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How to Survive in the Woods
Co-authored by wikiHow Staff | Reader-Approved | 29 References

Updated: October 23, 2019

Explore this Article

Finding Drinking Water
Building a Shelter
Finding Food
Show 2 more...
Article Summary
Questions & Answers
Related Articles

Getting lost in the woods can be a scary situation. Whether you've gotten lost on a
hike, your car broke down on a wilderness road, or any other reason, surviving in
the woods is difficult, but it can be done. You need to have water to drink, food
to eat, shelter to sleep, and fire to cook and keep warm. If you can tend to your
basic physical needs, you can survive in the woods then signal and wait for rescue.
Part 1
Finding Drinking Water

Image titled Survive in the Woods Step 11

1
Search for a source of fresh water. The first thing that you'll need in order
to survive in the woods is water that you can drink. Look for signs of fresh water
nearby like areas of green foliage that indicate water is nearby, low-lying areas
where water could be collected, and signs of wildlife like animal tracks. It could
mean that a creek, stream, or pond is nearby. While finding water is important for
survival, be aware some water sources will not be safe - if possible treat all
drinking water before using. [1]
If there are mountains nearby, look for water collected at the foot of the
cliffs.
The presence of insects like mosquitoes and flies means that water is
nearby.
Water from heavily oxygenated water (such as from a big waterfall or
rapids) typically is safer than that from a slow or still water source.
Freshwater springs are typically safer water sources, although these can be
contaminated by mineral or bacteria as well.
Remember that all untreated water must be considered risky unless treated.
Even crystal clear water can harbor dangerous diseases if consumed.
2
Collect rainwater to drink. Rainwater is one of the easiest and safest ways to
hydrate yourself in the woods. If it starts to rain, place any containers that you
have out in the rain to collect it. If you have a tarp or a poncho, hang it at
least 3–4 feet (0.91–1.22 m) off of the ground by tying the corners to trees, and
place a small rock in the center to create a depression that will collect the
water.[2]
Don't let the water sit in a container or a tarp for too long or it can
stagnate and bacteria can contaminate it.
Always purify any water that you collect.
3
Absorb morning dew with a piece of cloth. Use a rag, cloth, shirt, sock, or any
other item of clothing that's made out of absorbent material like cotton to capture
morning dew. Find a clearing or a meadow with tall grasses and place the cloth on
top of the grass to pick up the dew. Move the cloth around in the grass until it's
saturated, then wring out the water into a container.[3]
You can collect the most dew just before sunrise.
Be careful not to collect dew from poisonous plants. Grasses are your
safest bet.
4
Dig a hole to find fresh water. You may be able to find fresh water simply by
digging a hole deep enough to reach the water table or the level in which the
ground is saturated with water. Use a shovel or a sturdy stick to dig down until
you reach water. Make the hole wide enough so you can easily scoop water from the
hole.[4]
Wait until the mud settles down at the bottom of the hole and the water
clears before you scoop it out.

Tip: Look for places like a dried-up stream or an area with lots of green
foliage to dig for water.
5
Melt snow or ice if you can find some. If you find ice or snow on the ground in
the woods, collect it so you can melt it down for fresh drinking water. You can
place the ice or snow in a container and place it next to a fire to melt it or you
can hold the container to use your body heat to melt it.[5]
Collect snow or ice that has a bluish tint to it. Frozen water that is gray
or opaque will have a high concentration of salt, which can dehydrate you even more
if you drink it.
6
Purify any water that you find. It's extremely important that you purify any
water that you collect, including rainwater, dew, and ice or snow, so you don't
consume bacteria that could make you ill or even kill you. Use a piece of cloth or
clothing to strain the water to remove large particles, then boil the water for 10
minutes to kill any contaminants.[6]
If you don't have a container to boil water in, you can fill a clear
plastic bottle with water, seal the lid, and place the bottle on its side in direct
sunlight for 6 hours to purify it.
In the event that you have no containers and no way to purify water, you
can dig a deep hole, let it fill with groundwater, and wait for the particles to
settle at the bottom and the water is clear before you drink it. You should only do
this if you have no other option.[7]

Part 2
Building a Shelter

1
 Search for a dry, flat area between 2 trees with splits in their trunks. Look
around the area to find a relatively flat area with a tree that has a trunk that
splits about 3–5 feet (0.91–1.52 m) off of the ground. If possible, try to find 2
trees that have a split in their trunks about 3–5 feet (0.91–1.52 m) off of the
ground and are about 10 feet (3.0 m) apart from each other.[8]
If you can't find a tree with a split in its trunk, look for a strong
branch or log that has a “Y” shape to serve as the support for your shelter.
Clear the area between the trees of rocks and debris so it will be more
comfortable to lie on.
2
Find a branch 10 feet (3.0 m) long and 3–6 inches (7.6–15.2 cm) thick. To form
your shelter you need a support beam, so look for a sturdy tree branch that isn't
rotting. The straighter the branch, the better it will be for forming the structure
of your shelter.[9]
Clear off any critters or spiders that may be on the branch.
3
Insert 1 end of the branch into the split of 1 of the trees. Where the tree
splits and forms a “V” shape, place 1 end of the branch to hold it up as a support
beam. If the tree doesn't have a split, use a log that ends in a “V” shape and lean
it against a tree so the branch is supported by the tree.[10]
If you have rope or twine, tie the branch to the tree to secure it even
more.
4
Place the other end of the branch into the split of the other tree. Form a
horizontal frame with the main branch by inserting the other end in the split of a
nearby tree. Make sure the branch is firmly held in place by shaking it a little.
[11]

Tip: If you don't have another tree, you can rest the other end of the main
branch on the ground, but your shelter will be smaller.
5
Lean branches against the main branch to form the structure of your shelter.
Gather a bunch of branches that are long enough to be propped up against the main
branch of your shelter. Think about forming ribs with the branches. Try to keep
them as close together as you can.[12]
Try to use dry or fresh branches rather than damp or rotting ones.
6
Lay twigs and leaves over the branches to form a layer of insulation. Once
you've formed the structure of your shelter, use smaller, leafy branches, brush, or
leaves to create a layer of insulation that will help retain heat and provide cover
from the wind and rain. Lay the leaves and small branches over the frame in order
of decreasing size to create a thick layer.[13]
Add layers of insulation until you can't find any holes in it and add as
many layers as you can to help keep the shelter warm.
If you have a tarp, drape it over the frame of your shelter.
7
Use leaves to make a bed inside of the shelter. Try to make your shelter as
comfortable as you can by finding soft material like leaves or pine needles and
laying them on the ground inside of your shelter. Check for any insects or spiders
on the material before you put it in your shelter.[14]

Part 3
Finding Food

1
Flip over logs to search for insects that you can eat. Insects are easy to
catch and kill and are packed with protein and fats that will help you survive in
the woods. Check under rotting logs to look for ants, termites, beetles, and grubs.
Keep an eye out for worms in the dirt, too. You can eat most insects raw, but avoid
spiders, ticks, and flies.[15]
Check under stones, boards, and other materials for insects. Only eat
insects that you have killed.
Insects with hard outer shells like beetles and grasshoppers should be
cooked for 5 minutes before you eat them to remove any parasites. Push a stick
through the insect and hold it over a fire to cook it.
2
Pick wild edible berries to eat. If you happen to come by an identifiable berry
bush, definitely take advantage. Never consume any berries that you cannot
positively identify as many are toxic. To be safe, stick to eating berries that you
recognize like blackberries, raspberries, and wild strawberries.[16]
Always avoid white berries, as most are generally toxic to humans.
3
Look for edible mushrooms in the woods, if you are trained. Look for wild
mushrooms near dark and damp areas or on dying trees in the woods. But be very
careful because if you eat the wrong mushroom, you could become extremely ill and
potentially die. If you're not sure about whether or not a mushroom is safe to eat,
don't eat it![17]
Morel mushrooms have a spongy cap that resembles a honeycomb and can be
found near the bottoms of trees.
Chanterelles mushrooms have a bright yellow-orange color and can be found
near conifers and hardwood trees.
Oyster mushrooms grow in clusters and resemble an oyster or scallop. They
can be found on dying hardwood trees.
Mushrooms do not offer many calories and no protein - the effort made in
wandering around the woods searching for a mushroom may expend more energy than
replaced by eating edible fungi. You are probably better off looking for other wild
food.
Unless you are trained as a mushroom expert, generally avoid collecting
mushrooms. It is easy to misidentify a fungus and the risks of ingesting a
dangerous substance generally outweigh the rewards.
4
Forage for edible wild plants. There are lots of wild plants in the woods that
you can eat, but you need to make sure you're gathering ones that aren't toxic.
Look for dandelion leaves, the green leaves of chickweed and wood sorrel, and the
tender young flowers of primrose and wild violets. If you're not sure what plant
you're picking, don't eat it.[18]
Wash off any edible plants that you find.
5
Build a snare if you have string or wire. A snare is a safe and relatively easy
way to catch small game like rabbits and squirrels. Take a piece of wire or string
about 2.5 feet (0.76 m) long, make a loop at one end and tie a slip knot. Then push
the opposite end of the string or wire through the slip knot to form a large
circle. Hang the circle of the snare over a footpath or a trail in the woods.[19]
Make a horizontal bar over the ground with a branch to hang your snare.
Set up as many snares as you can in the area and check them every 24 hours
to see if you've caught anything.

Tip: Look for a small, beaten path that was made by an animal to place your
snare.
6
Avoid hunting large animals. If you're trying to survive in the woods, you need
to be as healthy as you can be. While deer and wild pigs do have nutritious meat,
they can injure you if you do not have the right gun to get the animals down
humanely. Even if you can kill a deer or pig, you may not have the tools necessary
to preserve the massive amount of meat that has come from the once-living animal.
Small game and insects are much safer to hunt and gather and can provide you with
adequate nutrition to survive in the woods.[20]
Small wounds can quickly become infected and life-threatening in a survival
situation.

Part 4
Starting a Fire

1
Find small, dry material to use as tinder. Look for dry grass, leaves, tree
bark, pine needles, or any other small flammable materials you can find in the
area. Tinder needs to be material that is easy to light and will produce a large
flame so you can start your fire.[21]
If you find trash or paper in the area, that can make for great tinder as
well.
2
Gather small twigs and branches to use for kindling. Kindling needs to be
material that will catch easily when you light your tinder. Use dry sticks,
branches, or tree bark to serve as your kindling.[22]
You can break larger branches into smaller pieces to use for kindling as
well.
3
Collect larger logs for fuel. Before you start your fire, you should collect
enough fuel to keep it going. Look for dry wood in the area and stack near where
you plan to start your fire so you can easily add more fuel when you need it. Look
for dry, brittle wood because fresh or green wood will take longer to catch.
Hardwoods like oak and maple will burn for a long period of time.
Dry tree stumps work great as fuel for a fire.
4
Build a teepee structure with the tinder and kindling. Clear dry, even area of
leaves, branches, or other items that could catch and spread the fire. Form a
teepee structure by bunching up your tinder material and stacking the kindling
together around it. Then take your larger fuel logs and lean them against each
other to form a frame around the tinder and kindling.[23]
Leave a small opening so you can light the tinder.

Tip: Build a fire pit around the teepee structure.

5
Create a fire plough to ignite the kindling and start the fire. Take a flat
piece of wood and scrape a small groove into the center of it. Use another branch
to plough up and down the groove to use the friction to build up heat. After a few
minutes of work, the heat will ignite the wood. Act fast and light your tinder to
start the rest of the fire.[24]
Use a dry piece of wood to make your fire plough.
Anchor the fire plough by kneeling on it to keep it still.
6
Use a fire to keep warm, cook your food, and purify your water. A fire is going
to make it much easier for you to survive in the woods. Use it to keep warm so you
don't get hypothermia. Cook your food on the fire and use the heat to boil water to
kill any contaminants.[25]
Once you get your fire started, try to keep it from going out. When you go
to sleep, place a large log on it so the coals will last until morning.

Part 5
Getting out of the Woods

1
Don't panic if you get lost in the woods. Panicking can cause you to make poor
decisions and affect your judgment. If you're going to get out of the woods, you
need to have a clear head. Take deep breaths and focus on the tasks at hand.[26]
Focus on one task at a time to keep from getting overwhelmed.
Have hope that you're going to get out of the woods.
 2
Avoid using too much energy. It may be difficult for you to find adequate food
and water if you're lost in the woods. Try not to sweat or use too much energy by
doing things like running around and screaming for help if you're by yourself.
Conserve as much energy as you can for doing things like building shelter, fire,
and searching for water.[27]

Tip: If you get lost and think that you are not too far from people, use your
lungs and scream for help!
3
Stay where you are if you get lost in the woods. If you become lost in the
woods for whatever reason, people will look for you at your last known location.
Trying to find your way out can make you more lost and make it harder for anybody
to find you. Stay put in one location for a better chance at being rescued.[28]
If you aren't safe where you are, find a safe location nearby.
If you don't know where you are, you could walk in the wrong direction and
make it much more difficult for people to find you.
4
Signal your location with smoke signals. Build a fire and add a bunch of green
leaves or pine needles to create a lot of smoke. Take a large branch with green
leaves on it and cover the fire for 3-4 seconds to stop the smoke from escaping.
Then, remove the branch to allow the smoke cloud to escape. Repeat the process to
form a line of cloudy puffs of smoke in the sky.[29]
The puffs of smoke will tell people looking for you that the fire is
manmade and that you're signaling your location.

Community Q&A

Question
Can you give me some information on how to build a shelter and list some safe
foods that I could find in the forest?
Community Answer
For shelter, you may use sticks and really wide and big leaves to build a
foundation of a shelter. Also you can use a big blanket or tarpaulin to put around
the sticks and leaves. For safe food in the woods you can eat, blackberries,
dandelions, asparagus, elderberries, gooseberries, mulberries, pecans, hazelnuts,
walnuts, acorns, hickory nuts, clovers, red clovers and many more. See further How
to find Wild Edible Plants for more details.
Not Helpful 34
Helpful 174
Question
What dangerous animals are in the woods?
Community Answer
In North America, animals that can potentially be dangerous to you if you don't
know how to avoid them or behave calmly around them include mountain lions, bears,
coyotes and any animals carrying diseases such as rabies, hanta virus, etc. Most
animals only attack if you threaten them or get between them and their young, or if
you appear vulnerable in some way. Don't scare the animals if you do come across
them and keep away from them as much as you can. Read wikiHow's articles on dealing
with each animal should you need to.
Not Helpful 39
Helpful 157
Question
What are some examples of edible plants in the forest?
Community Answer
One of the easiest plants you can eat are dandelions: You can eat the flower
part (it's yellow). Just pick it off the stem with your fingers. Don't eat the sap,
it's a white liquid (it's very bitter). To find more edible plants, check out:
https://www.wikihow.com/Find-Wild-Edible-Plants.
 Not Helpful 34
Helpful 141
Question
What kinds of material can you find in the woods to use as clothing or
blankets?
Community Answer
Weave together grass or sticks to make a blanket. You can cover yourself with
dirt, grass or leaves to keep warm at night. For clothing, weave together large
leafs from trees if available.
Not Helpful 17
Helpful 78
Question
How can a kid survive in the woods when it is hard to find things needed?
Community Answer
Children should never go into the woods alone. When you do go, take extra food,
water and a warm jacket. Take a map and a compass, as well as your phone. Put these
into a small day pack, so that you have survival basics. The rest of the article
should be as applicable to you as a kid as it is to anyone else.
Not Helpful 51
Helpful 169
Question
Would it be safe to try and sleep in a tree?
Anaka Blackwood
Community Answer
No, because there is a possibility of falling out. You could try building a
treehouse to minimize the risk of broken bones and concussions.
Not Helpful 4
Helpful 24
Question
How do I survive if a pack of wolves come?
Community Answer
Make a lot of loud noise, bang rocks, sticks etc. Wolves usually don't go near
people because they prefer going after easier prey.
Not Helpful 12
Helpful 51
Question
How many days can a human survive without food?
Community Answer
The average adult human can survive up to three weeks, depending on the
individual's health, background, etc. as well as the environmental conditions
within which the starvation is taking place. That being said, you cannot survive
more then three days without water, so when you hike, always bring water, as you
never can be too sure.
Not Helpful 46
Helpful 145
Question
What happens if I accidentally threaten a wild animal by making fire? Will it
kill me?
Community Answer
It is possible. Try to back away. If it seems to come closer, do not panic. Do
not run as they like to chase and they are probably much faster than you. Get
somewhere high up (e.g a tree). Don't approach it.
Not Helpful 3
Helpful 21
Question
Do I need a knife to survive?
Community Answer
It would definitely be helpful to have a knife, but there are alternatives that
can be useful too. It's possible to survive without a knife, although it would be
more difficult.
Not Helpful 0
Helpful 7

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Warnings

Always purify any water that you collect.

Do not eat any wild plants or mushrooms that you cannot positively identify.

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References

↑ https://survivallife.com/wilderness-survival-skills-find-water/
 ↑ https://www.artofmanliness.com/articles/how-to-find-water-in-the-wild/
↑ https://www.artofmanliness.com/articles/how-to-find-water-in-the-wild/
↑ https://gizmodo.com/how-to-find-and-purify-drinking-water-in-the-wildernes-
1580821351
↑ https://knowpreparesurvive.com/survival/10-ways-to-find-water/
↑
https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/drinking/travel/backcountry_water_treatment.html
↑ https://www.primalsurvivor.net/ways-to-purify-water-survival/
↑ https://www.primalsurvivor.net/wilderness-survival-shelter-no-supplies/
↑ https://www.primalsurvivor.net/wilderness-survival-shelter-no-supplies/

Show more... (20)

Article Info

FEATURED ARTICLE

This article was co-authored by our trained team of editors and researchers who
validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness. Together, they cited information
from 29 references. wikiHow's Content Management Team carefully monitors the work
from our editorial staff to ensure that each article meets our high standards.

Categories: Featured Articles | Outdoor Survival | Living Outside

In other languages:

Español: sobrevivir en un bosque, Português: Sobreviver em uma Floresta, Deutsch:

In der Wildnis überleben, Italiano: Sopravvivere nel Bosco, Русский: выжить в лесу,
Français: survivre dans les bois, Bahasa Indonesia: Bertahan Hidup di Hutan, 中文:
在丛林中求生, Nederlands: In de bossen overleven, Čeština: Jak přežít v lese, :‫العربية‬
‫البقاء حييا في الغابة‬

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