Leave No Trace

To kick this Backpacking 101 course off right, we’re gonna start at the beginning. As one often does. And as with all manner of outdoor pursuits, “the beginning” just happens to be the seven principles of Leave No Trace.

To know them is to love them. To love them is to follow them.

Now, if you’ve already spent a fair amount of time in the outdoors or amongst other outdoorsy folks, you’re likely familiar with Leave No Trace. But a refresher is never a bad thing.

And if you’ve never heard of these so-called “principles,” well you’re in for a treat, because these seven guidelines are the most important set of principles to keep in mind any time you’re enjoying the outdoors, especially when backpacking. 

They are guidelines to live by in order to help ensure that not only you, but everyone else out there can have a safe, sustainable, responsible, and totally baller time outside.

So let’s dive into the 7 principles of Leave No Trace and break down how to adhere to them when enjoying any and all outdoor places and spaces, shall we?

1. Plan Ahead and Prepare

The very first principle is first for a reason: Plan ahead and prepare. ‘Cause you know the saying: If you fail to plan you plan to fail. So true.⁠

But what does that mean when we’re talking about backpacking? 

For starters, you plan by charting your route, checking the weather, researching water sources and campfire restrictions, calculating how many nights you’ll be in the backcountry, and how much food you’ll need.⁠ 

Likewise, you’ll need to plan how you’ll cook, where you’ll sleep, what you’ll do with your trash (uhh…pack it out, obviously), and how you’ll navigate.⁠

Once you have a detailed plan, you’ll need to prepare for your excursion by packing the right layers, an appropriate amount of food and water, a first aid kit, and any tools unique to the destination or terrain.⁠ 

Because a well-planned trip means a safer and more enjoyable trip for everybody. And one that leaves no trace that you were ever there to begin with.

If that all seemed like a lot of vague overview-y nonsense, don’t worry; we’ll break down all of this in more detail in upcoming lessons. We got you.

2. Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces

Why is this principle important? Because your big ol’ feet have real potential to trample delicate wilderness areas, flora and fauna, and mess it all up. So this guideline admonishes you to stay on designated trails when hiking and backpacking–that means no cutting switchbacks–and when you camp, set up in designated campsites.

Again, more on that in a later lesson.

But for now, here’s the concise version: Pitch your tent on durable surfaces like dirt, gravel or a big ol’ boulder if you can and choose spots that have clearly already been used for camping if at all possible. 

How will you know if it’s a designated campsite in the backcountry? If there’s no physical number marker, a permanent fire ring is a pretty good indicator that that’s where you’re supposed to pitch your tent.

When you’re hiking, walk in a way that tramples the least amount of delicate underfoot foliage–that means stay on trails! But if you're hiking in wilderness areas with no developed trails, don't hike in a single file line if you’re hiking in a group. Why? You’ll start to wear a path where there shouldn’t be one. So spread out.⁠

If there is a trail, absolutely stay on it. Especially if you’re in an area with cryptobiotic crust or living soil, which is found mostly in western states. One step on that stuff and you could completely destroy a delicate living ecosystem. Not sure if there’s living soil where you’re headed? Ask a park ranger or guide from the area.

Even if the ground is just flowers and grass, if you trample it, especially if the next hiker does too, and the hiker after that, and so on, it may never grow back, thus decimating the landscape for other living creatures that may depend on it.⁠ It can take years for some plant life to grow back.

So watch where you put your feet and remember to leave no trace.⁠

3. Dispose of Waste Properly

You heard me: if you pack it in, pack it out. All of it.⁠

That obviously means trash like food wrappers, but also fruit and vegetable skins, peels, dropped trail mix, all of it. After all, just because it’s “natural” doesn’t mean it’s going to magically decompose overnight. Banana peels take years to turn into compost.

But also important: food scraps, in addition to just being unsightly for other hikers, have dangerous potential to attract wildlife, who could either get sick from eating said scraps, or get too used to people food, and thus people, and become aggressive. So pack out that apple core.

But also your own dang excrement.⁠

Granted, you don’t always have to pack out your own poo, but you must if you’re backpacking or hiking in a rocky river canyon or an area where you can’t feasibly dig a cat hole (like in frozen ground, where earth is too hard to dig, or in an area composed of all boulders and rocks). 

In these cases, you’ll have to bring a thick, opaque bag or two with you and poo in those (put TP in there, too, please).⁠ You can buy “wag bags” at outdoor stores for this purpose, but dog waste bags work, too, as do zip-top bags covered in duct tape (so you can’t see through them).

If you’re in the woods or places with dig-able earth, then you can use a cat hole shovel to dig a hole 6-8 inches deep in which to deposit your waste (and TP). Just make sure to cover it up before you walk away. 

Also ensure that you dig that hole at least 200 feet from natural water sources and campsites, ’cause not only is that gross for everyone else, it could contaminate the drinking water and make everyone really sick.

Here's a link to a bonus video⁠ on how to poop in the woods that's both educational and entertaining!

As for toilet paper, don’t even think about leaving it in the bushes or at the base of a tree, even if you only went #1 and didn’t have to dig a hole. Nothing mucks up the beauty of nature more than little white squares littering the side of the trail or campsite.⁠

So pack it out, use leaves, or get a reusable pee cloth. 

And in case you were wondering, yes, this goes for your pet’s waste, too.

4. Leave What you Find

We’ve all done it: found a cool fossil, rock, flower, maybe even an old railroad spike or some such, and taken it home with us. But when hiking, make a point to leave it where you found it.⁠

Sure, it’s cool, and there may even be a million of those fossils/rocks/flowers/railroad spikes, but if you take one, and the next person takes one, and the next person…well there won’t be any left for others to enjoy, now will there? Yeah, you didn’t think of that, did you?⁠

Plus, native wildlife may need that stuff for food or nests, so you could be depriving them of sustenance or accessible housing (and you don’t wanna be that jerk, do you?).⁠

So instead of taking it, pick it up, examine it, take a photo, make a sketch, do whatever, but then set it back down and walk away. I said walk away! And let somebody else experience the same joy of discovery that you did.⁠

5. Minimize Campfire Impacts

Smokey Bear says, “Only you can prevent wildfires.” But responsible fire building is about so much more than not burning down the forest; it’s about minimizing impact, too.⁠ So when you build a fire in the outdoors, do it so it leaves no trace. 

For starters, always obey park rules. As in, if a ranger or park sign says you’re not allowed to have a campfire, then don’t have a campfire. Easy as.⁠ More and more destinations are implementing burn bans these days, so if you’re west of the Mississippi, don’t necessarily count on having a campfire at night.

If you are permitted to burn stuff, keep it in the fire pit if there is one, keep it small and contained–this isn't a fall festival bonfire–and if you’ll be collecting wood, make sure you’re only collecting dead and downed wood, as in, wood you find on the ground that’s fully dried out. 

To tell if it’s dead, it should break, not bend when pressure is applied. Bending indicates it’s still green or alive and won’t make good firewood–it won't burn easily and will be extra smokey. As for what size to use, branches shouldn’t be bigger around than your wrist. 

These will not only be easier to snap in half, but smaller branches burn more completely to ash, reducing the chances that leftover hot coals will spontaneously combust after you depart or go to bed.

If your site looks pretty barren of usable stuff, take a walk to look for wood, especially in popular campsite areas where downed wood may have been pretty well scavenged already.

Whatever you do, never cut down or break off branches or trees in order to build a fire. You should never need a saw, hatchet or axe in the backcountry except for in the most extreme survival situations.

As for the actual fire, build it on a durable surface so you won’t damage the ground beneath the coals, clear the area of loose, dry debris like sticks and leaves, and make sure there aren’t any low branches hanging right over the fire. For more info, check out the fire-building instructional video we shot.

And don’t ever leave your fire unattended. If you go to bed or leave camp for the day, douse that bad boy so thoroughly you can stick your hand on the soggy coals. Seriously.⁠

6. Respect Wildlife

As in, keep your dang distance. I mean, think of it this way: How would you like it if you were in your natural habitat, just trying to work and enjoy your coffee in Starbucks, and some rando tourists kept inching closer, and closer, and closer as they tried to snap a selfie? 

I personally wouldn’t care for it much.⁠ I might even get angry enough to charge at them, or at least throw an ice cube or two from my cold brew.

Well, that’s how animals feel when people invade their space just so they can get a better look or take that envy-inducing selfie for Instagram. So stay back and give animals room so you don’t send them fleeing to the woods or sprinting toward you in rage while they’re just trying to eat their breakfast.⁠ At best, you frighten them, at worst, you get injured when they charge.

So stay at least 25 yards away from animals like deer, moose and bison and 100 yards from bears, mountain lions, and wolves. Or you might get trampled. Even if you don’t, you could be acclimatizing them to people, which is just as dangerous for them.⁠

And never feed animals. Any of them. No, not even the cute little chipmunks or birds eyeing your blanket during a picnic. People food can kill animals, maybe not right away, but it doesn’t contain the nutrition they need, their bodies may not be able to digest it, and they may have to be euthanized if they get too reliant on people food and develop aggressive behaviors. 

In short: A fed animal is a dead animal. 

It also teaches them bad manners and they go and annoy everybody else in the vicinity.⁠

This guideline goes for accidental feedings, too. The kind where you don’t properly store your food in your car or a bear box when camping, or where you leave an unattended bag of chips on a picnic table, and animals pilfer your supplies.⁠ 

That’s a bummer for everyone involved. ‘Cause now raccoons or bears know the campground is a place they can get a free meal and you’re missing 4 sandwiches.

7. Be Considerate of Others

The final Leave No Trace principle is about people. Because being considerate of other hikers is important when backpacking. What does that look like? 

Usually it means it’s time to turn off your music, at least when others are within earshot, turn down your voice (unless in grizzly country, then wear your little lungs out), and offer the right-of-way to other hikers.⁠

If you must have music, use earbuds, not a Bluetooth speaker. Then, if conversing with other hikers, use your inside voices, even when outside. 

I'm not certainly not telling you not to have fun outdoors, but consider that some people are out here to observe wildlife or find a moment of peace, so be considerate of why others might be out there. Finally, offer to yield the path to anyone hiking faster than you, coming from the opposite direction or going uphill–it’s just polite.⁠

And don’t be afraid to say hello or offer advice for where to spot a rare flower or colorful lizard when you cross paths with others. Backpackers often enjoy a chat as much as anybody.

Bottom Line

Think you can manage these 7 principles? Remember that they’re guidelines, not rules (for you rebels who hate rules) and following them creates a more beautiful, welcoming, sustainable environment for not only fellow outdoor enthusiasts, but the plants and animals who call the great outdoors home. 

Nobody’s perfect, but the point of the principles is to help us all do our best so we can enjoy public lands together and for a long time to come.

So leave no trace when you head outside, and wander on…to the next lesson…