Learn How to Use a Compass

 If you never got a chance to learn how to use a compass in Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts, it is definitely something you need to know to prepare for a hike.  A compass is such a small, lightweight tool yet provides insurmountable value if you know how to use it correctly.  The compass is one of the most important navigational tools that you can take on your hike to help you find your way.  It never requires batteries and can work right along with your map if you know how to use it correctly. 

Understanding How a Compass Works

The red tipped magnetic needle is always pointing north - Every new hiker needs to understand the basics of how to use a Compass. The first thing you should know is that the floating needle, usually with a red end, is magnetized and is always pointing towards magnetic north.  Even if you turn the compass, the needle will stay fixed towards magnetic north. 

Magnetic north is not true north – magnetic north is not true north, as in the North Pole, which is what all maps are oriented towards. Depending on the difference between the two, called declination, you could wind-up far-off course. So how do we adjust for this “declination”? 

How to account for declination – the difference in degrees between true north and magnetic north, declination, varies by location. To use your compass correctly you will want to know what this value is so that when you box your needle, when the orienting arrow is boxed around the red magnetic arrow, you are pointing to true north rather than magnetic north. If you are using a recent topographic map, it may display the declination as two straight lines with magnetic north noted as MN. Since declinations vary by area and change over time, do not rely on this number if you are not using a recent map.

What if your map does not show you the declination?  Not to worry, plan ahead and go to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, NOAA, Magnetic Field Calculator, and type in the coordinates for the area you’ll be hiking to have the exact, most recent, declination calculated for you.  This will be expressed in degrees, with a change west represented as a negative number or a positive number to represent a change east. Some compasses may have a screw that will allow you to make the appropriate adjustments. 

How to Use a Compass

There are a couple of different ways that you can get your bearing with a compass while out on the trail, by your map or by sight. 

By map - to use your map and compass together, use a compass with the base plate, and lay your compass on top of your map on the ground. Mark your current location and your intended location, then draw a straight line between both points. Lay the edge of your compass on this line so the travel arrow is pointing in the direction you need to go, then turn the outer ring with the measured units on it (the azimuth ring) until the orienting arrow and north on the map are aligned. When you pull your compass off the map, turn the orienting arrow until it is boxed in with the red magnetic needle and you will be pointed in the right direction.

By sight - it is much simpler to use your compass to travel by sight. If you can see the side of the mountain you are headed towards, for example, you can first point towards it with the travel arrow on the compass, then rotate the azimuth ring until the orienting arrow is lined up with the red tip of the magnetic needle pointing towards the north. Continue your hike with the needle boxed in and you should reach your destination. 

To learn more about how to use your compass and magnetic declination see Basic Land Navigation, a publication by the National Wildfire Coordinating Group. For more tips on navigating through the backcountry, contact the outdoor adventurists at Cascade Mountain Tech, your one-stop for quality camping and hiking gear.  

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