By Mariah Cannon
The 7 Leave no Trace Principles are a very important thing in the outdoors world. It helps keep adventurers, hikers, climbers, hunters, fisherman, and everyone else who likes to be outside able to explore and enjoy the areas we love. When lands we use get destroyed and rules aren’t followed, these areas we enjoy get shut down and become inaccessible to us. SO… It’s important we respect the land God created for us so generations after us can continue to enjoy it!
And if you don’t know what the 7 Leave No Trace (LNT) principles are, I’m going to explain it so you can continue using and enjoying the outdoors as much as you want. These are great things to remember when out and about.
I know when I started exploring, I did not know about these principles and now that I do, I have a deeper respect for the places I explore and have more gratitude when I’m out there adventuring around.
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The Leave no Trace Principles & Their Meaning
- Plan ahead and prepare. This one is something I’m still working on lol… I’m typically very type-A and I know the exact plan and what I’m doing and where I’m going, but sometimes when I’m hiking or going for an adventure – I just wing it. Which is not always the best thing to do. It’s important to have a route in mind, pack more gear and emergency supplies then you think you’ll need.
- Camp and travel on durable surfaces. Make sure to remain on trail when possible, especially if it is an area that is sensitive or has signage posted requiring on trail hiking only. This means that even when it’s muddy, you should still try to remain on trail. There are obviously exceptions when pulling over to let others pass, when obstruction make the trail impassable, etc. When backpacking and camping, be sure to find areas that have already been impacted by human footsteps to reduce the carbon footprint. Look for areas that are not by lakes, wildflowers, vegetation, etc. You also want to camp at least 200 feet away from any lakes, streams, creeks, or fresh water sources – this is so nothing contaminates the water which in theory can affect wildlife and even other campers and visitors down the road.
- Dispose of waste properly. This is probably the most complex LNT principle, just because a lot of people do not want to carry out their own/their animals waste. But there are a lot of trails and land where it is a requirement due to the sensitive nature of the environment. Packing things out also keeps things clean and again, keeps generations after us exploring and enjoying the same places we do today. When backpacking where you have to pack it out, I highly recommend using this Cleanwaste Wag Bag. It’s a portable anywhere toilet kit and keeps everything together and mess free.
- Leave what you find. It’s okay to take a million photos of something, but its never okay to take pieces of historical, structural, or cultural structures and artifacts home with you. You can get a pretty hefty fine if a ranger catches you taking something that is not meant to leave the area it is sitting in. This includes fossils, remains of homesteaders things, pieces of signage from buildings, and more. You get the point, if it isn’t yours – don’t take it.
- Keep campfire impacts low. Do not have open flames/campfires above 5,000 feet. It is incredibly difficult to get resources to areas way back and up in the forests. Bring a camp stove like this MSR WindBurner or Jetboil Fast Boil to cook food and boil water when you’re backpacking or camping in the backcountry.
- Respect wildlife; this one is so important and year after year we see people getting too close with wildlife and getting hurt of resulting in the animals having to be euthanized. Places we see this a lot are Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. Do not be those ones that try to hug the buffalo, I know it’s hard, but they are actually not friends even though their friend shaped… Be sure to keep a good sized distance between you and any wildlife, do not approach them and do not run from any predatory animals as that kicks their chase instinct in.
- Be considerate of others; the outdoors is meant to be shared by everyone and anyone. It’s important we respect others time in the outdoors and ensure we’re being considerate to everyone enjoying around us. For example, if you’re at a great/popular photo spot and others are waiting – take your photos in a decent amount of time and move along so others can get theirs. I know this one is difficult because so many people will hog spots for long periods of time. It gets frustrating waiting your turn for forever. I typically will just politely ask when people have been taking photos for more than 5 minutes, “Hey, I would just like to grab one quick photo if you don’t mind and then I’ll be on my way.” Most of the time people are receptive to it, I’ve only had one encounter where the girl was rude and she had been there for quite some time, so I just moved down the trail a little to where I still had a good view, but wasn’t going to have her in my frame. Make sure to watch for trail runners, bikers, and horse back riders on trails where they’re allowed.
So next time you’re out and about, try to remember these principles and take care of our lands, trails, recreation areas so everyone can keep enjoying these places for the rest of our time and beyond!
Did you find this guide to the 7 LNT principles helpful? Be sure to save it for future adventures!
Let’s Get Adventuring!
Mariah 🙂
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