You may not be able to see much from the top of a mountain if all the mountains surrounding it are taller. For an idea of what you will and won't be able to see from a particular vantage point, compare elevations on the map. Once you can tell whether a trail or road is going uphill or downhill, and how steep it is, you can begin to look for what else the landscape has in store. Some topographical maps have a key to indicate the meaning of symbols and colors, but many don't. Green dots indicate scrubs .
Red indicates highways and urban areas.
Black indicates buildings and any other man-made features like dams, campgrounds, roads, forest or park boundaries, trails, and so forth. Elevations are indicated in black print next to a benchmark.