Advanced Navigation Challenges for Explorers

By the time young people reach Explorers, navigation can become much more than following a route on a map.

They can start planning routes themselves, making decisions, dealing with mistakes and adapting when conditions change.

That’s where navigation becomes particularly valuable.

The challenge isn’t simply:

“Can you get there?”

It’s:

“Can you work out the best way to get there, explain your decision and recognise when your plan isn’t working?”

Here are some challenges that can help take Explorer navigation to the next level.

1. Plan the Route

Give teams a destination and ask them to plan the route before setting off.

They should consider the terrain, distance, obvious landmarks, possible hazards and where they could stop to check their position.

Don’t immediately tell them which route is best.

Let each team explain its choice.

You can then discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each plan.

2. The Route Choice Challenge

Give the group two or three possible routes between the same locations.

One might be shorter.

Another might use clearer paths.

Another might avoid difficult terrain.

Ask:

“Which would you choose and why?”

There doesn’t necessarily have to be one correct answer.

The important skill is being able to justify a decision.

3. Bearing Course

Set up a series of points that require Explorers to use bearings.

Start with relatively simple bearings before introducing more precise ones.

At each point, they receive the next instruction.

The challenge becomes progressively harder as they have to combine the compass with the map rather than simply following a bearing.

4. Bearing and Distance

Take the bearing challenge one step further by adding estimated distances.

For example:

“Travel on this bearing for approximately 150 metres.”

Explorers need to combine:

Direction

Distance

Terrain

Landmarks

This teaches them that a compass bearing on its own doesn’t tell them exactly where they are.

5. Grid Reference Hunt

Give teams a series of grid references.

They need to locate each one on the map and work out the best way to reach it.

Once they arrive, they can record a code or answer a question before moving on.

This works particularly well as part of an outdoor treasure hunt.

6. Six-Figure Grid Reference Challenge

If the group is already comfortable with four-figure grid references, introduce six-figure references.

Give them a collection of locations to find.

Then reverse the activity.

Point to features on the map and ask Explorers to give you the six-figure grid reference.

Accuracy becomes much more important.

7. Map and Ground Challenge

Give Explorers a map and ask them to identify a feature before they can see it.

For example:

“There should be a footpath junction somewhere ahead.”

They need to predict where it should appear, then confirm it when they reach it.

This develops the habit of constantly comparing the map with the landscape.

8. “Where Are We?”

During a walk, stop unexpectedly.

Take away any obvious indication of where you are and ask:

“Where are we?”

The team has to establish its position using the map, compass and surrounding features.

Ask them to explain how confident they are.

This is more useful than simply telling them their location.

9. The Deliberate Error

Give a team a route plan containing a small mistake.

It could involve an incorrect bearing, a wrong grid reference or a route that doesn’t match the map.

Ask them to check the plan before setting off.

The objective is to find the error.

This teaches Explorers to check navigation information rather than blindly trusting it.

10. The Lost Route Challenge

Give Explorers a fictional scenario:

“You’ve realised you are no longer where you expected to be. What do you do?”

The answer shouldn’t simply be:

“Keep walking until we find the path.”

They should think about stopping, working out their last known position, checking the map and deciding on a safe course of action.

This teaches a critical real-world skill:

Knowing when to stop.

11. Navigate With Limited Information

Give teams a destination but only limited instructions.

For example:

“Reach this location using the map. You choose the route.”

They have to make the decisions themselves.

This is a good progression from activities where leaders provide every instruction.

12. Route Planning Under Time Pressure

Give the team a realistic but safe time limit.

They need to plan a route and estimate how long it will take.

Afterwards, compare their estimate with the actual journey.

Ask:

“Why were you faster or slower than expected?”

This introduces pacing and realistic route planning.

The objective shouldn’t be to encourage running.

13. Terrain Challenge

Ask Explorers to study the map and identify terrain before setting off.

Depending on the map, they might look for:

Hills.

Valleys.

Steep slopes.

Streams.

Woodland.

Paths.

Open ground.

Then ask:

“Which part of this route do you think will be hardest?”

Once they’ve walked it, discuss whether their prediction was accurate.

14. Contour Line Challenge

For Explorers who are ready, introduce contour lines more seriously.

Show them a section of map and ask:

“What do you think the ground looks like here?”

They can identify likely hills, valleys, ridges and steep areas.

Then take them outside and compare the map with the actual terrain.

This turns contour lines into something meaningful rather than just another map symbol.

15. The No-Compass Challenge

Give Explorers a short route that can be completed using map features and landmarks without relying on a compass.

The objective isn’t to suggest that a compass isn’t useful.

It’s to demonstrate that good navigation uses multiple sources of information.

Afterwards, discuss when a compass would have been useful.

16. The No-Map Challenge

For a very short and controlled activity, allow Explorers to navigate using landmarks and memory.

Show them a route.

Then ask them to lead another person along part of it without looking at the map.

This can demonstrate how much information we naturally take from our surroundings.

Keep the area small and familiar.

17. Memory Navigation

Walk a short route as a group.

Ask Explorers to remember key features.

Then give them a map and ask them to reconstruct the route.

Alternatively, have one team navigate while another observes.

The second team then has to describe the route afterwards.

This develops observation as well as navigation.

18. Navigation Relay

Create several short navigation stages.

At each stage, a different Explorer takes responsibility for navigation.

One might use the map.

Another checks the compass.

Another identifies landmarks.

Another monitors the route.

Rotate the roles throughout the activity.

This prevents one experienced navigator from doing everything.

19. The Wrong Turn

During a controlled exercise, allow a team to discover that they’ve taken an incorrect route.

Don’t immediately correct them.

Ask:

“Does this match the map?”

“What were we expecting to see?”

“What have we actually seen?”

The aim is to teach them to recognise discrepancies.

A good navigator isn’t someone who never makes a mistake.

It’s someone who notices and corrects mistakes early.

20. Create a Navigation Course

Once Explorers are confident, let them design a course for one another.

Give them a map and ask them to select checkpoints.

They need to think about:

Where to place checkpoints.

How difficult each leg should be.

How participants will know they’ve reached the correct location.

How to keep the course safe.

This is a great way to develop deeper understanding.

Teaching someone else how to navigate often exposes gaps in your own knowledge.

21. Emergency Route Planning

Give the group a hypothetical situation:

“Your planned route is no longer suitable. You need to reach a safe meeting point by another route.”

Ask them to find an alternative.

They should consider whether the alternative is actually safer.

This introduces an important principle:

Navigation is about making decisions, not just following lines on a map.

22. Weather and Navigation

Give Explorers a route and then introduce a weather change.

For example:

“Visibility is getting worse.”

Ask:

“Would you still take the same route?”

They should think about whether obvious landmarks might become difficult to identify and whether the route remains appropriate.

This connects navigation with wider outdoor planning.

23. Navigation With a Damaged Map

Give a team a map with part of the relevant area covered.

Ask them to work out how they could still navigate safely.

The objective isn’t to create an impossible puzzle.

It’s to encourage them to think about alternative information:

Known landmarks.

Compass directions.

Previous locations.

Route memory.

Other available maps or communication methods.

24. Navigation Equipment Failure

Create a scenario where one piece of equipment isn’t available.

For example:

“Your compass has been lost.”

Ask what changes.

Then:

“Your phone battery has died.”

What now?

The lesson is that navigation should not depend entirely on one device.

25. The Ultimate Explorer Navigation Challenge

For an end-of-term or camp activity, combine several skills.

Give teams a map, a destination and a set of objectives.

They need to:

Plan a route.

Use grid references.

Take bearings.

Estimate distances.

Identify terrain.

Recognise landmarks.

Make decisions about route choice.

Deal with a fictional problem.

Explain their decisions afterwards.

Don’t make it about speed.

The winning team could instead be the one that demonstrates the best overall navigation and decision-making.

Let Explorers Lead

At this stage, leaders should increasingly step back.

That doesn’t mean removing supervision.

It means allowing young people to make appropriate decisions within a controlled activity.

Instead of saying:

“Turn left here.”

Ask:

“What does the map tell you?”

Instead of:

“We’re at this checkpoint.”

Ask:

“Where do you think we are?”

Instead of:

“Take this route.”

Ask:

“Which route would you choose?”

The questions encourage independent thinking.

Always Review the Activity

After an advanced navigation exercise, ask what happened.

What went well?

Where did the team become uncertain?

What information helped?

Did their route plan work?

Did they estimate the time correctly?

Did they notice mistakes quickly?

What would they do differently next time?

This is where navigation skills turn into genuine experience.

Final Thoughts

Advanced navigation isn’t about making maps unnecessarily complicated.

It’s about gradually removing the leader’s instructions and giving young people more responsibility.

Explorers should start to understand that navigation involves:

Planning.

Observation.

Decision-making.

Checking.

Adapting.

And knowing when something isn’t right.

The most useful navigation challenge isn’t necessarily the hardest one.

It’s the one that makes an Explorer think:

“I need to work this out for myself.”

🧭 THE BIG IDEA

Don’t measure navigation by how quickly someone reaches the checkpoint.

Measure it by whether they know where they are, where they’re going, why they’ve chosen that route and what they’ll do if the plan stops making sense.

That’s the difference between following a route and actually learning to navigate.