9/13/2019 How to Read Topographic Maps - TopoZone

How to Read Topographic Maps

Topographic maps are complicated to say the least. They have a lot going on with different colors,
lines, and labels all over the place. The land survey information is a good example. While most topo
map users aren’t trying to read the township, range, and section information, it is still on the maps.
Another example is that roads, trails, power lines, railroads, and property boundaries are all black
lines on topo maps, but they only vary slightly. The USGS topographic map legend is thorough
with three full pages of symbols and color explanations.

All of the intricate details of topographic maps can be learned over time, but the rst thing the
people need to understand is how to read the topography. This focuses mainly on the brown
lines. Learning what these lines mean is only half the battle. Gaining experience comparing topo
maps to actual topographies is the other half. Taking topo maps out into the real world is the best
way to do this.

Reading the topography

After using topo maps outdoors you eventually can “see” the topography through the lines drawn
on the page. Having shaded relief helps a great deal (all the topo maps on TopoZone are shaded),
but to get started understanding what the lines are conveying, there are a few simple things to
learn.

Brown lines on the maps are elevation contour lines, a.k.a. “contours.” Each contour continues
at the same elevation across the page. Adjacent contours are going up or down in elevation
(see numbers on the lines to determine which way they are going).
Contours that are far apart show at or gradually sloping land. These include ats, plains,
meadows, and plateaus.
Contours that are close together show steep land. The closest are sheer cliffs and as the lines
space out the slope decreases.
Bending contours show either a ridge or a valley. Valleys often have streams (blue lines
running down them).
Looping contours are surrounding a high point or summit. Summits have concentric elevation
lines that get larger as they go down in elevation. Finding summits helps visualize the
topography and distinguish ridges from valleys. Note that in the rare cases of depressions not
lled with water, the contour lines will have tick marks pointing inward toward the bottom.

Here is a typical topographic map with many of these items identi ed by a number. See the
explanation of each number below the map.

1. Flat area – contours spaced out (a basin in this case)

2. Steep area – contours tight together (cliffs in this case)
3. Ridge – contours bent around the hill
4. Valley – contours bent into the hill (with creek in this case)
5. Pass – contours come together then diverge
6. Summit – contours looping around a point (note elevation 5625 ft)
7. Trail – dashed single black lines (note the trail number 1315)
8. Road – double black lines (note the road number 115)
9. Stream blue lines (note the name in blue text)
10. Pond/Tarn – blue area representing a body of water

Reading the elevations

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9/13/2019 How to Read Topographic Maps - TopoZone
The next step in reading topographic maps is learning the elevations. Elevations are provided on
some of the brown contour lines. Those are the darker lines, called index lines, which have round
numbers (hundreds for example). To gure out the interval between lines nd two labeled lines
close together and count the faint brown lines between. Typically there are four faint lines which
means ve elevation changes between major lines. For example if one line says 4200 and the next
labeled line says 4300 and there are 4 faint lines between, then the intervals are 20 feet (100 feet
divided by 5 spaces between the lines). Note that most USGS topo maps are in feet but some are in
meters. See the map below showing this example.

4300 – 4200 = 100 and 100 / 5 = 20, so each contour on this map is 20 feet

Scale of topographic maps

If you have a paper map, the scale is easy to understand. Typically the USGS maps have a scale at
the bottom and you can use that measurement on the map to calculate the distance between two
points. Using online maps like those on TopoZone is different, mainly because the maps can be
zoomed in and out which makes the scale change. The scale we use is dynamic so it changes to be
accurate at each zoom level. Just look in the bottom right corner of our maps for the scale.

Orientation of topographic maps

All the maps on TopoZone are oriented so true north is straight up on the page, but if you will be
navigating using a compass, you’ll need to know how to nd the magnetic north “declination.”
Learn more about that with our page on orientating topographic maps.

Have fun and be safe out there!

– TopoZone

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