Some Mesotheorists have parroted the following scenario as evidence the Land of Zarahemla was directly north of the Land of Nephi (proper not general):
1 And now it came to pass that as Alma was journeying from the land of Gideon southward away to the land of Manti behold to his astonishment he met with the sons of Mosiah journeying towards the land of Zarahemla. (Alma 17)
13 And now it came to pass that Ammon went and told the king all the words which the Lord had said unto him.
14 And they gathered together all their people, yea, all the people of the Lord, and did gather together all their flocks and herds, and departed out of the land, and came into the wilderness which divided the land of Nephi from the land of Zarahemla, and came over near the borders of the land.
15 And it came to pass that Ammon said unto them: Behold, I and my brethren will go forth into the land of Zarahemla, and ye shall remain here until we return; and we will try the hearts of our brethren, whether they will that ye shall come into their land.
16 And it came to pass that as Ammon was going forth into the land, that he and his brethren met Alma, over in the place of which has been spoken; and behold, this was a joyful meeting.
17 Now the joy of Ammon was so great even that he was full; yea, he was swallowed up in the joy of his God, even to the exhausting of his strength; and he fell again to the earth. (Alma 27)
What they fail to realize is the City of Zarahemla was in the center of the Land of Zarahemla in a low lying area, surrounded by mountains and hills. The preferred route was not to scale the mountains and hills, but to go “round them.”
Thus the expression: “bent their course“:
And it came to pass that the people of king Limhi did depart by night into the wilderness with their flocks and their herds and they went round about the land of Shilom in the wilderness and bent their course towards the land of Zarahemla being led by Ammon and his brethren. (Mosiah 22:11)
As is shown on the map [it’s important to keep in mind there is more than one “land of Nephi” (see Land of Nephi – Where?) and larger Internal Book of Mormon Geography Map].