Drag the two points below to any spot on the map. The line between them updates live, along with the bearing you'd read off a compass laid along that line — exactly what you'd do in the field to plan a route toward a destination you can see on the map but not yet in front of you.
The technique
- Draw (or imagine) a line on the map from where you are to where you want to go.
- Lay your compass baseplate along that line, direction-of-travel arrow pointing toward the destination.
- Rotate the compass housing until the orienting lines inside it line up with the map's grid lines (orienting arrow pointing to grid north).
- Read the bearing at the index line — that's your grid bearing. Adjust for declination if you need a magnetic bearing to walk on.
Bearing (You → Destination)
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Want a converter for grid, true and magnetic bearings? Use the bearing converter →