Orienteering

Introduction & Assessment

Welcome to orienteering — one of the coolest outdoor skills you can learn! Before you dive in, take a few minutes to figure out where you're starting. Grab a piece of paper and sketch a simple map of your neighborhood from memory. Don't worry if it's messy — this is just a baseline. Next, watch the free REI Expert Advice video "How to Use a Map and Compass" on YouTube. Notice which parts feel familiar and which feel confusing. Utah is perfect for this skill because the Wasatch Mountains and valley grid streets give you two totally different navigation challenges. Write down three questions you have about maps or compasses. You're ready for the next step when you can name the four cardinal directions and explain what a compass needle points toward.

Foundation Building

Now it's time to learn the core tools. Pick up any paper map — a free Utah state highway map from a visitor center works great, or print a free topo map from CalTopo.com. Study the legend and find five different symbols. Practice holding a compass flat and watching the needle settle. Learn these three things: how to orient a map to north, how to take a bearing from one landmark to another, and what contour lines mean on a topographic map. The free app Gaia GPS has a tutorial mode and uses real USGS topo maps of the Wasatch. Spend at least 30 minutes outside with your map and compass before moving on. You're ready for the next step when you can orient a paper map to match your surroundings and read contour lines to identify a hill versus a valley.

Skill Development

Time to get moving with your new skills. Head to a local park — Liberty Park or Sugar House Park in Salt Lake City both have multiple landmarks perfect for practice. Choose three visible features (a fountain, a big tree, a building corner) and take a compass bearing to each one. Write your bearings down. Then flip the process: use a bearing to walk toward a target without looking up the whole time. This technique is called "dead reckoning." Watch the free YouTube series by Shug Emery called "Compass Navigation for Beginners" for extra tips. Try navigating a short 200-meter route using only your compass and paced steps — count how many steps equal 100 meters for you. You're ready for the next step when you can walk a 200-meter compass bearing and arrive within 20 meters of your target.

Practice & Refinement

Now you'll sharpen your skills by completing a real orienteering course. Utah has a fantastic free resource: the Utah Valley Orienteering Club (uvoc.org) posts permanent course maps at several Wasatch-front locations including Mueller Park and Pineview Reservoir trailheads. Download one of their free permanent course maps and complete at least five control points. Focus on "attack points" — nearby obvious features you navigate to before hunting for the final marker. Time yourself on a short course, then repeat it trying to be faster and more accurate. If you get lost, stop, look at your map, and re-orient before moving. You're ready for the next step when you complete a five-point permanent orienteering course without needing to backtrack more than once.

Challenge Mode

You're ready for a real challenge. Design your own five-point orienteering course in a local park or open space and have a friend or family member run it using only the map you drew and a compass — no phones allowed. Include at least one leg that crosses a slope change visible on a contour map. Use the free USGS National Map Viewer (apps.nationalmap.gov) to print a topo base map of your area. Then attempt a "score orienteering" event where you collect as many points as possible in a set time rather than following a fixed route. The Utah Orienteering Club hosts free introductory events — check their calendar at utahorienteering.org. You're ready for the next step when someone else can successfully complete a course you designed with zero help from you.

Mastery Demonstration

This is your moment to show what you know. Lead a 90-minute orienteering introduction for at least three other people — friends, family, or fellow SLCTrips members — at a Wasatch-front location of your choice. Teach them how to hold and read a compass, how to orient a map, and how to take a bearing. Then guide them through a beginner course you've set up in advance. Document the session with a simple one-page handout you create using free resources from Orienteering USA (orienteeringusa.org). Record a short video or photo log showing each person successfully finding at least one control point. You're ready for the next step when you can confidently answer any question your group asks about map and compass navigation without looking anything up.