Directions on the Moon
Named routes
Every route here is shown two ways: the direct line, the great circle between its points, and the terrain route, a path searched on the NASA LRO LOLA elevation model that avoids slopes past the vehicle's limit at the model's resolution (474 m around the Apollo sites, 160 m at the poles, 1.9 km elsewhere) and is never slower than the direct line when both are passable.
The Apollo rover traverses and the Cone Crater walk are drawn between the IAU-named craters of their numbered stations (an approximation of the crews' tracks, not the tracks themselves), plus three routes at the south pole. Times are estimates under the stated vehicle assumptions; slopes are means over the model's samples, so smaller features are not seen. Pick any two places on the map for your own.
Apollo 11 to Apollo 17
630 km, about 3 d 6 h by Apollo rover, estimated, terrain route
Direct line: 630 km, about 3 d 6 h. Terrain route (1.9 km): 630 km, about 3 d 6 h, max slope 18.5 degrees.
Apollo 11 to Apollo 17
From the first landing on Mare Tranquillitatis to the last in the Taurus-Littrow valley, across the mare and the Littrow highlands.
Apollo 15 to Mons Hadley Delta, by rover
13.5 km, about 2 h 26 min by Apollo rover, estimated, terrain route
Direct line: 12.6 km, about 3 h 38 min. Terrain route (474 m): 13.5 km, about 2 h 26 min, max slope 20.1 degrees.
Apollo 15 to Mons Hadley Delta
From the Falcon's landing site to the mapped centre of Mons Hadley Delta, the Apennine Front massif that rises about 4,000 m above the plain. The crew drove to its lower slopes twice, near St. George crater on the first traverse and at Spur crater on the second, and no one climbed it: the last kilometres of this route run up the mountain as a computed line, not as a track anyone drove.
Sources: IAU Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature, Mons Hadley Delta; NASA, Apollo 15 ("Hadley Delta in the background rises approximately 4,000 meters above the plain"); NSSDCA, Apollo 15 (the first traverse "near St. George Crater", the second "along the base of the Appenine Mountains near ... Spur craters"); Apollo Lunar Surface Journal, Geology Station 2 on Mt. Hadley Delta; Apollo Lunar Surface Journal, The Genesis Rock (Station 7 at Spur)
Apollo 15 to Mons Hadley Delta, on foot
14.1 km, about 6 h 48 min by on foot, estimated, terrain route
Direct line: 12.6 km, untimed (2.33 km beyond the limit). Terrain route (474 m): 14.1 km, about 6 h 48 min, max slope 19.1 degrees, avoids 2.33 km of slopes past the limit.
Apollo 15 to Mons Hadley Delta · 3.14 km steeper than 20 degrees, not timed
From the Falcon's landing site to the mapped centre of Mons Hadley Delta, the Apennine Front massif that rises about 4,000 m above the plain. The crew drove to its lower slopes twice, near St. George crater on the first traverse and at Spur crater on the second, and no one climbed it: the last kilometres of this route run up the mountain as a computed line, not as a track anyone drove.
Sources: IAU Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature, Mons Hadley Delta; NASA, Apollo 15 ("Hadley Delta in the background rises approximately 4,000 meters above the plain"); NSSDCA, Apollo 15 (the first traverse "near St. George Crater", the second "along the base of the Appenine Mountains near ... Spur craters"); Apollo Lunar Surface Journal, Geology Station 2 on Mt. Hadley Delta; Apollo Lunar Surface Journal, The Genesis Rock (Station 7 at Spur)
Shackleton to Malapert
170 km, about 2 d 6 h by on foot, estimated, terrain route
Direct line: 157 km, untimed (7.36 km beyond the limit). Terrain route (160 m, searched in your browser): 170 km, about 2 d 6 h, max slope 17.2 degrees, avoids 7.36 km of slopes past the limit.
Shackleton to Malapert · 3.73 km steeper than 20 degrees, not timed
From the crater at the south pole to the crater Malapert, 85 degrees south, both IAU-named; NASA's Malapert Massif candidate region for Artemis III lies on Mons Malapert, the mountain to the south-west named for the crater (the USGS region polygon is centred on it). The whole route is inside the polar zone, where the terrain route is searched on the 160 m LOLA tier (400 m for the page's first paint) and is a computed estimate.
Sources: IAU Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature, Malapert; NASA, Artemis III candidate landing regions (2024-10-28); McClernan (2024), Down Selected Artemis III Candidate Landing Site Navigational Grids, USGS data release, doi:10.5066/P1MEQ6UK
Apollo 17, second traverse
16.0 km, about 2 h 1 min by Apollo rover, estimated, terrain route
Direct line: 16.0 km, about 2 h 1 min. Terrain route (474 m): 16.0 km, about 2 h 1 min, max slope 5.8 degrees.
Apollo 17 via Nansen-Apollo, Ballet, Shorty, Camelot to Apollo 17
The longest Apollo drive (20.1 km): west along the valley to Nansen at the base of the South Massif (Station 2), then back by Ballet (Station 3), the orange soil at Shorty (Station 4) and Camelot (Station 5). Drawn as legs between the numbered stations' craters, as the direct line or as a terrain route, an approximation of the crew's actual track.
Sources: NSSDCA, The Apollo Lunar Roving Vehicle; Apollo Lunar Surface Journal, Geology Station 2 at the base of the South Massif (Nansen); Apollo Lunar Surface Journal, Geology Station 3 at Ballet Crater; Apollo Lunar Surface Journal, Geology Station 4 at Shorty Crater; Apollo Lunar Surface Journal, Geology Station 5 at Camelot Crater
Apollo 17, first traverse
2.99 km, about 22 min by Apollo rover, estimated, terrain route
Direct line: 2.99 km, about 22 min. Terrain route (474 m): 2.99 km, about 22 min, max slope 1.3 degrees.
Apollo 17 via Steno-Apollo to Apollo 17
The short first drive to Station 1 near Steno crater, south-east of the lunar module, after deploying the experiments. Drawn as legs between the numbered stations' craters, as the direct line or as a terrain route, an approximation of the crew's actual track.
Sources: Apollo Lunar Surface Journal, Traverse to Geology Station 1 near Steno Crater
Apollo 17, third traverse
4.20 km, about 31 min by Apollo rover, estimated, terrain route
Direct line: 4.20 km, about 31 min. Terrain route (474 m): 4.20 km, about 31 min, max slope 1.0 degrees.
Apollo 17 via Van Serg to Apollo 17
The third drive went north to the massif boulders and the Sculptured Hills; its last stop was Van Serg (Station 9), the only station of that day at an IAU-named crater. Drawn as legs between the numbered stations' craters, as the direct line or as a terrain route, an approximation of the crew's actual track.
Sources: Apollo Lunar Surface Journal, Traverse to Geology Station 9 at Van Serg Crater; NSSDCA, The Apollo Lunar Roving Vehicle
Apollo 15, first traverse
11.8 km, about 1 h 34 min by Apollo rover, estimated, terrain route
Direct line: 11.6 km, about 1 h 36 min. Terrain route (474 m): 11.8 km, about 1 h 34 min, max slope 12.1 degrees.
Apollo 15 via Elbow, St. George to Apollo 15
The rover's first drive on the Moon: south along Hadley Rille to Elbow crater (Station 1) and up the flank of Hadley Delta near St. George (Station 2). Drawn as legs between the numbered stations' craters, as the direct line or as a terrain route, an approximation of the crew's actual track.
Sources: Apollo Lunar Surface Journal, Geology Station 1 at Elbow Crater; Apollo Lunar Surface Journal, Geology Station 2 on Mt. Hadley Delta ("our present position near St. George"); Apollo 15 Mission Report (MSC-05161, 1971), section 8.2
Apollo 15, second traverse
9.33 km, about 1 h 10 min by Apollo rover, estimated, terrain route
Direct line: 9.33 km, about 1 h 10 min. Terrain route (474 m): 9.33 km, about 1 h 10 min, max slope 9.2 degrees.
Apollo 15 via Spur, Dune to Apollo 15
Up the Apennine Front to Spur crater (Station 7), where the Genesis Rock was found, and back by Dune crater (Station 4). Drawn as legs between the numbered stations' craters, as the direct line or as a terrain route, an approximation of the crew's actual track.
Sources: Apollo Lunar Surface Journal, The Genesis Rock (Station 7 at Spur); Apollo 15 Mission Report (MSC-05161, 1971): "the planned stop at station 4 (Dune crater)"
Apollo 16, first traverse
2.94 km, about 22 min by Apollo rover, estimated, terrain route
Direct line: 2.94 km, about 22 min. Terrain route (474 m): 2.94 km, about 22 min, max slope 0.9 degrees.
Apollo 16 via Plum to Apollo 16
The first drive at Descartes: west to Plum crater (Station 1) on the rim of Flag and back. Drawn as legs between the numbered stations' craters, as the direct line or as a terrain route, an approximation of the crew's actual track.
Sources: Apollo Lunar Surface Journal, Station 1 at Plum Crater; Apollo 16 Mission Report (MSC-07230, 1972)
Apollo 16, second traverse
7.73 km, about 1 h 1 min by Apollo rover, estimated, terrain route
Direct line: 7.73 km, about 1 h 1 min. Terrain route (474 m): 7.73 km, about 1 h 1 min, max slope 7.8 degrees.
Apollo 16 via Cinco to Apollo 16
South to the Cinco craters on the slopes of Stone Mountain (Station 4), the steepest ground a rover climbed, and back. Drawn as legs between the numbered stations' craters, as the direct line or as a terrain route, an approximation of the crew's actual track.
Sources: Apollo Lunar Surface Journal, Geology Station 4 at the Stone Mountain Cincos; Apollo 16 Mission Report (MSC-07230, 1972): "the pitch needle was pegged at 20 degrees"
Apollo 16, third traverse
9.65 km, about 1 h 11 min by Apollo rover, estimated, terrain route
Direct line: 9.65 km, about 1 h 11 min. Terrain route (474 m): 9.65 km, about 1 h 11 min, max slope 1.5 degrees.
Apollo 16 via North Ray to Apollo 16
North to the rim of North Ray crater (Station 11), the largest crater visited on foot by any Apollo crew, and back. Drawn as legs between the numbered stations' craters, as the direct line or as a terrain route, an approximation of the crew's actual track.
Sources: Apollo Lunar Surface Journal, Station 11 and North Ray Crater
Apollo 14, the Cone Crater walk
2.65 km, about 41 min by on foot, estimated, terrain route
Direct line: 2.65 km, about 41 min. Terrain route (474 m): 2.65 km, about 41 min, max slope 3.3 degrees.
Apollo 14 via Cone, Weird to Apollo 14
The second Apollo 14 EVA on foot: up the ridge toward Cone crater, which the crew turned back from about 30 m short of the rim, then down past Weird crater (Station G). Drawn as legs between the named craters, as the direct line or as a terrain route, an approximation of the walk; planning used 4.4 km/h on the level and 2.2 km/h on slopes.
Sources: Apollo Lunar Surface Journal, So Near, Yet... Geology at Cone Crater; Apollo Lunar Surface Journal, Geological Activities near Weird Crater; Eppler et al., Lunar highland terrain walking EVA operations (LPSC 2025, abstract 2023)
Shackleton rim to the de Gerlache rim, on foot
58.3 km, about 18 h 49 min by on foot, estimated, terrain route
Direct line: 56.3 km, untimed (2.00 km beyond the limit). Terrain route (400 m): 58.3 km, about 18 h 49 min, max slope 16.0 degrees, avoids 2.00 km of slopes past the limit.
89.6840° S, 163.2610° W to Artemis III candidate region: de Gerlache Rim 2
An Artemis-era walk along the connecting ridge: from a point on the Shackleton to de Gerlache ridge that LROC mapped at 1 m per pixel (89.684 S, 196.739 E, the rim of Shackleton just behind it) to the centre of de Gerlache Rim 2, one of the nine Artemis III candidate landing regions NASA announced in October 2024, as outlined in the USGS navigational-grid data release (that endpoint is the centre of a 20 by 20 km region polygon, not a landing point). The terrain route is a computed estimate on the 160 m LOLA tier, avoiding slopes at that resolution only; the pole views draw no route yet.
Sources: LROC, Traversing the Shackleton de Gerlache Ridge (2022-04-01; the mosaic centred at 89.684 S, 196.739 E); NASA, Artemis III candidate landing regions (2024-10-28); McClernan (2024), Down Selected Artemis III Candidate Landing Site Navigational Grids, USGS data release, doi:10.5066/P1MEQ6UK
Malapert Massif to Haworth, by rover
50.5 km, about 7 h 39 min by Apollo rover, estimated, terrain route
Direct line: 50.2 km, about 7 h 42 min. Terrain route (400 m): 50.5 km, about 7 h 39 min, max slope 18.1 degrees.
Artemis III candidate region: Malapert Massif to Artemis III candidate region: Haworth
Between the centres of two Artemis III candidate landing regions, Malapert Massif and Haworth, from the USGS navigational-grid data release (each endpoint is the centre of a region polygon, about 21 by 20 km and 30 by 35 km, not a landing point). The terrain route is a computed estimate on the 160 m LOLA tier for the Apollo rover's limits, avoiding slopes at that resolution only; nobody has driven here and no lander is committed to either region.
Sources: NASA, Artemis III candidate landing regions (2024-10-28); McClernan (2024), Down Selected Artemis III Candidate Landing Site Navigational Grids, USGS data release, doi:10.5066/P1MEQ6UK
Station craters from the IAU/USGS Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature; station assignments from the Apollo Lunar Surface Journal and the mission reports linked above; elevation from NASA LRO LOLA; vehicle figures from the NASA documents cited in each route's panel.