How to Find Cardinal Directions

Finding the four cardinal directions, north, south, east and west, is necessary when navigating, because knowing those directions helps you orient your map to the world. This informs you where you've been, where you are and where you're going, the three essential pieces of knowledge for successful navigation. Once you know one of the cardinal directions, you know them all, because they're separated by 90 degrees. When you face north in the northern hemisphere, east is on your right, west is on your left, and south is behind you. Use one of several methods to find the cardinal directions.

Things You'll Need

  • Baseplate compass
  • Analog watch
  • Twig
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Instructions

  1. With a Compass

    • 1

      Align the compass' orienting arrow with the direction of travel arrow by turning the compass' housing. Hold it out in front of you, so that the center of the compass needle aligns with the direction of travel arrow. The orienting arrow is the red arrow engraved into the compass' housing. The direction of travel arrow is the arrow engraved into the baseplate which points off the compass. See "Resources" for a picture.

    • 2

      Allow the magnetic needle to settle down by holding the compass still. The red end of the needle points north. The other end points to the south.

    • 3

      Rotate around the center of the compass until the red end of the magnetic needle aligns with the orienting arrow. Once the magnetic needle and the orienting needle align, the cardinal directions shown on the compass dial align with its real-life counterparts.

    Use a Watch to Find the Cardinal Directions

    • 4

      Hold the watch out in front of you like you would hold a compass.

    • 5

      Hold a twig in front of the watch, so that it casts a shadow across the center of the watch.

    • 6

      Turn the watch until the shadow is half-way between the hour hand and 12. Twelve now points toward south. Six points toward north. Three points toward west. Nine points toward east.

    Use the North Star

    • 7

      Find the Big Dipper constellation in the night sky.

    • 8

      Follow the right edge of the Big Dipper's ladle upward five times its length to the brightest star, which is Polaris, the north star.

    • 9

      When facing the north star, south is behind you, east is on your right, and west is on your left.