Step 8 of 10 · Read a Trail Map and Not Get Lost
When to check the phone
When to check the phone — step 8 of 10 in Read a Trail Map and Not Get Lost. Use GPS to confirm your paper-map position at checkpoints — not as a continuous guide.
Free outdoor skills tip: When to check the phone (step 8 of 10 from "Read a Trail Map and Not Get Lost").
Use GPS to confirm your paper-map position at checkpoints — not as a continuous guide. Check at junctions, after confusing terrain, or if two checkpoints do not match your expected distance. Note the coordinates, find them on your paper map grid, and reconcile.
Battery preservation: turn off mobile data and Wi-Fi, reduce screen brightness, enable airplane mode between checks. A full phone lasts 8+ hours of intermittent GPS checks versus 3 hours of continuous map-app use.
Pro tip: Download offline maps for your area before the hike. No signal does not mean no GPS — satellites still work.
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