Man-made features on a USGS topo map are mostly black. Small houses are small black squares, and bigger buildings are drawn to their real shape. Where buildings are too dense to show one by one, towns get a gray or pink tint instead. Small icons mark schools, churches, campgrounds, cemeteries, and other landmarks, and many features are simply labeled, like Substation or Golf Course.
What is the campground symbol on a topo map?
On standard USGS topo maps, a campground is a small black tent. USGS–Forest Service quads use a red tent inside a red box. Picnic areas use a picnic table in the same two styles.
IN THIS GUIDE
Buildings and towns · Campgrounds and recreation · Landmarks and structures · Forest Service administrative sites · Using buildings and landmarks · FAQ
Buildings and towns
Building symbols tell you where people live and work, which is handy for navigation and for spotting private property.
Building
Small black squares are individual houses and buildings. Large buildings are drawn to their actual footprint, and different fills (solid, open, or hatched) mark different building types and sizes.
School; house of worship
A building with a flag is a school. A building with a cross is a church or other house of worship. Both make good landmarks in rural areas.
Built-up area
A gray or pink tint where buildings are too dense to show individually. Landmark buildings like schools, churches, and city halls may still be shown inside it.
Athletic field
A dashed outline in the shape of the field or stadium.
Racetrack or raceway
An oval outline drawn to scale.
Campgrounds and recreation
The red boxed icons appear on USGS–Forest Service quads. Standard USGS maps use the smaller black versions.
Campground
A tent. Marks a developed campground, usually with a road in. The map won't tell you about fees, reservations, or seasons, so check with the managing agency.
Picnic area
A picnic table. Day-use areas, often at trailheads, lakes, and overlooks.
Roadside park or rest area
A small picnic table along a highway: a roadside park or rest area.
Winter recreation area USGS–Forest Service quads
A red snowflake in a box: a ski area, snow play area, or other winter recreation site.
Boat ramp or boat access USGS–Forest Service quads
A dot on the shoreline with a short line into the water: a boat ramp or access point.
Landmarks and structures
Small point symbols mark structures you can spot from a distance. That makes them useful for checking your position.
Cemetery
A dashed outline labeled Cem, sometimes with a cross. Small cemeteries may be a tiny square. Rural cemeteries are often the last trace of an old community, and a favorite of genealogists.
Located or landmark object (feature as labeled)
A small circle with a center dot, labeled with what it is, such as a tower, monument, or lookout.
Tanks
Solid dots and circles in several sizes: water, oil, or other storage tanks. Large tanks are drawn to scale.
Covered reservoir
A hatched circle or rectangle: a covered water reservoir, usually part of a town water system.
Gaging station
A circle split into black and white quarters, on or beside a stream. Marks a stream gauge that measures water flow.
Well (other than water), windmill or wind generator
Small open circles are wells other than water wells, such as oil or gas wells. A small tower symbol is a windmill or wind generator, a common landmark on ranch land.
Airport, paved landing strip, runway, taxiway, or apron
Runways and taxiways drawn to their real shape.
Unpaved landing strip
A dashed outline: a dirt or grass airstrip, common in remote ranch and backcountry areas.
Forest Service administrative sites
These appear only on single-edition quads made jointly by the USGS and the Forest Service.
Forest headquarters USGS–Forest Service quads
A flag: the headquarters of a National Forest.
Ranger district office USGS–Forest Service quads
A building with a flag: a ranger district office, a good place to ask about road, trail, and fire conditions.
Guard station or work center USGS–Forest Service quads
A small sloped-roof building: a guard station or work center, often staffed only seasonally.
WATCH
Topo Map Reading, part 6: Map Symbols
Contour lines, benchmarks, rivers, streams, lakes, swamps, roads, trails, buildings, and campgrounds in under a minute.
Watch the full Topo Map Reading series →Using buildings and landmarks
- Buildings mean people. A cluster of black squares is a ranch, farm, or cabin group. Assume it's private property unless a boundary line says otherwise.
- Check the map date. Buildings come and go. Old maps show homesteads, schools, and churches that are now ruins or gone completely, which is great for history hunting.
- Use tall landmarks to find yourself. Towers, tanks, and windmills can be seen from far away. Take a compass bearing to two of them to pin down your position.
- Read the labels. Many features are just named on the map, like Substation, Golf Course, or Lookout.
PUT IT TO USE
See these symbols on a real map
Frequently asked questions
What do the small black squares mean on a topo map?
Small black squares are individual buildings, usually houses. Larger buildings are drawn to their real shape.
How is a church shown on a USGS topo map?
A church or other house of worship is a small building symbol with a cross on top. A building with a flag is a school.
What does Cem mean on a topo map?
Cem is short for cemetery. It's usually shown with a dashed outline around the cemetery, sometimes with a cross.
What does the gray or pink shading on a topo map mean?
Gray or pink tint marks a built-up area where buildings are too close together to show individually.
MORE SYMBOL GUIDES
Road, Trail & Railroad Symbols on Topo Maps · Boundary Lines on Topo Maps: States, Counties, Parks & Public Land · Mine, Cave & Utility Line Symbols on Topo Maps
← Back to all USGS map symbols
Symbol artwork from the U.S. Geological Survey Topographic Map Symbols brochure (public domain).