Basic Land Navigation with a Map and Compass (July 2023)

Event Date:
July 24, 2023
Event Time:
6:00 pm
Event Location:
Knox Farm State Park
This is a two part class:
- Virtual Class – This portion will be held via Zoom and will be a lecture format with live demos. [7/24/23 6p-9p]
- On-site Class – You will use what you learned in the lecture to navigate on-trail and off-trail at Knox Farm State Park [7/26/23 6:00p-8:30p]*
* Rain date is 7/27/23
During this class, you will learn how to properly read a map, the proper use of your compass, and how to use the two together. Topics include:
- Interpreting topographic map features
- Magnetic North vs. True North
- Magnetic variation (declination)
- Orienting your map
- Taking a bearing from a map
- Transferring a bearing from the field
- Triangulation
After learning these fundamentals, we will practice these skills in the field. You will be able to understand your position and how to plan a route. This is a hands-on, interactive course. When you finish, you will have the basic skills to use a map and compass together on the trail.
NOTE: Compasses are not provided. We encourage everyone to purchase their own baseplate compass. They should have a manual magnetic declination adjustment. If you already have a baseplate compass, bring it. If you do not know if it has a manual declination adjustment, e-mail me the model information. If you do not have a compass, we recommend the following models:
Cancellation Policy:
A full refund will be given for a cancellation request more than 7 days prior to the scheduled event. A 50% refund will be given for cancellations less than 7 days but more than 48 hours prior the scheduled event. No shows or cancellations less than 48 hours of the scheduled event will not be refunded.