A bearing is a direction of travel or to a landmark, expressed as an angle in degrees (0–360°) measured clockwise from north. Bearings are the foundation of compass navigation: you can take a bearing off a map to find which way to walk, or sight a bearing to a visible landmark to locate yourself. Accurate use requires accounting for the difference between true north and magnetic north (declination).
Map scale is the ratio between a distance measured on a map and the corresponding actual distance on the ground, expressed as a ratio like 1:24,000 (one unit on the map equals 24,000 of the same units in reality). Scale determines how much area a map covers and how much detail it shows: a 'large-scale' map (e.g., 1:24,000) covers a small area in fine detail, while a 'small-scale' map (e.g., 1:100,000) covers more ground with less detail. Understanding scale is essential for measuring distances and choosing the right map.
A contour line is a line on a topographic map that connects all points at the same elevation, allowing the three-dimensional shape of terrain to be represented on a flat map. The spacing between contour lines indicates steepness — close together means steep, far apart means gentle — and their patterns reveal landforms. Reading contour lines is the core skill of topographic-map navigation.
A topographic map is a detailed map that represents the three-dimensional shape of the land on a flat surface using contour lines — lines connecting points of equal elevation. By reading the spacing and pattern of contours, a navigator can judge steepness, identify landforms like peaks, valleys, and ridges, and plan routes. It is the foundational tool of backcountry navigation.
