Leave No Trace: The Seven Principles

Our Earth is full of beautiful landscapes and ecosystems. While adventuring in nature it is our job to protect these places so that generations to come will be able to experience these wonders too. If trails and National Parks are disrespected by people who leave trash or destroy the ecosystem around them through other means, they inevitably will be closed to the public. It is a gift that we are able to have these experiences and it is our job to protect them. We can become good stewards of our beautiful environment by following The Seven Leave No Trace Principles and doing our best to spread the word to other adventurers.

Cover photo by Tiffanie Yang.

Read Next:

• Perfect Road Trip Planning Guide
• Car Camping: The Ultimate Guide

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The Seven Principles of Leave No Trace

The Leave No Trace Principles were created as a guideline for people to recreate outdoors with minimum impact on the environment. You can apply these principles to any outdoor activity such as visiting your local park, hiking in a National Park, or your own backyard. By following these guidelines you will lessen your impact on the environment.

Principle #1: Plan Ahead & Prepare

Planning ahead and preparing is the first principle of Leave No Trace. Proper planning dramatically improves the odds that you and your group will have a safe trip while minimizing damage to the environment. If trips aren’t planned well, it is likely that groups will damage and harm the natural resources around them. If you decide to take a spontaneous trip, please choose areas that have the infrastructure to support it.

When planning a trip, follow the guidelines:

• Know the details of your trip ahead of time, which includes what activities you will be doing. Are you hiking, backpacking, or camping? 
• After choosing your activity, begin researching the area you want to visit. Call ranger stations, land managers, or reading guides are all great ways to start your search. There are tons of resources online for National Parks and Forests too. If you need a permit, this is a great time to get those reservations and plan all of those details out.
• Define who will be going on the trip with you. Ask yourself, what are their skill levels while preparing for the trip. People could get injured and your trip might end early if you have party members who aren’t on the same page.
• Tell the people you are going with about Leave No Trace or ask them if they understand its principles. It’s always a great conversation starter for the drive to your destination!
• Once you have the above documented, you can begin to pack and prepare what you need for your trip. Start a list of what equipment you’ll need to bring, how much food you need to pack, and what you’ll be wearing. 
• Before you leave, give an itinerary with your license plate, and time to complete the trip to a friend or family member who isn’t going on the trip. Keep a copy of this itinerary in your car while on the trip too. 
• Always check the weather before you leave. The weather in the mountains can be unpredictable and in recent years we have had terrible forest fires. Know what clothing you need to wear and bring extra layers in case you get caught in a storm. Wet clothing can lead to hypothermia.
• Know how much food and water you will need on your trip. If there is an excess of food, it’s important to always pack it in and pack it out. Leaving food behind can negatively impact the environment where you’re recreating. 

Principle #2: Travel & Camp on Durable Surfaces

When recreating outdoors, it’s important to camp and hike in designated areas so that we have minimal impact to the ecosystems. 

Travel on Trails

When hiking in an area, stay on the maintained trail. If you come in contact with other hikers, move to the side to give space, but do your best to stay on the maintained trail. Do not cut switchbacks as it destroys the vegetation. 

Travel off Trails

Traveling off trails is when a hiker will move off the maintained trail to use the bathroom, explore around a campsite, etc. If you need to travel off trail please use these surfaces:

• Rock, sand, and gravel
• Ice and snow
• Dry grasses

Do not step on these areas:

• Living soil is often found in desert environments and contains cryptobiotic crust or crypto. You can read more about living soil here and how to spot them.
• Do your best to avoid Desert puddles and mud holes. The desert has limited water resources, please do not harm these areas. 

Camp on Durable Surfaces

When camping, pitch your tent on surfaces designated for this type of activity. Never pitch your tent on top of delicate vegetation or it may cause permanent damage. Always camp in designated spaces if they exist where you are recreating. Designated camp spots are fairly obvious and it should not be difficult to make out. Try not to camp close to a hiking trail and try to always camp 200 feet or more from a water source in case of flash flooding.

Principle #3: Dispose of Waste Properly

If you can carry it in, you absolutely can carry it back out! I know you may think you can throw that apple core into the woods or the banana peel from the car ride, but the food you bring in is not native to these ecosystems and can do more harm than good. When you dispose of your waste properly you protect the environment around you so do your best to leave no trace.

Human Waste

Disposing of human waste properly is very important. Could you imagine adventuring outdoors and you step in someone’s poop? I would not be a happy camper, that’s for sure! Here are some tips on how to dispose of human waste properly: 

• Always go to the bathroom 200 feet away from a water source.
• Dig a cat hole that is 6-8 inches deep and 4-6 inches in diameter and leave your human waste in it. Cover the cat hole with the debris from digging so that it is camouflaged with the environment. If you have a small stick nearby, stick it in the middle of the cat hole so that people know not to dig there. Another option is to put rocks on top so that animals don’t dig for it. 
• Urinate on rocks, pine needles, or gravel, and dilute it with water. This will help deter animals from coming close to the trails or your campsite. 
• If your toilet paper is white and unscented you can dispose of it by leaving it in the cat hole or placing it in a plastic bag to pack out with you. This is my favorite toilet paper to bring to the backcountry and camping and I always pack it out with me.
• Do not leave tampons in cat holes or around camp. Tampons do not decompose as quickly as toilet paper. Put your tampon in a bag and pack them out with you so that you can dispose of them in a trash can.
• Pet waste needs to be packed out as well. Whiskey, our dog, wears this backpack and always packs out his waste!

Waste Water

Always wash your dishes and body 200 feet away from a water source. Pack out any spare food scraps if there are any after washing your dishes. Scatter the waste water over the ground and away from the campsite to protect you from wildlife. I use this biodegradable soap in the backcountry and at home. Don’t forget that biodegradable soap still contaminates our rivers and streams! So get clean 200 feet away from the water source. 

Principle #4: Leave What You Find

When recreating outdoors, do not take anything you find home with you. If you’re looking for a souvenir from your trip, take a photo and print it out. There are animals and microorganisms that use elements in nature as their shelter or food. 

Principle #5: Minimize Campfire Impacts

This rule is extremely important as we’ve had record-breaking wildfires all over the world in the past few years. Fires can be extremely harmful if they’re made in prohibited areas and can spark wildfires if not managed properly. So ask yourself, will the fire I’m about to make leave a trace?

Tips on campfire safety:

• DO NOT leave a fire unattended.
• What are the restrictions on campfires in this park or location? 
• Make fires where there is plenty of firewood. Do not make fires where wood is scarce.
• Can I make a fire at this elevation in this forest? Depending on where you’re camping, it might be illegal to build a fire.
• Does this spot have an existing fire ring? If there is an existing fire ring, use this and don’t make a new one. 
• Always drown your fire when you’re done with it. Know beforehand if you have enough water to do that. 
• Be aware of the winds surrounding camp. If it’s too windy, sparks can fly and create a forest fire.
• Always pack out any trash and the fire ring either better or exactly as you found it. 

Principle #6: Respect Wildlife

Let me tell a quick story on why it’s incredibly important to respect wildlife. I went backpacking and when we set up camp we noticed this little bird who was coming a little too close for comfort. I took out my energy bar and the bird came from across camp and tried to grab it right from my hands! We ended up having to hike back down because this bird would not stop trying to grab our food the entire time we were there. The behavior of this bird wasn’t because of anything I did, but because prior campers had either fed the bird or left food behind that the bird had consumed. This ruined our camp trip and we ended up having to leave early. Do not feed any animals when recreating outdoors. 

It’s also important to keep a safe distance from animals to ensure your safety and the safety of the animals. If you plan to watch wildlife, please do so at a distance. And always camp 200 feet away from a water source so that animals have the ability to access the water without bothering your campsite.

Principle #7: Be Considerate of Other Visitors

Being outdoors calms my anxiety and brings a sense of peace that I can’t seem to find in urban areas. It’s important to be considerate of others while out hiking, camping, or backpacking. This means giving hikers who are moving uphill the right of way, moving over for people hiking faster than you, and leaving each spot just as it was or better than when you arrived. If you bring your pet with you, know their limits and always have control. 

Leave No Trace Social Media Guidelines

Geotagging is when geographical identification is tied to media such as a photograph or video. It’s important we ask ourselves these questions below before tagging a location on social media:

• Does the infrastructure in this location support a large gathering? We don’t want a second Fyre Festival happening in the middle of the woods, which then damages the environment, so check to see if there’s ample parking, toilets, informative signs, etc. 
• Does the community surrounding this area want you to tag the location? Some towns thrive off of tourism and some would rather be left in solitude.
• If you decide to tag a location, make it general. For example, I always use Washington as my location on Instagram versus tagging the specific trail. 

Final Thoughts on Leave No Trace Principles

Thank you for taking the time to read about the Seven Principles of Leave No Trace! My hope is that you gained valuable information from this blog so that you can practice having minimal impact on the environment. If you stumble across someone who isn’t familiar with these principles, feel free to send this post to them! Thank you again for reading and if you have any questions feel free to reach out by email or social media!