Get one long stick (at least 3 feet/1 meter long), one medium length stick (2 to 3 feet/1 meter long), and 3 short sticks (1 feet or 30cm). Then, all you need is a bit of time. This doesn’t work well around noon, but any time after or before it should work. This works in the northern hemisphere.
Place the tall stick straight into the ground and make sure that the ground is relatively flat. You should see a shadow cast by the stick, and at the tip of the shadow, place the first short stick (West) straight into the ground and align the shadow of the long stick to the short stick. Wait about 10 to 15 minutes, and the long stick shadow will move. At that point, place the second stick straight into the ground and align the shadow of the long stick to the second short stick. Wait about 10 to 15 minutes and place the third stick (East) straight into the ground and align the shadow of the long stick to the third short stick. Take the long stick out of the ground and place it along the 3 short sticks. Take the medium length stick and intersect the long stick at 90 degrees. North is the direction between West (the first stick to your left) and East (the third stick to your right). Check it with a compass, and it is very accurate.
