Advanced Land Navigation

If you already know the basics, then our Advanced Land Navigation course will provide you with the rest of the essential skills that you’ll need to confidently use a map and compass. You’ll learn to better understand terrain features, calculate and track distances, develop a route plan, plot UTM/MGRS coordinates, and apply search techniques to hone in on your objective. Even better, while this is a group class with several shared training components, you will spend most of the day moving solo between checkpoints according to your skill and comfort level — with a lot of personalized instruction — so that you can maximize your learning.

This course is open to participants of all skill levels, outdoor activities, and backgrounds so no prerequisites are required. Each class is routinely attended by a mix of hikers, hunters, and military personnel, as well as car-campers and folks new to the outdoors. Regardless, they all share the desire to learn an invaluable skill.

You'll learn from highly skilled instructors who also regularly train members of the U.S. Army, Navy, Marines, and Air Force. We have years of experience working with folks of all backgrounds, skill levels, and learning styles. So, we understand how to help you to learn while enjoying some fun in the process.

This course is designed to build on our Basic Land Navigation which many clients take back-to-back in the same weekend. That’s because it typically takes two days to cover the essentials of using a map and compass.

Highlights

You will learn during a mix of “classroom” time and field training in an easily accessed, central location. You’ll really like our instructors, who each work hard to provide a comfortable learning environment. And you’ll get a chance to work with a diverse mix of other clients, who typically share the same passion for learning.

• Learn how to terrain associate in the outdoors
• Learn how to calculate distances, route plan, and search for a checkpoint
• Learn the same land navigation skills taught to our service people in the U.S. military

We'll supply all of the key gear and materials. We'll provide compasses, maps, map cases, and protractors.

Related

The physical difficulty of this course is Moderate. This course involves walking over varying distances at a steady pace over varying terrain that will include off-trail sections, rough spots, unexpected obstacles, and low to steep inclines and declines. This course is conducted in varying weather conditions, including hot, cold, humid, rain, wind, and snow, or a mixed combination. This course is best suited for those in generally good physical condition. It's typically an active day, but since you'll be spending most of it solo, you can set your own pace.

This course is run as a one day session. You will begin at 9:00 am and finish by 4:00 pm.

Once you book a slot, then one of our staff will follow up personally with an email. It will include three short forms for you to complete and return to us. We will also send you the course information sheet, which will contain all of the details that you will need to prepare and arrive (like required and optional gear; exact rally point; general driving directions; and overnight recommendations).

The only prerequisite to take this course is that you have prior land navigation training and recent, ongoing practice. So, you should be able to find your location on a topographic map, set an appropriate bearing between two points, and have the ability to dead-reckon to your objective. While your instructor will happily refresh certain skills in an effort to fine-tune your ability, this course is not intended to be a dedicated “refresher course.” If you recently completed our Basic Land Navigation course, then you are all set.

This course is often run as a private one to better meet the specific needs and schedule of our clients. Please contact Erik to learn more (412.913.6000 or erik@exploretruenorth.com).

We typically reply to emails and telephone calls within 1-2 hours. Please note, however, that it may be as long as 24 hours if we are away teaching.

Children 15-17 years old are welcome when accompanied by a parent or guardian. In our private courses, there is no set age requirement as it depends on the specific group’s needs and goals.