Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Outdoors

The Manual may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

How To Leave No Trace While Recreating Outdoors

Benjamin Buckingham
By

The pandemic has served as a catalyst to get more people outside. Many of us have now taken up hiking, biking, dispersed camping, fly fishing, and more. And for good reason. The outdoors offer an opportunity to find solitude and beauty, to challenge ourselves physically, and to spend quality time with friends and family away from the noise of everyday life. But this influx in outdoor activity comes with increased impact on the trails, rivers, and mountains we love.

Everyone recreating outdoors should be familiar with the Leave No Trace Principles. We’re going to walk through the different principles and how to implement them on your next adventure so that the wilderness we love will be around for generations to come.

Related Videos

Related Reading

Plan Ahead and Prepare/Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces

The first principles of Leave No Trace are: Plan Ahead and Prepare, and Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces. The best way to check off both of these boxes is to plan out your route, whether it’s a trail run, day hike, or multi-day backpacking trip and bring the emergency essentials. There are plenty of online resources and GPS apps (such as Gaia and All Trails) that work well. But a proper paper map is also a great item to bring along on your trip. Cell phones can die, get wet and shut off, or lose service, meaning your online map might not be accessible. Take some time to learn the basics of navigating with a map and compass to avoid getting lost.

Related

If you’re off trail it means you’re treading on natural plants and shrubs and degrading wildlife habitat. Camping on designated surfaces means either camping at official campsites or camping where others have camped before. Look for fire pits, cleared platforms, and appropriate signage that the area allows camping.

If you’d like to buy a map we suggest Green Trails or National Geographic.

Dispose of Waste Properly

The next Leave no Trace principle is to Dispose of Waste Properly. As the Leave no Trace organization states, “Proper disposal of human waste is important to avoid pollution of water sources, avoid the negative implications of someone else finding it, minimize the possibility of spreading disease, and maximize the rate of decomposition.” If the area you’re recreating in permits it, bury human waste in a cathole. This backpacking trowel by Tentlab makes it super easy to dig a cathole 6-8 inches deep so that no human (or animal) will accidentally uncover what you’ve left behind.

Some areas do not allow you to bury your waste, and so you must pack it out. This portable waste bag by Restop makes that easy for both solids and liquids. Just remember to throw it out when you get home! As for garbage, be sure to carry it all out with you and dispose of it in the proper receptacle.

Leave What You Find

Photographer man taking outdoor pictures on top of mountain.

The next principle is to Leave What You Find. We’ve all found a cool rock, leaf, or shell on an adventure and thought to bring it with us. Avoid the desire and capture the object in some other way. Outdoor photography is both a great creative outlet and a way to remember the little details of a trip. If you don’t feel like your photos turn out that well, check out our tips for taking better outdoor photos. Another great option is to sketch or write about what you find. Rite in the Rain makes a great weatherproof journal.

Minimize Campfire Impact

The next Leave No Trace principle is to Minimize Campfire Impact. One of the easiest ways to do this is to cook with a top-notch camping stove instead of starting a campfire. Outdoor brands Jetboil and MSR both make great camping and backpacking stoves.

Of course, nothing compares to the look and feel of a campfire, but you can still create a warm atmosphere around camp without a fire. One option is to string lights around the area where you’ll be camping.

Respect Wildlife

how to hang a bear bag
Roundhill/Getty Images

The next Leave No Trace principle is to Respect Wildlife. It’s important to remember that when we venture outside we’re going into the animal’s habitat and we should try to disturb them as little as possible. Binoculars for birding and backpacking are one great option to help enjoy nature from a distance.

Another consideration is recreating in bear country. Bears will actually be put down if they become too dangerous to humans. The easiest way for this to happen is for bears to become comfortable around people. You should never feed bears and you need to take extra precautions when traveling through bear country. Bears have a tremendous sense of smell and if they begin to associate mealtime with campsites, that’s trouble. One way to do that when backpacking is to hang a bear bag or use a bear vault to store food. This will keep your food away from bears and help prevent these associations.

Be Considerate of Others

The last principle is to Be Considerate of Others. Be respectful of sacred sites and places with inherent meaning to other cultures. Understand that the outdoors are for everyone no matter their race, gender, age, or economic status. And generally, be courteous. Keep your dog on leash so as not to disturb others. Consider playing your music through headphones as opposed to blasting it through a Bluetooth speaker. And follow your state or county’s COVID-19 rules and regulations.

Hopefully this list is a great introduction (or refresher) to the Leave No Trace Principles. See you on the trail!

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
The best winter hiking boots: Don’t leave home without one of these great picks
Hit the trails in confidence with great traction and insulation this winter
winter hiking boots

Heading out hiking in the depths of winter is no mean feat. You might be heading out for your usual few hours on the trail, but when the temperatures are below zero, and the weather can change in a moment, you need more than just your summer hiking gear to keep you safe. As well as warm merino layers and a backpack full of winter safety essentials, you need to be wearing a proper pair of winter hiking boots.

Sure, you can get by in your summer hiking boots, and perhaps you'll be okay. But what about those days when you're not? Those days when temperatures plummet, snow is melting through your lightweight boots, and you can feel your toes turning blue or going numb. On those days, a pair of insulated, fully waterproof winter boots are worth their weight in gold — trust me. We've put together this list of the best winter boots to keep you on track in the snow.

Read more
Sleep tight (and warm) this winter in the best cold-weather sleeping bags
Winter camping: All you need is the right gear and a little extra preparation

A lot of campers pack up their camping gear to store for the winter season. But some people — those of us who live with many snowy months each year — are simply swapping out their go-to items. Cold weather doesn't have to mean camping and backpacking season is over for anyone, though. With the right winter camping gear, wintertime camping can be a beautiful change to getting outside during the warmest parts of the year.

The key, of course, is having the right equipment, like a four-season tent, a camping sleeping pad, and a high-quality sleeping bag designed to handle low temperatures. A cold-weather sleeping bag is essential to make sure that, no matter how low the mercury drops, you can always sleep soundly. With the best cold-weather sleeping bag, you can rest easy and toasty warm wherever your adventure takes you. From snowy conditions to cold nights in the desert, these bags should cover cold nights in an array of terrains.

Read more
A guide to different ski types, no matter what your skiing adventure looks like
Learn your piste skis from park skis and get the right setup this winter
the best gloves for skiing men

Not long after starting skiing, you quickly realize how much ski jargon there is. When your rental skis have taken you as far as they can and it's time for you to look at buying your first pair, you'll need to know what you're getting into. After entering a shop, it's easy to be blown away by the sheer number of ski types. They range from huge, fat skis to narrow, skinny options — and don't get us started on what a twin tip could be.

Like all of your ski gear, the right skis are important. While we're always on the lookout for a good pair of ski pants, the truth is, besides a well-fitted pair of ski boots, getting the right skis is one of the biggest differences you can make to your skiing. We've put together this guide so you can understand your piste skis from park and powder skis and understand terms like "twin tips" and "camber." That way, when you hit up the shops to get your perfect set of skis for this winter, you can go in confident that you're not going to get sold the wrong setup.

Read more