Navigation Without GPS

Find a straight stick 3-4 feet long. Plant it upright in level ground. Mark the tip of the shadow with a rock. Wait 15 minutes. Mark the new shadow tip. The line between marks runs west-to-east (first mark is west). Stand with feet on this line. You face north.

Works best in clear sunlight on level ground. Unreliable before 8am or after 4pm.

Sun rises east, sets west. At solar noon (when sun peaks highest), it points south in Northern Hemisphere, north in Southern Hemisphere. Observe the sun's movement across the sky—not its current position. This method works while moving and requires no equipment.

Noon is not 12pm. Use the sun's highest point in the sky, not clock time.

Locate the Big Dipper constellation. Find the two stars forming the outer cup edge. Imagine a line extending through these stars upward 5 times their distance. This leads to Polaris (North Star). Once found, Polaris always indicates true north.

Only visible north of equator. Impossible in deep fog, clouds, or extreme light pollution.

Locate the Southern Cross constellation (four bright stars). Draw imaginary line through the longest axis downward. Locate two pointer stars left of the cross. Imagine vertical line through the pointers. Where these lines meet, drop straight down to horizon—that's south.

Only visible south of equator. Requires clear night sky.

Magnetize a needle by rubbing it one direction 50+ times on cloth or hair. Float needle on a leaf in still water or suspend by thread. Needle aligns north-south. The end pointing away from sunset is north. Use to verify direction between star observations.

Magnetic variation occurs. Never use as primary navigation tool.

Count steps over known 100-meter distance. Record average pace count. When navigating, divide total paces by average to estimate distance. Mark landmarks every 100 paces. Account for terrain—uphill and soft ground increase step count.

Accuracy drops with fatigue, injury, or rough terrain. Always verify with visible landmarks.