Map Reading and Land Navigation Workshop — 2-Day Weekend Training

Map Reading and Land Navigation Workshop — A 2-Day Weekend Introduction to Real Navigation Skill

The Map Reading and Land Navigation Workshop is a two-day, one-night introduction to real land navigation skill, taught over a single weekend so a Saturday–Sunday commitment is all it takes — no vacation day required. This land navigation training was developed and is taught by former Army Ranger and Green Beret Joshua Enyart, and covers the core map, compass, and terrain-reading ability every hiker, hunter, and prepper should own.

This is a foundations-level workshop — a focused slice of the full GB2 navigation curriculum, taught at a pace built for a weekend rather than a training week. Students leave with real, usable skill: the ability to read a topographic map, correct for declination, hold a heading, and navigate confidently without depending on GPS or a phone signal.

What You'll Learn

Map and Terrain Fundamentals

The workshop begins with the map itself — reading topographic maps, marginal data, map colors, and terrain features, understanding elevation and relief, and working with grid reference systems. This is the foundation everything else in the course builds on: the ability to look at a map and understand what the ground is actually doing before you set foot on it.

Compass and Movement Skills

Students learn to determine and use azimuths, use a compass correctly, and apply dead reckoning and terrain association as a paired system — dead reckoning to track distance and direction, terrain association to confirm position against the ground. The workshop also covers determining distance with pace counts, working with navigational aids, and resection — the process for figuring out your position when the map and the ground stop matching.

Field Application

Classroom instruction is only half the workshop. Students run two day navigation courses and one night navigation course, applying everything covered in real field conditions. Night navigation in particular is where the skill set gets tested — terrain association is harder without full visibility, and pace counting becomes the primary distance tool when you can't confirm the ground visually.

Instructor Credentials and Safety Infrastructure

The Map Reading and Land Navigation Workshop is taught by Joshua Enyart — a former Army Ranger and Green Beret with three decades of professional instructor experience. Every technique taught in this workshop has been field-tested and refined for how people actually learn to navigate, not just how the manual describes it.

Safety infrastructure matches every GB2 field course: on-site Medic Station with appropriate medical equipment, dedicated medic and Search and Rescue staff on every event, and all instructors CPR/AED certified and Wilderness First Responder certified at minimum. The course is fully insured.

Who This Land Navigation Course Is For

This workshop is built for the person who wants dependable navigation skill without a multi-day time commitment — the weekend hiker, hunter, camper, or prepper who wants to read a map and hold a heading with confidence. It's a civilian-focused, general-skills workshop, not a Special Operations Selection prep pathway and not the full advanced navigation system. No prior land navigation experience is required.

How This Workshop Fits the GB2 Land Navigation Lineup

GB2 offers three land navigation courses, each built for a different goal. This workshop covers the core skill set over one weekend for people who can't commit more time — lighter depth and fewer repetitions than the longer courses, but no time off work required. Students preparing for a Special Operations selection course should look at the Tactical Navigator™ Course (3 days), built around selection standards using military MGRS maps and timed navigation lanes. Students who want the complete system — including self-mapping and primitive/field-expedient direction finding, with the deepest repetition and lane time of any GB2 navigation course — should look at the Master Navigator™ Course (4 days). If you finish this workshop and want to go further, your instructor will point you toward the right next step.

Course Details

The Map Reading and Land Navigation Workshop runs 2 days and 1 night, arriving Saturday morning and departing Sunday afternoon. The current scheduled session runs July 10–11, 2027 in Columbia, TN. Group size is kept small for hands-on instruction and individual coaching on every lane. A full packing list, including your own overnight gear and food, will be sent after registration.

View all scheduled dates and locations at the Live Training Events & Courses collection.

Ready for more once you've got the fundamentals down? Explore our Master Navigator™ 4-Day Course, or pick up the Complete Navigation Bundle to build your kit before you go.