Plan Ahead and Prepare
Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces
Dispose of Waste Properly
Leave What You Find
Minimize Campfire Impacts
Respect Wildlife
Be Considerate of Others

• Know the regulations and special concerns for the area you'll visit.
• Prepare for extreme weather, hazards, and emergencies.
• Schedule your trip to avoid times of high use.
• Visit in small groups.  Split larger parties into groups of 4-6.  (Lakeshore regulations specify 6 maximum for each backcountry site.)
• Repackage food to minimize waste.
• Use a map and compass to eliminate the use of marking paint, rock cairns, or flagging.
  

• Durable surfaces include established trails and campsites, rock, gravel, dry grasses or snow.
• Protect riparian areas by camping at least 200 feet from lakes and streams.
• Good campsites are found, not made. Altering a site is not necessary. (Lakeshore regulations require you to camp in designated areas.)
• In popular areas: Concentrate use on existing trails and campsites. Walk single file in the middle of the trail, even when wet or muddy.
• Keep campsites small. Focus activity in areas where vegetation is absent.
• In pristine areas, disperse use to prevent the creation of campsites and trails.
• Avoid places where impacts are just beginning.
  

Dispose of Waste Properly

• Pack it in, pack it out. Inspect your campsite and rest areas for trash or spilled foods.
• Pack out all trash, leftover food, and litter.
• Deposit solid human waste in catholes dug 6 to 8 inches deep at least 200 feet from water, camp, and trails. Cover and disguise the cathole when finished. (Use backcountry toilets where available.)
• Pack out toilet paper and hygiene products.
• To wash yourself or your dishes, carry water 200 feet away from streams or lakes and use small amounts of biodegradable soap. Scatter strained dishwater.  

• Preserve the past: examine, but do not touch, cultural or historic structures and artifacts.
• Leave rocks, plants and other natural objects as you find them.
• Avoid introducing or transporting non-native species.
• Do not build structures, furniture, or dig trenches.

• Campfires can cause lasting impacts to the backcountry.  Use a lightweight stove for cooking and enjoy a candle lantern for light.
• Where fires are permitted, use established fire rings, fire pans, or mound fires.  (In the Lakeshore, use fire rings provided.)
• Keep fires small.  Only use sticks from the ground that can be broken by hand.
• Burn all wood and coals to ash, put out campfires completely, then scatter cool ashes.

• Observe wildlife from a distance.  Do not follow or approach them.
• Never feed animals.  Feeding wildlife damages their health, alters natural behaviors, and exposes them to predators and other dangers.
• Protect wildlife and your food by storing rations and trash securely.  (You are required to store food on backcountry food poles.)
• Control pets at all times, or leave them at home.  (Pets are not permitted in the Lakeshore backcountry.)
• Avoid wildlife during sensitive times: mating, nesting, raising young, or winter.

• Respect other visitors and protect the quality of their experience.
• Be courteous. Yield to other users on the trail.
• Step to the downhill side of the trail when encountering pack stock. (Pack stock are not permitted in the Lakeshore.)
• Take breaks and camp away from trails and other visitors. (Lakeshore regulations require you to camp in designated areas.)
• Let nature's sounds prevail. Avoid loud voices and noises.

Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics
P.O. Box 997
Boulder, CO 80306
800-332-4100, 303-442-8222
303-442-8217 fax

www.lnt.org