Read Terrain and Contour Lines
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What you will learn
- 1Explain what contour lines and the contour interval show
- 2Tell steep ground from gentle ground on a map
- 3Recognize a hill, a valley, a ridge, a saddle and a cliff from contour patterns
- 4Choose a route that avoids steep and dangerous ground
Mini Lesson
A map is flat, but the land is full of hills, valleys and cliffs. In Grade 5 you learned that close contour lines mean steep ground. Now you will read contour lines like a picture of the land. Once you can see the shape of the ground on the map, you can help your grown-up choose a safer route before you even start walking.
🌿 The Wild Way (what contour lines tell you)
- SAME HEIGHT: each contour line joins points that are the same height above sea level. Walk along one line and you never go up or down.
- CONTOUR INTERVAL: this is the height difference between one line and the next. The map key tells you, for example 20 feet.
- NUMBERS ON THE LINES: some lines have their height written on them. The numbers tell you which way is uphill.
- CLOSE TOGETHER = STEEP: many lines packed close mean the height changes fast. The climb is hard and slow.
- FAR APART = GENTLE: lines with wide gaps mean gentle, easier ground.
- BUNCHED LINES = CLIFF: lines so close they almost touch, or merge into one, can mean a cliff or a very steep drop.
🌿 The Wild Way (see the shape of the land)
- HILL OR PEAK: rings inside rings, getting smaller toward the middle. The smallest ring is the top.
- VALLEY OR STREAM: contour lines make V shapes that point uphill. A stream often runs through the point of the V.
- RIDGE OR SPUR: contour lines make U shapes that point downhill. This is a long, raised arm of high ground.
- SADDLE: a low dip between two hills, where two sets of rings sit side by side.
- PLAN AROUND STEEP GROUND: choose routes that follow the gaps between lines. Go around cliffs and very steep slopes, even if it is longer.
Reading the map helps you plan, but your grown-up decides the route. Never walk toward a cliff edge or onto steep ground to look. Steep slopes can have loose rocks and slippery ground, so you stay on the trail with your grown-up the whole time.
Words to know
contour line
A line on a map that joins points of the same height.
e.g. We followed one contour line, so the path stayed level.
contour interval
The height difference between one contour line and the next.
e.g. The contour interval on our map was 20 feet.
terrain
The shape and type of the land, like hills, valleys and cliffs.
e.g. The terrain near the lake was flat and easy.
ridge
A long, raised strip of high ground, shown by U shapes pointing downhill.
e.g. The trail ran along the top of the ridge.
saddle
A low dip between two hills.
e.g. We crossed the hills at the saddle, the lowest point.
cliff
A very steep or straight drop, shown by contour lines bunched together.
e.g. Our route went around the cliff, not near it.
🧠 Survivor’s Trick: count the contour lines your route crosses, then multiply by the contour interval. If a path crosses 8 lines and the interval is 20 feet, you climb about 160 feet. That number helps your grown-up plan time and rest stops.
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