Outdoors & Recreation

Intro to Map and Compass Navigation

Meets Tuesdays · 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM · on location Fall 2026 · registration open Free to audit

This class runs in the Fall 2026 session. Registration is open now; lessons, materials, and the class discussion board are posted before it begins.

This is for hikers who lean on the little blue dot until their phone dies halfway up a canyon. No signal, dead battery, a fork in the trail, and you standing there guessing. You want a backup that doesn't need charging.

We start in a flat, boring parking lot, because if you can only do this when it's pretty and calm, you can't do it. You'll learn to orient the Map to the ground, take a real bearing, deal with declination (it WILL get you), and triangulate your position off local peaks. We use trailhead maps you'd actually carry.

Bring a cheap baseplate compass if you have one. Leave able to find your car. Fry sauce is discussed. 😎

Thanks, Jason

What you'll learn

Read a trailhead map before you hike
Orient a map to match the landscape
Take and follow a compass bearing accurately
Adjust for declination between true and magnetic north
Pinpoint your location using triangulation from landmarks

Lessons

Why We're In A Parking Lot
We start flat and boring on purpose, get your gear sorted, and cover why the phone alone is asking for it.
Orient The Map To The Ground First
Before any numbers, you physically turn the Map until the terrain matches, because seeing beats calculating.
- What Orienting Even Means15 min
- Turning The Map Until It Feels Obvious20 min
- Matching Ridges And Drainages To Paper25 min
- Handrails And Backstops You Can Trust20 min
The Compass, Part By Part
We name every piece of the thing in your hand and figure out what messes with the Needle.
Taking A Real Bearing
We take an actual bearing off a real thing, do it wrong a few times, then walk it out.
- Bearing To A Landmark You Can See20 min
- Following A Bearing Across Open Ground25 min
- The Back Bearing To Find Your Car20 min
- Doing It Wrong On Purpose15 min
Declination Will Get You
True north and magnetic north disagree, and if you don't build a habit for it you'll walk 40 degrees off like I did.
- Why The Two Norths Disagree15 min
- Finding Declination On Your Map15 min
- Say It Out Loud, Every Time15 min
- Adjusting The Compass So It Does The Math20 min
Triangulation And Getting Home
You'll pin your own spot off two peaks, then put the whole thing together so you leave able to find your car.
- Bearings To Two Peaks25 min
- Where The Lines Cross Is You25 min
- When The Phone Dies Mid-Canyon20 min
- Find Your Car, Then Fry Sauce15 min

Class discussion

The class discussion board opens when the class begins this fall. Auditors and enrolled students ask questions and share work here once the session starts.