How to Navigate on Land With a Compass
A compass is a great tool for navigating on land. A compass has a needle that always points to magnetic north. From this information it is easy to figure out how to travel in any direction or to measure an azimuth. If you are going to be hiking, backpacking or even traveling by car in an area where there is a chance you could get lost, knowing how to navigate on land with a compass can be very useful.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
-
1
Decide what direction you would like to go. Markings on the compass will designate the four cardinal directions. If your compass does not have markings for the ordinal directions, the halfway point between any two cardinal directions will give you the desired ordinal direction. For instance, halfway between south and west is southwest.
-
2
Turn the compass dial so that the direction you want to travel is aligned with the arrow that designates direction of travel. This is usually a long red arrow that runs along the middle of the large plastic piece the compass dial is attached to.
-
-
3
Hold the compass flat in your hand. The red arrow will point toward magnetic north.
-
4
Rotate your body so that the red arrow is aligned with the markings for north on the compass. The arrow designating the direction of travel will now be pointing in the direction that you need to travel.
-
5
Check the compass reading in this manner often. To effectively navigate on land with a compass you must refer to the compass regularly to ensure that you don't end up off course.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
If you have a topographic map available, you can use it to adjust your compass for magnetic declination to get a more accurate reading.
Make sure that the red end of the compass needle is pointing toward the marking for north before you begin traveling. If the other end is pointing toward north, you will walk the opposite direction of what you intend to.
References
- Photo Credit compass on a map 3 image by Sergey Mostovoy from Fotolia.com
