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June 05, 2018 4 min read
If you spend much time in the great outdoors, you’re likely to hear the phrase “Leave No Trace” as often as you hear “the Ten Essentials.” What does it mean? Simply put, it’s the best practices we should follow to enjoy and protect our natural spaces.
With well over 100 million visitors on more than 10 billion outings in the U.S. each year, our love for the outdoors can take a toll. Impacted areas suffer from litter, invasive species, habituated wildlife, trail erosion, polluted water sources and more. While most of us don’t intend to harm our natural surroundings, we may lack the knowledge to preserve it, or we’re simply overlooking a few important behaviors.
A longtime nonprofit partner supported by REI, the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics conducts service projects and educational programs worldwide. The center’s best practices are embodied in its seven principles, each of which covers a range of practices.
Before you head into the great outdoors, embrace the practices highlighted below.
While The Leave No Trace principles began as a guide for remote backcountry users who generally camp overnight, the following guidelines apply to “frontcountry” users as well.
“Backcountry” areas are those most often accessed by overnight users like backpackers, while “frontcountry” refers to places easily accessed by car, like city and state parks. Frontcountry is most often enjoyed by day-use visitors like dog walkers, picnickers and runners and those who are car camping.
When you’re poorly prepared, you’re more likely to run into problems. Lack of good research can lead to situations where you can become fatigued or fearful, and you may be forced to make poor choices.
Planning ahead includes doing research about your destination and packing appropriately.
When exploring your surroundings and setting up your picnic or overnight camp, seek out resilient types of terrain. Ideal durable surfaces include established trails and campsites, rock, gravel, dry grasses or snow.
In popular areas, frontcountry or backcountry:
In pristine areas:
This principle applies to everything from litter to human waste to rinse water.
While campfires are a timeless camping ritual, they can also be one of the most destructive ones. Far better choices include a lightweight stove for cooking and a candle lantern for light. Stargazing is an excellent alternative, and is best enjoyed when your campsite is in total darkness.
See our article, How to Build a Campfire, for more tips.
The adage “take only pictures, leave only footprints” still holds, although leaving fewer footprints is even better.
Don’t approach animals. Both you and the wildlife will enjoy encounters more if you master the zoom lens on your camera and pack along a pair of binoculars.
“Treat others the way you would like to be treated” is a rule that applies in the outdoors, too.
This article was first published on https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/leave-no-trace.html