The Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics has, since 1994, educated people about their recreational impacts on nature. Use their seven guiding principles to enjoy the outdoors responsibly.
- Plan Ahead and Prepare: Give yourself enough time to hike in and reach proper campsites. If you don’t plan ahead and give yourself plenty of time to find a good spot, you can run out of daylight and have to set up a camp in a spot that’s less sustainable (and less comfortable).
- Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces: In high-use areas, use already existing sites; in remote areas, spread out to minimize impact. If everyone who visited an alpine lake, for example, used a brand-new campsite, the lake would eventually be surrounded in barren spots with fire rings next to them. Use a spot that’s already been camped in.
- Dispose of Waste Properly (Pack It In, Pack It Out): Pack out all trash, scatter dishwater far from water sources, and bury human waste.
- Leave What You Find: Leave the things you find for others to enjoy–don’t pocket rocks, wildflowers, or archaeological artifacts. Stealing a potsherd from an ancient site alters the site, making it less enjoyable for future visitors.

More from The Great Outdoors:
• Tips for Driving on Bumpy Roads
Excerpted from The Great Outdoors by Brendan Leonard (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2017. Illustrations by Seth Neilson.