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Map Reading Skills⚓︎

Summary⚓︎

Reading a map is a generational gap that will only widen with technology. However, there's still a lot of value to be had from knowing how to read a map. I've had plenty of moments where I was hiking or out of the country or didn't have cell service and had to rely on my understanding of reading a map.

Of course, the most commonly used maps are either road maps or tourist maps, but there's still plenty of use in understanding a topographic map.

Attention

As with all of the articles in this series, this is by no means a comprehensive guide. It should be considered a practical approach.

Types of Maps⚓︎

The first thing to understand is the type of map you have. The kind of map will entirely depend on your purpose. A tourist/sightseeing map won't help you if you're in a remote area.

Below are the different types of maps and a description of each one.

Topographic Map⚓︎

A topographic map details the terrain, roads, points of interest, and distances of an area. They're beneficial and arguably one of the most important things to know while hiking.

Road Map⚓︎

Just like it sounds, a road map shows the intersection of all roads in a given area, along with the names of the road, nearby cities, and points of interest. It's generally helpful if you have someone who can read the map for you. They're an excellent accessory to bring on a road trip, even if you have GPS.

Tourist Map⚓︎

A tourist map shows the attractions and points of interest in a city. These maps are available in tourist offices or hotel lobbies, and hostels.

Choosing the Right Scale⚓︎

According to Hillwalk Tours:

Important

  • 1:50,000

    • The right scale of a map very much depends on what your purpose is. We’ll focus on topographic maps, normally where the scale is important. The most common scale to use while hiking is 1:50,000. This scale means that there are 50,000 centimeters (or 500 meters) in real life for every centimeter on the map.
    • Maps are broken up into grids, with each grid box measuring 2 centimeters. That means that every full box on the map covers 1 kilometer in real life. This map is useful for quick estimation of distances at a glance.

  • 1:25,000

    • More detailed maps have a scale of 1:25,000 (1 centimeter = 250 meters in real life). These maps break into grids, with each grid box measuring 4 centimeters. That means for every full box on the map, it again covers 1 kilometer in real life.
    • These more detailed maps show features such as trees and rocks on the ground.

Features of a Map⚓︎

Knowing the different features of a map is incredibly important to read a map. The following list is some of the essential features typically found on a map.

Features

  • Legend: The Legend describes and guides the different features and markings on the map.

  • Title: The map's Title tells you what area the map is.

  • Grid References: A map breaks into grid boxes, with the first 2 (or 3, depending on accuracy) digits being the X-value, and the last 2 (or again, 3) digits being the Y-value. Each grid reference starts with the letter assigned to the map.

  • The North Arrow: This arrow tells you which way is North – it always points to the top of the map.

  • scale: The scale will tell you what scale your map is – whether it’s 1:25,000 or 1:50,000.

Using the Map⚓︎

Once you get comfortable reading a map, you should practice using it.

Reading a Map

  • Point Your Map North

    • To point your map north, place your compass flat on the map with the needle pointing towards the top. Rotate yourself until the compass needle points north.

  • Find Your Location on the map

    • Identifying your surroundings and relating them to your map is the most important thing you can do when locating your position.
    • Look around for landscape features - mountains, rivers, walls, spurs, saddles, roads, etc. Try to identify three surrounding features and pinpoint them on your map.

Once you've done this, you can be pretty confident that you've located yourself.

  • Reading Contour Lines
    • Contour lines are the small black lines that wave around the entire map.
    • Each contour line on a 1:50,000 scale map represents a rise of 10 meters above sea level.
    • Every 5th contour line will be slightly bolder, making it easily countable when you're counting many contours at a time.
    • The closer the contour lines are together, the steeper the gradient. This information can plan routes on gentles slopes to ease the difficulty.
Landscape Features
  • Spur
    • A spur is a feature that slopes downward on three slides and upwards on one.
    • The contour lines will point away from the summit of a mountain/hill, indicating a spur.
  • Re-Entrant
    • A re-entrant is an 'indentation' in the side of a mountain. It shows on a map as contour lines pointing against the natural slope.
  • Saddle
    • A saddle can be seen in real-life as a feature that slopes down on two sides and slopes up on two sides.
  • Summit
    • The mountain's summit is the top and can be identified on a map by a ring contour.

Thumbing⚓︎

It's a good idea to note your last known location on the map. Your previous known site helps to re-trace your steps should you lose your bearings while walking.

To do this, press your thumb on your current location on the map, drop it to your side and forget about it. Next time you look at your map, your thumb will still be on your last location, and you can then figure out where you are.

References⚓︎

https://www.hillwalktours.com/walking-hiking-blog/read-a-map/