Map hints and tips

magnetic north lines

path junctions

The short lines across the power line symbol are the ACTUAL LOCATION of the power poles or pylons. 

Always check the copyright date of a map - the older the map, the more likely some things are to have changed. e.g.  fences could have fallen down, new power lines put up, vegetation gotten thicker.  The contours, however, should still be the same.

Path junctions can be marked as DISTINCT or INDISTINCT.  This one is a distinct junction - the paths join (as do the dashes on the map).

The one below shows an indistinct junction.  Notice how the dashes do NOT meet.  If you were travelling along the east/west path you would probably not see the other path.

On most orienteering maps, every fifth contour is marked as an index contour with a thicker line.  There is nothing special about these index contours except that they are every fifth one.  As you can see from the examples below, the addition of index contours helps show the shape of the hill, plus you can estimate its height more rapidly.  (I hope this hill is never on my course!).

The shape and size of a building is shown as its FOOTPRINT, not as its roof.  For example a gas station would be shown as the size of its kiosk, not as the canopy over its pumps.  Dawson and Cloverdale shelters appear quite small on city maps for this reason.  A lighter shade of grey indicates a pass-through.

Magnetic north lines .  Orienteering maps are oriented to magnetic north. The magnetic north lines should be between 2 to 4 cm apart, and represent a round number of metres.

For lots more information about map symbols, go to the International Specification for Orienteering Maps (ISOM) and International Specification for Sprint Orienteering Maps (ISSOM) websites.