features for survival skills.

Mountaineering compasses for example, are going to give you additional features that the basic ones won’t have.

The magnetic needle of a compass consistently points North, which you will see on all compasses. Base plates located at the bottom of compasses record visual bearings, and some basic and intermediate compasses offer a magnifying lens to enhance accuracy.

Optical compasses have features used without maps, and the military often use heavier cases for their compasses.

 

Hiking Navigation Means You Need to Plan Your Hike.

 

 

Before you start thinking about what to pack for a hiking trip, here are some things to consider. Let’s take a look at them.

• Travel Time- How much do you have for your adventure? Taking this into account will help guide you to understanding whether you should select an easy, hour-long trail or a more rigorous, long-distance path.
• Travel Distance- How many miles do you want to hike? The trail’s length will help determine its difficulty level.
• Trail Elevation- This gets overlooked a lot! When calculating your hike’s difficulty and completion time, add one hour to the hike’s overall time for every 1,000 feet of elevation. One thing to keep in mind, the trail’s elevation increases by 400 meters within one kilometer, it’s considered steep!
• Time of the year- What time of the year are you planning to hike? The season and the weather that comes with it can greatly affect what trail you’ll pick.
• Difficulty Level- How is your overall fitness level and physical health? Asking this question is critical when selecting a trail. To enjoy your hike to the fullest, I recommend not pushing your body past its limits. Putting this type of strain on your body will lead to danger for you and for fellow hikers.

 

Pay Attention at All times.

 

 

The key to being a proficient navigator is paying attention. Indeed, I would guess that 75% of navigational proficiency comes down to this one simple point.

The lack of situational awareness in other people has been noticeable to me for a long time, but I haven’t really thought about writing about it until what I witnessed when hiking in New Mexico last spring.

I was hiking the grindstone lake trail in Ruidoso, NM- which is beautiful by the way. I had passed a hiker who was wearing his earbuds.

I knew he had them turned up after I stepped aside for him to pass, and he said ” thank you” so loudly most of Southern New Mexico probably heard him.

Clearly, he had no capacity for audio situational awareness around him. Not to say I’m the perfect hiker, but I consider myself a safe one. I do my absolute best when it comes to paying attention to sounds, smells, and sights.

Situational awareness doesn’t just apply to animals, sounds, or living things you see. This also means you should pay attention to the terrain you’re walking on, or the terrain type you’re about to cover and identifying the challenges it could present and how to work around it successfully if it could present an issue.

 

Practice, Practice, Practice.

This is what is going to separate you from the masses. Even when doing a hike, you have done a hundred times before, try to recognize where you are and where you are heading in relation to the terrain.

Bring out the compass and see if you can work out the direction in which you are heading. If someone else is leading the trip and doing most of the navigating, ask questions and ask if you can help.

Each hike will make you better. There is no way to improve better than practice and hiking is no different! You will learn how your body works, what trails are right for you, and what kind of gear best complements your hikes!

You don’t need to start off with the most challenging peaks or mountains with the best views from an extremely high summit.

Start small but think big. Just taking these steps to get outside and begin your hiking career is commendable. With each trip you will gain knowledge, experience, and a love for the great outdoors.

 

 

Final Thoughts & Takeaways

That is going to wrap things up for today. Navigational skills take time to develop, and you shouldn’t expect to have this down overnight. Hiking can be very rewarding, and it can also be very dangerous if we don’t put simple safety measures in place. I hope you found value from this article. My hope is that we flatten the curve on the rescue numbers that continue to climb due to human error. Please share your methods of how you stay safe navigating your favorite trails in the comment section below.

 

 

 

-CT