I’ve been fortunate in that I’ve never found myself lost. I take great pains to ensure I have all of the tools I need to find my direction, brining with me GPS device, my phone, a compass, and a mini map on any extended hikes. The Boy Scout in me took the motto “Always Be Prepared” to heart, perhaps too much at times.

But I realize that accidents can happen and even the most prepared person could find themselves lost and alone. To ensure I’m hopefully never completely lost, I spent some time learning some simple tricks to recognize the cardinal directions using nothing but what nature has to offer.

I’m hoping I never have to use these skills for real, but I’ve put together a video with these tips so that others can learn from them should they ever find themselves in a desperate situation.

I’m including the video now in this post, but below it is a detailed explanation of the various tips.

Navigating with the Sun

The earth is tilted 23.5 degrees creating our seasons

Using Sunrise and Sunset

Using the sunrise or sunset seems like an obviously easy option. We all know the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. That that’s only the case if you are close to the equator. Due to the tilt of the earth in summer and winter, the arc the sun takes across the sky can vary wildly.

At my location in Nebraska at 40 degrees north, the sun crosses in the southern hemisphere of the sky for most of the year causing it to rise in the southeast and set in the southwest. In the summer, the route is even more eccentric. It rises in the northeast, swings up high into the southern hemisphere of the sky at noon and then sets in the northwest.

The sun’s path across the sky at 40N at different times of the year

It’s only during the spring and autumn equinoxes that the sun sets reliable due east and west for me.

So the thing to remember is: the further you are from the equator, the more extreme the sun’s path is. You have to account for this and the time of year when using the sunrise and sunset to find a rough east and west estimate.

Using the sun’s shadow

A much more reliable alternative to using the sunrise and set is to use the sun’s shadow. To do this, you simply put a stick in the ground and mark the location of the tip of the shadow. Then wait 1.5 - 2 hours. Mark the tip of the shadow’s new location. Then use a stick or draw a line between the two shadow marks. That line will be running very close to east and west.

Note: If you do this over the Noon hour, you need to allow equal amounts of time on both sides of noon to get the most accurate results, e.g. 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Using the Shadow on the Moon

An example of how to visualize a gibbous moon

You can use the moon to find a southern direction (or northern if you’re in the southern hemisphere). This one is really hard to show visually in real life video or pictures.

Basically, if you draw a line from crescent tip to crescent tip, that line will point southerly. The same goes for for half moons or gibbous moons. Obviously it doesn’t work if the moon is full or new because you need some sort of shadow.

The shadow of the moon rotates as it circles the globe keeping the same orientation

Try it out the next time you see the moon and know where south is and you’ll understand the concept quick enough.

Using the North Star

This is one of the easiest and most accurate ways to get your bearings. Polaris got its nickname for a reason. It is extremely close to due north, measuring only about 4/5th of a degree off of center. Once you learn what to look for, finding Polaris should only take a few seconds. This unfortunately only works in the northern hemisphere, as the star isn’t visible from the southern hemisphere.

The easiest way to find it is to use one of the most recognizable constellations in the sky, The Big Dipper, aka Ursa Major (The Big Bear). The 2 stars making up the dipper part, furthest from the handle, will point directly to Polaris.

You can also use Cassiopeia to find Polaris. Part of the W shape points roughly in the same direction the North Star.

The Bid Dipper’s outer ladle stars point almost directly to Polaris. Part of Cassiopeia points roughly towards it.

Constellation Rotation (Click to view larger)

Just remember that everything in the north rotates around Polaris so the Big Dipper and Cassiopeia will rotate around it, meaning the dipper may be above it or to the right. The stars however will still always point towards Polaris.

Wind and Weather

In the video, I briefly go over using wind and weather. To be honest, to accurately navigate using the wind takes years of practice and knowing what to look for. It’s a true art. I go over a few things I know because I’m familiar with my area, but do not feel qualified to give practical training in this written guide.

My main suggestion is to learn the weather patterns of the area you are traveling to. When I went to the Dominican Republic during hurricane season, I was studying how they worked and moved across the Atlantic Ocean for weeks before I left. By learning the weather patterns, you can help yourself avoid getting caught off guard.

You can use cirrus clouds and plane contrails to navigate as well. The wind doesn’t change directions as much at the top of the troposphere. So, measure the cloud movement against a fixed spot, like a tree, then compare it to a known direction. You can then keep using the cirrus clouds for hours or sometimes days without them changing direction.

Bonus Tip - Measuring time with your hands

A bonus tip included in the video is how to know when to start setting up camp. A good rule of thumb is to leave yourself 2 hours before the sun sets. This 2 hour rule is tricky though for 2 reasons.

First, it means you have to know when the sun will set and a clock.

Not lined up quite correct because I had to reach around the camera. Both hands should be palm toward me (like the top one)

Second, things like tall trees or mountains will make the sun “set” earlier than what is reported on a weather app. All you care about when setting up camp is when will it get dark, not when will the sun go beyond the flat horizon.

Luckily there is a dead simple way to know how long until the sun will be behind some obstruction. You simply hold out your hands at arm length, palms toward you, fingers together. Then you place the bottom of your pinky finger on the horizon or other object that the sun will go behind.

Then you count how many fingers it takes to reach the sun, stacking hands as needed. Each finger (don’t use thumbs) equals about 15 minutes of time give or take a 1-2 minutes. When the sun is 8 fingers (2 hands) from setting, that’s when it’s time to stop and start setting up camp.

This works regardless of timezone or daylight savings time because the sun’s speed across the sky doesn’t change, and all you’re doing is measuring its arc (each finger is 3-4 degrees of the sky and the sun moves 15 degrees per hour).

Navigating with Nature