Good Old Route-Finding Skills Are Important

Before you go. Good route finding and navigation starts before you set foot on the mountain. In the days and weeks leading up to your trip, spend time brushing up on your navigational skills and researching route information so that you can develop a solid mental picture of what the route looks like, including what obstacles, hazards, or other challenges you may encounter.

Review your map and compass skills. Every person in your hiking group should be comfortable using a map and compass to navigate in the backcountry. These two tools can help you stay on route, identify terrain features, and figure out where you are. Tools like GPS devices and smartphones can be helpful for navigation, but they do not replace a map and compass.

Gather as much information as you can about the route. The more you know about the route and the surrounding region before setting foot on the trail, the better equipped you’ll be to navigate in the area. To find up-to-date route information, websites are a good place to go. You can generally find information there about current conditions, road closures, and trail closures. Trail conditions can also be found at the Catskills Visitor Center.

Study maps. Gain familiarity with the area before setting foot on the mountain. As you look at a map, picture what terrain features will look like and try to recognize any obstacles, hazards or other challenges that you may encounter, like glaciers or cliffs. You can make marks on the map to indicate any helpful information you gleaned from guidebooks and websites, such as campsite locations or potential hazards, and you may want to draw your route on the map if it’s not already marked.

Talk to other mountaineers. If they’ve been on the route recently, they’ll be able to tell you about things to look out for or areas that are difficult to navigate. Calling local ranger stations in the area where you want to climb is another good way to get this type of info. Rangers will likely have up-to-date information about route conditions and anything else that may affect your climb.

Create a route plan. Break your trip up into segments (approach hike, climb, descent, etc.) and jot down important information like how many miles you’ll hike, how many feet of elevation you’ll gain/lose, where you will camp, and any other data you want to record. It can be helpful to include GPS coordinates for key locations, like the trailhead, camps, rest spots, and the summit.

By Finn Parnell, Catskill Center Community Relations Specialist, Catskill Stewards Program Leader