A Beginner's Guide to Reading Topographic Maps

Being able to plan and navigate routes is essential for backcountry adventures, on foot or horseback! Here’s some tips for learning how to read topographic maps.

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If you're new to map reading, arguably the most important to feature to get comfortable interpreting are contour lines.

If your trail crosses over tightly packed contour lines, expect to do some climbing. If it parallels a line closely, you'll likely be hiking along a ledge.

Maps use different scales. Maps that cover bigger areas will have less detail, and some landmarks may not be apparent.

Some more things to keep in mind:

• If you’re using a compass to navigate, it will point toward magnetic north. Topo maps are oriented toward true north. Declination is the angle of deviation you should set your compass to.

  
  

• Topo maps are made from aerial photographs. Terrain changes over time, so don’t expect topo maps to be 100% accurate all the time.

  
  

• Learning to read paper maps is a great skill to have, but digital topo maps are another, more accessible option. My personal favorite is Gaia GPS.

  
  

  The more you practice, the easier reading maps will get. Have fun and always go out on trail prepared!