How to Use a Street Map

The ability to read a map is very useful when in unfamiliar territory.

For those who travel on a regular basis, the importance of being able to read a street map cannot be stressed enough. Street maps provide an overview for all of the roads in a given area, and can make even the most confusing areas easier to navigate. Learning how to read a street map does not need to be difficult, and is a skill that can be beneficial to just about anyone.

Instructions

1. Obtain a map for the area you intend to travel to. Purchase it or download it via a mapping website such as MapQuest. Ensure that the map is accurate by avoiding those provided by tourist organizations.

2. Familiarize and orient yourself with the map. The map should provide a visual representation of streets and roads in the area, which are generally notated by lines. Highways will usually be denoted by thick lines, while smaller roads generally take the form of thin lines. Landmarks such as hospitals and museums are usually marked by symbols. Pay attention to the symbol key, which can be found off to the side of the map. On most maps, the bottom of the map is south, and the right of the map is east.

3. Make use of the street grid if the map has one. Maps of larger cities often have grids. The grids feature coordinates, making it easier to find the exact street that you are looking for. Along with the grid is a street index, which lists all of the streets on the map and their corresponding coordinates. If you are looking for "Bishop St." you would find it (listed alphabetically) on the street index, along with its corresponding coordinates. If the coordinates are "A4," you would locate the "A" row on the grid and follow it to the "4" column.

Tips & Warnings

• It's helpful, on big-city maps, if you know whether it's Bishop Street, Avenue, Place, Blvd., or whatever, as there may be several.

• Usually an address will follow the same patterns for parallel streets. So, the 4400 block of Bishop St. will cross the same interesecting streets as other 4400 blocks.

References

• USA Today: How to Read Street Maps

Resources

• MapQuest Maps