Wilderness Navigation Courses
located in Crowsnest Pass, near Lethbridge and Fernie
Open up a world of opportunity for you to adventure!
We guarantee your world of adventuring will become deeper and stronger when you have mastered this fundamental outdoor skill.
Our passion is to help you get outdoors and to build your skills. We love seeing adventurers enhancing their skills to explore the beautiful natural world and we want to help you enhance your outdoor skills beyond following a blue dot on an app. How cool would that be?
These small group, hands-on courses include in class instruction with outdoor practice. Read each course in detail, but our goal is for you to be able to:
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- Navigate on and off trail in the mountains by selecting your own routes
- Use a compass and map read
- Make trip plans and be able to predict your adventure time by looking at a topographic map
- Translate two dimensional maps into your adventure lifestyle
- Create your own maps
- And much more
NEW IN 2024: We are testing an online course for you to complete prior to your navigation course. We find that participatns have a lot to absorb in one day and we want to set you up for success. The online course is currently being developed. Watch for an email within two week prior to your course start date.
Wilderness Navigation Courses
You can pick from two navigation courses:
- Beginner Navigation Course (Saturday)
- Tech Navigation Course (Sunday)
You can take these courses together in the same weekend or you can just take one. If you pair the courses together, you can receive 10% off the second course.
Book your navigation course now!
Select a date from the calendar to select from our current courses.
For more information and tentative itinerary, click on the 'Details' tab below.
The beginner navigation course will focus on map reading and how to use a compass. This is a one-day course, both in the classroom and outside to practice your skills. You will have pre-course work to complete on map reading and a link will be sent out leading up to the course date. The pre-course work can take up to 5 hours to complete, but reduces your time in the classroom and enhances your ability to map read, create routes, and to utilize your time with your instructor.
The key objectives of the course include:
• Map Reading (legend, scale, grid reference, map symbols, map interpretation)
• How to plan out a route
• Identifying map features in the field
• How to take a compass bearing
• Declination
• Orientating yourself on the map
• Key navigational techniques to help you in the backcountry
• Follow a bearing in the outdoors
Location: Crowsnest Pass, exact location to be determined
There is a classroom portion and an outdoor portion. The course will be held in and around Crowsnest Pass. You may have to drive a short distance for the outdoor portion.
2025 Dates: May 10th or May 31st
Time: 8am – 4pm
Physical Difficulty Rating: Moderate
Included: course booklet, online tutorial to build your skills prior to the course date, professional instructor, safety equipment (carried by guide, first aid kit, bear spray, satellite communication device)
Not Included:
- Maps
- (Required) Blairmore 82 G/9 (1:50,000)
- (Optional, but helpful) Crowsnest Pass 82 G/10 (1:50,000)
- If you purchase a map from us, we will bring it to the classroom and you do not need to pick it up in advance. If you want to pick it up in advance, please make arrangements with Uplift Adventures.
- Compass (expect to spend around $80-$100 for a good compass, or you can rent one from us)
- Personal items including outdoor gear
- Accommodation
* A more thorough list of what to bring will be sent out upon registration.
The tech navigation course will focus on using modern day technology to navigate. New to 2024 is an online course for you to complete prior to your course start date. This pre-course work can take up to 5 hours, but will set you up for success. The pre-course work will include map reading, how to create routes on and off-trail, and utilizes your time with your instructor in the classroom. If you signed up for the beginner navigation course, then this pre-course work is the same and you only need to do it once. Your instructor will expect that you are familiar with how to do these things like reading topographic maps and will not be teaching this during the course.
During the tech navigation course there will be a morning session in the class, followed by an afternoon outdoor session. During the morning, we will work on apps and laptops. You will want to bring both to class, and ensure you have downloaded the recommended tools prior to showing up to class.
The key objectives of this course are:
• How to use a GPS and/or smart phone apps
• Creating waypoints and tracks using these systems
• How to use Google Earth to help with trip planning
• How to create your own topographic maps
• Navigate online tools to create your own customized maps
Location: Crowsnest Pass, exact location to be determined
There is a classroom portion and an outdoor portion. The course will be held in and around Crowsnest Pass. You may have to drive a short distance for the outdoor portion.
2025 Dates: May 11th or June 1st
Time: 8am – 4pm
Physical Difficulty Rating: Moderate
Included: course booklet, online tutorial to build your skills prior to the course date, professional instructor, safety equipment (carried by guide, first aid kit, bear spray, satellite communication device)
Not Included: smart phone with apps and/or GPS, laptop with software, personal items including outdoor gear, accommodation
* A list of what to bring will be sent out upon registration.
Navigation courses can be offered to private groups with a minimum of six people. Please contact us for a private booking.
"I signed up for the Navigation course with Uplift so that I would feel comfortable using a map and compass in the backcountry. I learned how to read topographic maps, navigate by compass, and how to check my work to confirm I'm on the right path. Heather is an extremely knowledgeable, patient, and fun teacher! I feel confident planning my multi-day hikes now!"
Our Wilderness Courses
Uplift Adventures wants to be your go-to outdoor center in the South Canadian Rockies. We are expanding our offerings as we find the right people to join our team to provide you with a high-quality learning experience.
Want to try, but don't have the gear?
We rent gear for all our activities, look for the gear rental add-ons in your checkout, or find out more about rental gear here!