Advanced Land Navigation

Confident navigation in complex terrain doesn’t happen by accident — it’s earned. We show you how.

Advanced Land Navigation is designed for those who already understand the fundamentals and want to operate with greater speed, accuracy, and independence. Whether you’re pushing your backcountry capabilities to the next level, seeking greater self-reliance in the outdoors, or preparing for an upcoming SAR assessment, this training sharpens real-world performance in realistic field conditions.

This training builds on your foundation by teaching more advanced techniques: You'll develop terrain association skills to strengthen route planning; improve distance measurement and pace count accuracy; and apply search techniques to close on your objective efficiently. You'll also have the chance to plot UTM/MGRS coordinates. While certain components are taught as a group, much of the day is spent moving solo between checkpoints — at your pace and skill level — with personalized coaching to accelerate improvement and develop independent confidence.

Members of the U.S. military routinely trust us to teach these critical skills — and we bring that same structured, high-standard approach to all of our clients. Each instructor fosters a welcoming environment focused on precision, clarity, and performance. If you are already serving, or in an enlistment pipeline, and preparing for an upcoming selection or leadership development course, then visit our dedicated Mil-Nav Program.

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.

Advanced Land Navigation is the natural next step after Basic Land Navigation. Many students complete both in a single weekend — transforming foundational knowledge into confident, independent execution.

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.