The Global Positioning System (GPS)

Handheld, battery operated and lightweight GPS receivers now cost less than $100. If you visit a well-marked site such as Lake Valley, you don't really need a GPS receiver--but if you visit a site that stands as it was abandoned many years before, such as Brice (and if you have acquired latitude and longitude information beforehand) then knowing your exact latitude and longitude as you hike about the site is vital. The display screen on your receiver shows you, within a few feet, exactly where you are standing on the earth's surface.

With this information constantly available, you know exactly which way to hike to see each of the site's features.