Leave No Trace Ethics

1. PRINCIPLES TO LIVE BY
2. Choosing a Campsite
3. A Low-impact Camp
4. Backcountry Hygiene
5. Hiking
6. Climbing
7. Cross-country Skiing
8. Mountain Biking
9. Horse Packing
10. Sea Kayaking
11. Canoeing and Rafting
12. Tundra and Desert Travel
13. Minimizing Impacts to Archaeological and Historical Sites
14. Tips for Teaching Kids LNT Practices
15. Tips for Teaching Adults LNT Practices

The Leave-No-Trace principle has been adopted by Scouting for activities held in other than established campgrounds. This page outlines the Leave-No-Trace principles. For more information visit the official Leave-No-Trace site, or pick up the excellent book Leave No Trace by Annette McGivney at a bookstore, or your local Boy Scout Shop.

When teaching LNT skills and ethics, NOLS stresses that the six basic principles around which the minimum-impact ethic has been built are not hard-and-fast rules, but guidelines aimed at helping backcountry users make ecologically sound decisions in various environments and situations. These guidelines are the foundation of what has become a new wilderness etiquette, an ethic toward recreating in the backcountry that is eons from the days when it was common practice to turn campsites into garbage dumps. Throughout this book, the principles of Leave No Trace are expanded upon, but here is the encapsulated version of six guidelines to live by when visiting the great outdoors:

1. Plan Ahead and Prepare

   • Call ahead to the place you intend to visit to find out about any special environmental concerns, regulations, or permits.
   • Be prepared for harsh conditions by bringing proper equipment and knowing how to use it.
   • Carefully plan meals so that there is no food waste. Reduce your amount of trash by repackaging food in reusable containers.
   • Invest in modern gear that aids in environmentally responsible camping. Use a lightweight stove to replace the need for cooking over fires; get a tent with a watertight floor; become the proud owner of a trowel to aid in the digging of cat holes.
   • Try to stay away from popular areas during times of high use, such as holidays and weekends. If you are in a group of four or more, take special care to avoid popular areas during busy times.

2. Camp and Travel on Durable Surfaces

   • Help mitigate trampling and erosion problems by staying on designated trails; walk in single file in the middle of the path.
   • When travelling cross-country where there are no trails, try to stay on the most durable surfaces - rock, gravel, dry grasses, or snow.
   • In areas frequented by visitors, camp at a designated site that shows obvious signs of use - soil is compacted, vegetation is sparse. and keep your activities concentrated in the impacted area.
   • If you are lucky enough to be in a pristine area that shows few signs of human visitation, disperse your individual impact by camping in a never-before-used site. Stay away from campsites that have already been lightly: impacted.

3. Pack It In; Pack It Out

   • Do not be a slob - be careful not to disrupt wildlife Bv leaving food scraps around camp.
   • Keep your gear organized in camp so that you do not accidentally leave something behind.
   • Burying trash is not a good idea, because wildlife will just dig it up, and burning it is not environmentally sound either.

4. Properly Dispose of What You Cannot Pack Out

   • You can pack out your poop if you really want to, but it is perfectly acceptable in most wilderness areas to bury it in a cat hole that is 4 to 8 inches deep and at least 200 feet from water, camp, or trails.
   • Scrutinize your need for toilet paper; nature provides a variety of environmentally friendly tissue alternatives. if you must use toilet paper, pack it out.
   • Keep pollutants out of water sources by camping at least 200 feet from lakes and streams.
   • To wash yourself or your dishes, carry water 2 00 feet from streams or lakes, and use small amounts of biodegradable soap. Strain dishwater with a cloth and then scatter the water or sump.

5. Leave What You Find

   • For starters, it is against federal law to disturb archaeological or historic sites. no not disturb these relics of our nation's heritage, and camp well away from such sites.
   • Observe wildlife from a distance and do not feed the animals.
   • Avoid altering a campsite - such as driving a nail in a tree or making a ' bench out of a log - to accommodate your desires for comfort. If you move a log or rock to improve a sleeping area, replace it when leaving camp.
   • Take home memories instead of souvenirs such as interesting rocks or wildflowers.

6. Minimize Use and Impact of Fires

   • Although a cozy and long-time tradition, campfires can cause permanent scars to an area; use a stove instead.
   • If you must have a fire, use an existing fire ring or build a no-trace mound or pan fire.
   • For fuel, gather sticks from the ground that are no larger in diameter than an adult's wrist. Do not pull branches off dead or downed trees.
   • When vacating the site, put out your fire completely, pack out all unburned trash from the fire ring., and scatter the cool ashes over a large area well away from camp.

• The perfect Leave No Trace campsite should always be located well out of view from the main trail and at least 200 feet (about 75 paces) from water sources.
• The campsite surfaces found most resistant to human impacts are slick rock or rock outcroppings; gravel bars and sandy beaches; dry, grassy meadows; and open forests with a grassy understudy.

1. In Popular Areas

   park your tent at an established campsite where impact from previous campers is clearly visible.
   • Established campsites typically contain a fire ring, and the ground shows signs of trampling from people and/or pack stock.
   • If a site is so heavily used that the ground is barren and eroded, and tree roots are exposed, camp somewhere else so the land can heal.

2. In Pristine Areas

   where no established campsites are available, camp at a spot that appears to have never been used before rather than in an area that shows modest signs of human disturbance.
   • Make your camp on a highly durable or resilient surface, such as slick rock, gravel, or a grassy meadow.
   • Only camp at the pristine site for one night, and then move on.
   • If you are travelling with pack stock or in a large group, avoid camping in pristine areas altogether.

1. Campfires

   • Choose to not have a fire, and instead rely on a modern backpacking stove for cooking and on good clothing, a tent, and a well-insulated sleeping bag for staying warm and dry.
   • If you decide to have a fire, first make sure it is legal in the area where you are camped and that there is no danger of it starting a wildfire.
   • Make sure plenty of downed wood is available for fuel. The ideal low-impact fuel is loose twigs and branches that are no thicker in diameter than your wrist; never break off branches from standing trees, even if they appear dead.
   • At established campsites, build your fire in the primary fire ring to concentrate impact.
   • In a pristine area where there is no fire ring, build a minimum-impact fire in a self-contained unit such as a fire pan or on a mound.
   • Eliminate unsightly charcoal by burning wood all the way down to ash. Once the fire is out, scatter the ash.

2. The Camp Kitchen

   • At a pristine site, the cooking area should be located on trampling-resistant surfaces like a rock outcropping or mineral soil.
   • At an existing site, concentrate use by cooking within the area that is visibly impacted, rather than on the periphery.
   • Keep a clean camp by avoiding dropping food on the ground and by packing out all food wastes.
   • Consider rinsing bowl with hot water and drinking the broth - good for the environment and good for rehydration.
   • Wash dirty pots with hot water and a scrubbing sponge; avoid using soap. Strain gray water and scatter or dump it in a sump well away from the campsite and 200 feet from any water sources.

3. Avoid Impacting Wildlife

   • Never give wildlife a handout.
   • Hang or secure all food, garbage, and scented items to avoid habituating area wildlife.
   • Minimize trips to the water source.

4. Leave a Clean Camp

   • Pack out all your trash, as well as litter left behind by others. Keep track of all your garbage by storing it in a single bag.
   • Reduce trampling by wearing lightweight, flat-soled shoes like sport sandals or running shoes when in camp.
   • A lightweight backpacking tent is much easier on the ground than the old-fashioned canvas variety.
   • Dismantle secondary fire rings at established campsites.
   • Fluff up the grass and fill in tent stake holes when vacating a pristine campsite.

1. Health Precautions

   • Boil or filter and treat water before drinking it.
   • Wash your hands after pooping and/or peeing, and before preparing food.

2. Human Waste

   • If there is an outhouse provided, use it, to concentrate impact.
   • In most backcountry situations where there is no outhouse, burying your waste in a shallow cat hole is the best disposal method.
   • The cat hole should be located at least 200 feet from any water sources, campsites, and trails.
   • Maximum conditions for decomposition are achieved when the hole is dug in organic soil (rich in micro organisms) and in a spot that is somewhat moist but receives a fair amount of sunlight.
   • Use a trowel to dig a hole that is about 4 to 8 inches deep, and 4 to 6 inches in diameter.
   • Once you have made a deposit, throw in some soil and stir the stuff with a stick. Then place at least 2 inches of top soil back in the hole and camouflage the site.
   • Dig a latrine if you are camping in a large group that is staying at the same site several nights or that contains young children who are not capable of digging a cat hole.
   • Pack out all toilet paper, or avoid the hassle by using a natural wiping alternative such as snow, leaves, or river stones.
   • Tampons and disposable diapers must be packed out as well.
   • Avoid urinating on plants because animals are attracted to the salty liquid.

3. Bathing

   • With the exception of hand washing, bathing should be considered optional in the backcountry because it has inevitable environmental impacts.
   • Any washing activities should take place at least 200 feet from natural water sources and, preferably, on a durable surface such as gravel or slick rock.
   • If you use soap, make sure it is phosphate free and bio-degradable.
   • If you do not use soap, washing in a natural body of water is acceptable by LNT standards only if it is a large lake or river.
   • Minimize tooth brushing impact by using salt or baking soda instead of toothpaste.

1. Minimize Trail Erosion

   • Hike on established trails whenever possible and stay off unofficial "volunteer" trails.
   • Walk through the mud rather than around it; wear gaiters if you want to keep the dirt out of your boots.
   • Groups should hike single file.
   • On flat, dry terrain consider wearing lightweight boots or tennis shoes rather than heavy lug soles.
   • Avoid visiting especially muddy areas after a heavy rain or during spring snow melt.

2. Cross-country Travel

   should generally be avoided, but if you end up hiking off trail make sure you do the following:
   • Hike on durable surfaces like gravel, sand, slick rock, snow, dry alpine meadows and grasslands, and deep duff beneath a dense forest overstory.
   • Some special types of soils, such as cryptobiotic crusts in desert environments, should be diligently avoided because a single boot print will last for years.
   • Before heading out, make sure you have the proper topographical map for the area and you know how to read it. Getting lost is bad for you and the environment.
   • If you are in a group, spread out across the landscape rather than walking single file.

3. Social and Environmental Considerations

   • Adhere to area or route closures, whether for bird nesting, archaeological, or other reasons.
   • If you encounter a party of horseback riders, pull off on the downhill side of the trail until the group passes.
   • Solitude is getting harder and harder to find. Consult a land manager before heading out if you are hoping to visit a place with plenty of peace and quiet.

1. Approach

   • Follow established trails when approaching a route.
   • When camping at the base of the climb, try to stay at established campsites.
   • Pack out all trash in camp and on the climbing route (bring a trash bag to pick up the litter of others).

2. Waste Disposal

   • Use an outhouse whenever it is available.
   • Dig a cat hole if there is enough soil in the area where you are climbing.
   • In the absence of an outhouse or diggable soil, pack out your poop in a PVC pipe or other device (never toss it off the mountain).

3. Social and Environmental Considerations

   • Adhere to area or route closures, whether for bird nesting, archaeological, or other reasons.
   • Avoid climbing near bird nests and archaeological sites.
   • In popular climbing areas where you are sharing the spot with others, it is probably best to leave the boom box and dog at home.

4. Minimize Impacts on the Rock

   • Use removable protection and natural anchors wherever possible.
   • Exercise good judgment when deciding how to get down. Use either an established rappel station or an established descent route (if using the path will not obviously contribute to its deterioration).
   • Try to use as little chalk as possible.
   • The process of scrubbing--also known as gardening--should be carried out with great discretion on a new route, and vegetation should only be disturbed for safety reasons rather than aesthetic ones.

1. Watch Out for Wildlife

   • When travelling through the backcountry, never approach wildlife; try to stick to established ski trails so that human activity is contained in a specific area.
   • Take extra care to avoid locating your camp where there is animal sign indicating that it is a spot where wildlife feed, water, or sleep.

2. Waste Disposal

   • Pack out your poop.
   • When you pee, do it away from trails.

3. Snow Camping

   • Resist the urge to have a campfire when deep snow prevents you from reaching downed wood.
   • Upon leaving camp, dismantle your snow shelter and fluff up the white stuff so that visitors coming after you can enjoy a more natural setting.

1. Soft Cycling Principles

   • Stay off muddy trails.
   • Avoid heavy braking.
   • Walk your bike over a trail obstruction rather than cutting a "line" around it.
   • Stay on switchbacks.
   • Ride single file and in small groups.
   • Slow down--especially around other trail users.

2. Rules of the Trail

   • Ride on open trails only: Respect trail and road closures; avoid possible trespass on private land.
   • Leave no trace: Even on open trails, do not ride under conditions in which you will leave evidence of your passing, such as on certain soils shortly after a rain. This also means staying on the trail and not creating! any new ones.

3. Pack out what you pack in

   • Control your bicycle: Inattention for even a second can cause problems.
   • Always yield the trail: Make known your approach well in advance. When passing others, slow to a walk or even stop. Anticipate that other trail users may be around corners or in blind spots.
   • Never spook animals: Give animals extra room and time to adjust to you. In passing, use special care and follow directions of horseback riders (ask if uncertain).
   • Plan ahead: Know your equipment, your ability, and the area in which you are riding--and prepare accordingly.

1. Pack Light

   • Use modern camping equipment, including lightweight tents, sleeping bags, and stoves.
   • Pack freeze-dried and dehydrated meals in reusable plastic bags rather than food in heavy cans and glass containers.

2. Use Weed-free Feed

   • Feed your pack stock certified "weed-free" feed--both in camp and before leaving on your trip.

3. Minimize Trampling

   • Avoid riding on trails during times of year when you know much of the path will be muddy.
   • If you come upon a muddy patch, try to get your horse to go through the middle of it rather than around the muck.
   • When travelling on fairly even terrain, consider outfitting your horse with flat plate style shoes before leaving home.
   • During rest breaks, hobble your horses rather than tying them to trees.
   • When watering your horses, keep the animals away from wet, marshy springs, stream banks, and the soggy edges of ponds and lakes. Try to let your animals drink from an established ford or find a low, rocky spot that is less susceptible to trampling.

4. The Horse Camp

   • Minimize impacts when camping by choosing the most durable site. Camp at a site designated for pack stock whenever possible.
   • Confine your horses in electric fencing or with a highline.
   • Scatter horse droppings when vacating the site.
   • Stay at a site for only one night, and then move on.

1. Making Camp

   • Try to conduct all camping, hiking, and hygiene activities in the intertidal zone.
   • When coming and going between land and water, land and launch your vessel on sandy beaches or sloping rock ledges.
   • Do not build fires on islands. Avoid building a fire on coastal beaches unless there is an abundance of driftwood, and fires are permitted.

2. Waste Disposal

   • In remote coastal environments, dispose of human waste by burying it in a cat hole above the high tide line.
   • When camping on popular barrier islands, pack out your poop in a poop tube or other container.
   • Urinate anywhere that is below the high tide line and away from other people.

3. Protect Wildlife

   • Be aware of wildlife impacts. Avoid seabird nesting sites from early April to mid-August, and steer clear of seal populations from mid-May through mid-June, when the animals bear their young.
   • A general rule for most marine wildlife species is to maintain a buffer of at least 100 yards no matter what time of year you are on the water.

1. Making Camp

   • Try to camp in the river's floodplain (unless there is risk of flooding), and check with land managers about designated sites.
   • Control litter by repackaging foods before the trip and putting down a tarp in the camp cooking area to catch debris.
   • Avoid having a campfire. If you do, use a fire pan; bring wood with you or pick up driftwood for fuel over the course of the day.

2. Waste Disposal

   • On remote, rarely visited waterways, bury your waste in a cat hole 200 feet from shore.
   • If you are travelling through a narrow, slick rock river corridor or in a popular area, pack out your solid waste.
   • On silty Western rivers, urinate in the waterway; otherwise, pee well away from shore and campsites.

3. Reducing Impact

   • Secure your load in the boat to avoid littering in the event of a capsize.
   • Be aware of trampling impacts to vegetation, and follow established trails when venturing away from the river corridor.

1. Travel on Durable Surfaces

   • Arctic tundra: Whenever possible, hike on established trails. In the absence of established pathways, seek out boulder-strewn stream beds. If you find it necessary to travel across the tundra, try to walk on ground that is dry and covered with grasses or sedges rather than low shrubs or lichen beds.
   • Alpine tundra: Stay on established trails and avoid "volunteer" paths. Wear gaiters---and crampons, if necessary--so you can walk through mud, snow, and ice on the trail rather than around it.
   • Desert: Avoid stepping on cryptobiotic soil--black, clumpy groundcover that is self-sustaining biological communities. Hike on established trails. If you find yourself in a region without established trails, Slick rock and gravel or sand washes are the most durable surfaces.

2. Making Camp

   • Arctic tundra: If you have the option of camping at an established site, do so. The next best option is to camp in the gravel bed of a stream drainage or on exposed mineral soil in the fold of a hill.
   • Alpine tundra: In general, places above tree line don't make ideal campsites. But if you find it necessary to pitch your tent above tree line, try to do it at an established site. When an established site isn't available, choose a resistant surface such as snow, rock, or mineral soil.
   • Desert: Camp at established sites. If you find yourself in a region without established campsites, slick rock, gravel and sand are the most durable surfaces. (But don't camp in washes because of the danger of flash floods.)
   • Because of the lack of downed wood, slow plant growth, and fragile soils, fires are inappropriate in most tundra and desert environments.

3. Conserve Water in the Desert

   • Most desert hikers should carry at least one gallon per person per day.
   • Avoid disrupting wildlife and their access to the area's scarce water sources. Unless you are camped near a perennial stream or river, extract water from area sources ONLY for drinking.
   • Small water sources are inappropriate for bathing. Even if you are not using soap, these water sources can become easily polluted by humans.

4. Properly Dispose of Human Waste

   • Arctic tundra: Smearing feces may be the best poop placement option; surface disposal should only be used if visitation to the region is very low and you are visiting the tundra environment during summer when there is plenty of sunlight to speed decomposition. If you are visiting a popular area in the Arctic, dispose of waste in a cat hole when possible.
   • Alpine tundra: Even if it is not required, packing out poop may very likely be the best option. An alternative is to hike down to tree line or into a side canyon and find suitable soil for digging a cat hole.
   • Desert: Cat holes are the preferred option in most desert landscapes. Make sure the hole is at least 200 feet away from water sources or washes and gullies that could be filled with water after a rain. Surface disposal is inappropriate except in extremely remote areas.

• As you approach an archaeological site, stay off the midden, usually a low mound near the site, which is the original inhabitants' trash pile and which holds valuable information for archaeologists.
• Stay on established trails around the site and avoid walking along the base of walls built on slopes. Erosion will make them topple.
• Walls that are stressed once too often can collapse. Do not use them as handholds to gain access to a site, and do not stand or climb on them.
• Try to camp at least 200 feet away from archaeological sites.
• Do not pick up any artifact. If you do accidentally move something (like a potsherd), put it back exactly where you found it.
• Charcoal and soot remains are used to date sites. The ancient record is contaminated by modern charcoal and soot, so do not build campfires near a site.
• Do not touch rock art; oils from human skin can cumulatively destroy the mineral-based paints.
• Hold youngsters' hands while visiting and explain to them why they should stay off the site.

• Kids like to do things: Learning about nature and LNT practices should be an active process. Contests and games are effective teaching methods, as is anything that incorporates an element of excitement.
• Tell stories, do not preach: If what you are teaching is not through an activity, then make it into a story.
• Look for 'teachable moments": In the backcountry, you will likely encounter many situations that illustrate Leave No Trace principles. Point out a real-life example of some LNT technique.
• Have fun: Carefully balance and integrate learning with fun, and especially raw adventure.
• Help kids feel connected to nature: When visiting the backcountry, point out common characteristics between the child and the undeveloped surroundings.

• Teach, do not preach: Think of Leave No Trace as a set of skills that are learned, like modern first aid practices. There is no moral high ground that must be taken in order to impart knowledge about basic things like backcountry waste disposal or trail erosion.
• Show them "a better way': Never be condescending by telling a person they are doing something "wrong." In communicating the Leave No Trace message, offer to show them "a better way" rather than condemn their environmentally harmful actions.
• Emphasize the 'authority of the resource": Encourage people to change their behaviour based on their desire to help the environment rather than the need to obey an authority figure. When utilizing the "authority of the resource" technique, focus on environmental impacts, not rules and regulations.
• Make your life at home an example of the LNT ethic: Strive to minimize impacts on the environment through conservation practices such as recycling, composting, conserving water, and using public transportation. Even if we never set foot in wilderness areas, a consumptive life in the city is ultimately going to affect those "pristine' places.