welcome-to-backcountry-navigation

Getting Started

map-features

Map Features

reading-topo-maps-and-measuring-distance

Reading Topo Maps and Measuring Distance

latitude-longitude-and-coordinates

Latitude, Longitude, and Coordinates

Reading Maps

intro-to-compasses

Intro to Compasses

orienting-your-map-and-compass

Orienting Your Map and Following a Bearing

triangulating-your-location

Triangulating Your Location

Using a Compass

intro-to-route-planning

Intro to Route Planning

route-plan-details

Route-Plan Details

dialing-in-travel-time

Dialing in Travel Time

Planning a Route

choosing-and-using-a-device

Choosing (and Using) a Device

emergency-devices

Emergency Devices

Digital Devices

staying-on-a-trail

Staying On a Trail

traveling-off-a-trail

Off-Trail Challenges

off-trail-travel-tips

Off-Trail Travel Tips

Traveling On- and Off-Trail

special-navigation-challenges

Navigating at Night

navigating-in-winter

Navigating in Winter

navigating-in-the-desert

Navigating in the Desert

navigating-on-the-coast

Navigating on the Coast

Special Navigation Challenges

getting-unlost

Getting Unlost

<h2>Identifying Landmarks and Bailouts</h2> <p><span style="color: #000000;"><shortcode type="jwplayer" props='{"jw_media_id":"fsRdMGHM"}'></shortcode></span></p> <h3>Map Revisions and Man-Made Features</h3> <p><span data-redactor-span="true" data-redactor-style-cache="font-size: 16px;">As we mentioned earlier, photo revisions are common on these USGS quads. Keep in mind how fast the world around us changes, even without human interference. Trails, roads, mining claims, permanent snowfields, lakes, rivers, marshes&#8230;these can all change and are not necessarily reflected in the photo-revised map. Because there’s no way to account for the unknown, I’d just recommend trusting land features over anything manmade while navigating in the backcountry. Whenever you’re determining location, or coming up with a...</span></p>