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Navigation
Carry the best maps for your adventures.
New Elite program from map partner Trimble Outdoors serves up best-in-class trip planning tools, exclusive map data, and mobile app extras.Navigating in the desert
Tips from our experts and readers about traveling in deserts and canyon countryMaster Class: Read the Wilderness
Use nature's signs to orient yourself, pick your path through varied terrain, and predict the weather.Expert Panel: Instant Upgrades
Winter Survival Guide: Navigate
Especially in winter, getting there is half the battle. Find your way through the white with these tips.Gear Review: Smartphone and Tablet Apps for Map Lovers
Three apps for map lovers of all tech denominations.Gear Review: Magellan eXplorist 310 North America GPS
A perfect starter GPS unit, with a great price and minimal drawbacks.Gear Review: Magellan Switch Series GPS
This GPS is perfect, however you get from A to B.Gear Review: Suunto Ambit Watch
The sleekest, best GPS watch yet.Fall/Winter Gear Guide 2012: Navigation
Never get lost with these navigation tools.Year of the Reader: Win a Gear or Skills Makeover!
We're matching your needs with our expertise and making over six lucky readers with new skills and gear to get more out of their trail time.How to Find North
Learn how to orient yourself for when it really counts.Expert Panel: Instant Upgrades
We asked a few of our favorite pros how to fix some common backcountry annoyancesApps and Maps
From GPS data to navigation apps and printed maps, we have you covered and can get you ready for your next adventure.Navigation Webinar: FOR TESTING
Expert Panel: Instant Upgrades
Manually Adjust Declination
Change declination to navigate more accurately over long distances.Master Class: Find Yourself on a Map
The best way to avoid getting lost? Always know your location. Study up on these key techniques for identifying terrain features, translating GPS data to a map, and triangulating your position.Navigate in Low Visibility
Leapfrogging, following benchmarks, and more.Navigation Webinar: Go Farther with Maps and GPS
In this beginner friendly course, BACKPACKER Map Editor Andrew Matranga teaches the essentials of map reading, GPS, and compass, plus how to use today's best digital mapping tools to plan trips, to navigate in the field and to share adventures once you get home.Gear Guide 2012: Brunton O.S.S. 10B Compass
Simple, yet reliable, this compass is great for spot checks and map consults.Gear Guide 2012: MyTopo/BACKPACKER Pro Maps
Get customized maps that give you turn-by-turn directions and campsite information all in one, easy to use and waterproof map.Gear Guide 2012: Pocket Profile Maps
Waterproof maps pack in all the information you need for AT and JMT thru-hikers.BACKPACKER GPS Trails PRO Trips
We've taken the best trips on backpacker.com and made them even better. Check out updated, interactive PRO trips and PRO bundles on GPS Trails. Use your Android or iPhone to discover these premium guides, or map your own adventures and share them with your friends.BACKPACKER PRO Maps: Custom maps for your adventures
We've teamed up with map partner myTopo to create custom, pre-planned adventures printed on waterproof topo paper. No need to buy and carry multiple maps. Bonus: PRO Maps sync with your handheld GPS, your smartphone, or your tablet for a complete in-field mapping experience. Our archive is over 100 maps strong and growing.Backpacker Bible: Find Your Way
Join a long line of enlightened travelers who have navigated the wilderness–and discover a whole new world that lies beyond well-marked trails and guided trips.Ultimate Adventure Handbook: Drop into a Slot
Explore wildly sculpted rock.Adventure Upgrade: Navigate Off Trail
Open up a new door to adventure–by leaving the well-trod route behind.Ultimate Adventure Handbook: Discover the World Off-Trail
Be a real explorer by going where others don't.Ultimate Adventure Handbook
Tired of the same old weekend loops? Looking to create memories your grandkids will talk about? In this how-and-where guide, we serve up 15 extraordinary escapes that will shatter your expectations of "normal." From adventure moviemaking to canyoneering, we'll take you places you've never been—but will long to visit again soon.Case Study: Lost in the Gila Wilderness
Name: Ross Mason, 44Predicament: Off-course and severely dehydrated
Location: Gila Wilderness, New Mexico; November 2010
Rip & Live: Lost
More than 1,000 hikers go missing every year in our national parks alone. Most are found within hours, but basic skills can help you get home without making a serious—or even fatal—mistake. Follow this advice for staying on course.Select a Safe Route: Watch the Weather
All conditions affect avy potential. Check forecasts and assess risk.Survival: Don't Always Trust a Topo Map
Look around, not just at your map.BACKPACKER Map Maker iPad app
Plan hikes and backpacking trips, plus other outdoor adventures like never before on detailed, interactive topo maps and aerial photos.Rip & Live: Survive Desert Extremes
Triple-digit temps by noon. Freezing at night. Scarce water. The desert is as dangerous for unprepared hikers. Give yourself an edge and learn to survive this hostile territory while backpacking.Navigation Center: Videos
Learn the basics of using GPS devices and watch amazing Google 3D flyovers in our special navigation focused video center.Navigation Center
Learn how to make custom maps, navigate any terrain, and the ins-and-outs of GPS devices and mobile apps in our comprehensive navigation center.Prof. Hike: The First Five Minutes
When you're lost, your initial decisions will make the difference.Tough Guy Challenge: Week 5
It's the final push. Complete the final week's challenge and get ready for next week's call to submit your video.Tough Guy Challenge Week 4
We're down to the last two weeks of our five-week Tough Guy Challenge. Are you still hanging in there?Tough Guy Challenge Week 3
Week three of our five-week challenge will have you navigating obstacles and increasing mileage.Tough Guy Challenge Week 2
Build on week one's regimen by mastering even more survival and navigation skills and improving your overall fitness level.Tough Guy Challenge Week 1
Rev up for the first week of our plan to make you the ultimate tough guy, or gal.Gear Review: XC navigation skills
Learn everything you need to know to get from point a. to point b.Gear Review: Sky Tonight Star Charts
Chart your campsite's night sky with customizable maps.Sign Up For the Go Farther with Maps and GPS Webinar
Master essential navigation skills and turn into an interactive backcountry explorer.The Wrong Way: Top 52 Hiker Mistakes
Your guide to 52 common mistakes hikers make--and how to avoid them.BACKPACKER MAGAZINE APPS
From the iPad to the iPhone and Android, check out these BACKPACKER mobile apps.Gear Review: Silva Guide Series 426 Compass
A basic sighting compass that is lightweight, durable, and unsinkable.Fall/Winter Gear Guide 2010: Navigation Devices
Stay on track with the best GPS units. Plus, awesome navigation apps.3 Top Navigation Apps
Stay on track with these three navigation and hiking apps.Four All-Star iPad Apps for Camping
Is the iPad coming to a campsite near you? It saves its weight in maps, guidebooks, novels, songs, and more. Here are four top apps for hikers.Gear Review: Magellan eXplorist GC
Geocaching just got easier with this palm-size GPS unit.Gear Review: Garmin GPSMAP 62st
The pinpoint accuracy of this GPS system will keep you on track even in the most narrow valleys.Survival: Off-Course With No Map or Compass
Uh-oh, you forgot to download free maps at Backpacker.com, and now you're lost in the woods without any navigational tools. Smart! Now follow these rules to get found.The Manual: Travel Off-Trail
Navigate across scree, snow, and rivers without getting blocked or lost.The Future of Maps
Four cutting-edge cartographers--from Google's explorer-in-residence to Tom Harrison himself--help us chart the course of the next revolution in wilderness mapping.Start Mapping: Tools To Help You Map Your World
5 ways to embark on your own cartographic adventureNavigate: Whiteout, Darkness, and Fog
Just because you can't see in front of you doesn't mean you can't navigate.Navigate: Forests and Mountains
Skirt forests and mountains with ease with these tips and gear.Navigation: Canyons and Deserts
Learn how to stay on track and find water safely in the desert and canyons.Navigation: Lakes and Oceans
Triangulate, forge through wind, and learn the tides with these water-bound navigation tips.Navigation: Exploring Off-Trail
When your route takes you off-trail you can still be on course with these navigation tips.How to Navigate Any Condition, Terrain
Field-proven skills for wild weather and terrain.Toughest Gear: Trails Illustrated Maps
These waterproof maps are unruffled by rain, sleet, and snow.Backpacker GPS Trails App for iPhone
Want to map and share your own adventures with the click of a button? Looking for instant access to thousands of GPS-enabled hikes? Look no further than GPS Trails. Just download the app and turn your phone into the ultimate navigation device and portable trip database.Backpacker GPS Trails for Android
Want to map and share your own adventures with the click of a button? Looking for instant access to thousands of GPS-enabled hikes? Look no further than GPS Trails. Just download the app and turn your phone into the ultimate navigation device and portable trip database.Gear Review: Lowrance Endura Sierra
A fully-featured GPSGear Review: Garmin Dakota 20
A bargain GPSWinter Camping: Navigation
Learn to figure out where you are (even in a whiteout) and prevent, or stop, a snowy fall.Plot an Off-Trail Route
Try these 10 tips for cross-country travel.Gear Review: 20Sub3 Rugged Maps Lite
No more plastic bags or map cases, these waterproof, and tear-resistant topos will last a lifetime.The Boy Scout Quiz
Could you earn a merit badge in wilderness travel? Better ace this test, taken straight from the Scouts' own backpacking manual.Are You Smarter Than a Boy Scout?
Scoutmasters wrote the book on camping, and built an army of pack-toting teens. But do the troops truly rule when it comes to outdoor skills? We pitted three Scouts against three average readers to find out.Editors' Choice 2009: Garmin Oregon 400t GPS
Meet the ultimate GPS: simple enough for beginners, wonky enough for experts, powerful enough for all.Where is the Spookiest Place to Hike?
How to Do Everything - Camping
Find water anywhere, make a fire in five minutes, learn secrets for battling mosquitoes, and more.How to Do Everything - Packing & Planning
We'll show you how to be ready to the the trail in 20 minutes, guaranteed. Now gear up!ESSENTIAL OUTDOOR SKILLS SPECIAL: How to Do Everything
Want to be a better hiker? Look no further. Our comprehensive guide is packed with the backcountry secrets that separate average campers from true wilderness experts.Next Level: Navigate Cross Country
3 key skills for getting off the trail without getting off courseI Climbed Los Angeles
One small step for our stair-obsessed man, one giant leap for fitness freaks everywhere.Big Trips Made Easy: Hayduke Trail, UT
Finding total Southwest solitudeBig Trips Made Easy: Glacier Peak Wilderness, WA
Exploring a high, wild corner of the North CascadesBig Trips Made Easy: Allagash Wilderness Waterway, ME
Floating a liquid maze in the Northeast's lake-riddled forestsBig Trips Made Easy: High Sierra, CA
Rambling a granite redoubtHike It: 4 Big Trips Made Easy
Ready to dial up the adventure meter? Try out your digital skills–and go places most people can't–on these life-list journeys.Share and Share Alike?: Top Five Photo Sharing Sites
Your adventure is ready for primetime. Here are 19 ways to reach the audience in your living room–or around the world. Web-based photo sites aren't all created equal. Here are our top 5.Photos 101: Save and Share Your Photos, Produce a Slideshow, and Print Your Images
Learn how to save your photos, print them, get published, and produce an audio visual slideshow.Post Your Video Online
Learn how to upload your video to YouTube and tap a social network like Facebook or MySpace to post links to your movie. Your adventure is ready for primetime. Here are 19 ways to reach the audience in your living room–or around the world.Share Your Trip; Make and Show Off Your Map
Your adventure is ready for primetime. Here are 19 ways to reach the audience in your living room–or around the world.Share It: All the World's a (Cyber) Stage
Your adventure is ready for primetime. Here are 19 ways to reach the audience in your living room--or around the world.Danger Signs: Painful Plants
Sure, you know the mantra "leaves of three, let it be." But that warning alone doesn't help you detect those irritating plants that change colors, grow as vines, or mimic harmless species. Heed these tips to keep your summer itch-free.The Cutting Room: Editing Programs and Storage
Here's how to turn raw data into finished files that will wow your friends and preserve trip memories better than any photo album.The Cutting Room: Video
Here's how to turn raw data into finished files that will wow your friends and preserve trip memories better than any photo album.The Cutting Room: Photos
Here's how to turn raw data into finished files that will wow your friends and preserve trip memories better than any photo album.The Cutting Room: GPS
Here's how to turn raw data into finished files that will wow your friends and preserve trip memories better than any photo album.Organize It: The Cutting Room
Here's how to turn raw data into finished files that will wow your friends and preserve trip memories better than any photo album.Field School: Trail-Tested Tech
Take your new tools to the trail to master the skills you'll need to navigate, record, and share your best adventures. The best new digital tools for every budget and skill level.Field School: Essential Tips
Take your new tools to the trail to master the skills you'll need to navigate, record, and share your best adventures.Field School: Make a Movie
Take your new tools to the trail to master the skills you'll need to navigate, record, and share your best adventures.Field School: Capture Classic Images and Record Your Hike
Take your new tools to the trail to master the skills you'll need to navigate, record, and share your best adventures.Document It: Field School
Take your new tools to the trail to master the skills you'll need to navigate, record, and share your best adventures.4 Trip-Planning Sites and Top Tech Tools
Every great trip boils down to this: Picking an ideal location, capturing memorable moments, and bragging about it.New Tools, New Rules: Get Maps and Go
Every great trip boils down to this: Picking an ideal location, capturing memorable moments, and bragging about it.New Tools, New Rules: Plan the Perfect Trip
Every great trip boils down to this: Picking an ideal location, capturing memorable moments, and bragging about it. Here's how to get started the high-tech way.Plan It: New Tools, New Rules
Every great trip boils down to this: Picking an ideal location, capturing memorable moments, and bragging about it.iHike: Hiking in the Digital Age
A Complete Guide to the Digital Revolution–and How to Join ItThe CDT Project
We sent 209 readers out to GPS the Continental Divide Trail, the biggest, baddest long-distance path of them all. They brought back the makings of the first authoritative map of this American classic. These are their stories–and their favorite sections.Danger Signs: Burn Zones
Here are the top three wildfire dangers and how to avoid them.Does Geocaching Violate Leave No Trace?
Are these hidden containers harmless, or do they flout low-impact ethics?Danger Signs: Trail Confusion
Don't want to get lost? Heed this advice on four trail situations that routinely cause problems.Make Your Own Hikes
Invent your own hike, and go where no one (well, almost no one) has gone before.March 2008 Essentials Review: Navigation
Reading Topo Maps: Understanding Map Symbols and Colors
Dotted, dashed, and curvy. Red, blue, and brown. All these colors and styles criss-cross a topo map. Learn what they mean.Learn How to Stay On Course
By understanding your terrain, knowing your pace, and reading the map regularly you can stay on course wherever you are.Navigation 101: Understanding Your Compass
If you don't know what triangulation is, read this article.Reading Topo Maps: Understanding Contour Lines
Topo maps just look like a children's drawing if you don't know what contour lines are.How to Protect Your Map From the Elements
While you're cozy in your waterproof jacket, your map has to face the rain, or snow, or mud, alone. Learn how to protect this precious piece of paper.How to Align Your Compass
Learn how to orient your map with a few basic compass skillsGPS 201: Using Advanced Navigational Tools
Don't be daunted by a thick owner's manual. Unlocking your unit's advanced navigational tools is easier than you think.How to Choose a Campsite
A NOLS veteran offers tips on balancing comfort, safety, and Leave No Trace principles.How to See In the Dark
Expert tips for improving your night visionGPS Review: Garmin Rino 520
You'll never lose your partner if you're each carrying a Rino.GPS Review: Motorola i560 GPS Cell Phone
This rugged unit will let you call home from the trailGPS Review: Brunton Atlas MNS
If cost is no object, this unit is like having an interactive topo map at your fingertips.GPS Review: Garmin Foretrex 101
A favorite unit for beginnersGPS Review: Garmin eTrex Legend C
A reliable and moderately priced unit with high-end capabilitiesGPS Review: TomTom GO 300
Just throw this unit in the car and goGPS Review: TomTom GO 300
Don't fight over where the trailhead starts. Get this handy gadget and you'll find it every time.Essential National Park Skills: The Ultimate Park Pass
Write your own ticket to new adventures with these 10 territory-expanding skills.Next Level: Off-Trail Navigation
Use a map, compass, and GPS unit to plot an ambitious route with this beginner's guide to bushwhackingGPS Review: Garmin Foretrex 101
Get started--or get simple--with the best GPS dealOffshore GPS: How to Navigate in the Water
New tools for water navigation: Strap one to your thwart, and you'll never paddle in circles again.A Cure For Latitude And Longitude: Using UTM Coordinates
Learn this mapping technique for better off-trail travel.GPS Basics
What's GPS, how does it work, and will it help you?GPS Fast Fixes
Don't let your GPS unit stump you. Try one of these suggestions to get your unit trail ready.Night Vision
Bats have nothing on this nocturnal hiker.South Is Thata Way
Determine direction without your compass.Mountain Miles
Calculate real mileage by accounting for slope in the mountains, and you'll avoid getting into camp after dark.Being Caribou: The Route
How do you plan a route following 123,000 migrating caribou across Canada and Alaska? Try to keep up.GPS For Average Joes
The latest GPS receivers take the mystery out of high-tech route finding. We powered up four models to find the best for backpackers.Understanding GPS
Using your GPS is easier than you think.How To Speak GPS
Common GPS terms you should know.Different Strokes: Paddling Techniques For Hikers
For a different wilderness experience, try floating down the river in a kayak or canoe.Route-Finding Tips: Stay On Course
Follow these six route-finding tips, and stay found.Compass Tips: Bearing It All
Just to be safe, keep that compass handy.Planning Your Route
Use these navigational tricks, gleaned from champion orienteers and U.S. Army's Special Forces, to stay on track.Navigating From Lost To Found
How one perpetually disoriented hiker found her bearings, thanks to some backwoods navigation pros.Bushwacking: Pole Position
Stow your trekking poles to get an advantage when bushwacking a trail.Bushwacking: It's A Jungle Out There
From North Carolina to Alaska, bushwhacking is easier with the proper preparation and attitude.Bushwacking: Get High, Stay High
When bushwacking a trail, go high altitude and stay there.Bushwhacking: Go Up The Creek
Trouble crossing the trail? Try the creek.Safe Trekking After Wildfires
Follow these tips when hiking in burned country.Hiking Utah's Hayduke Trail
You won't find Utah's 725-mile rogue route on any map. But thanks to two passionate Utah hikers, you'll soon be able to search it out with your boots.Tundra Trekking Tips
Just because it's flat and treeless doesn't mean it's easy hiking.Hiking Dreams Really Do Come True
Easily said and done, when you have a constant reminder at bedtime.Finding Blazed Trail Markers
Here's a quick tip for finding blazed trails.Improve Your Sense Of Direction
Scientists now believe that the navigationally challenged can retrain their brains.Breaking Trail: Snow Going
When the white stuff piles up, work together to break a trail.Game Trails: Nature's Trail Crews
Follow four-legged trail blazers down paths you'll never find on a map.
