Plan Ahead and Prepare

• Know the regulations and special concerns of the area you will 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.
• Repackage food to minimize waste.
• Use a map and compass to eliminate the use of marking paint, rock cairns or flagging.

Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces

• Durable surfaces include established trails and campsites, rock, gravel, dry grasses or snow.
• Good campsites are found, not made. Altering a site is not necessary. 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.

Where there are no latrines, 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 hole when finished.

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.

Dispose of fish remains by packing out or burying them in a shallow hole far from campsites and portages and back from the shore.

Leave What You Find

• Preserve the past: examine, but do not touch, cultural or historical 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.

Minimize Campfire Impacts

• 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.
• Keep fires small. Only use dead and down wood that can be broken by hand.
• Burn all wood and coals to ash. Put out campfires completely. If not using a firegrate, then scatter the cool ashes.
• Never burn food packaging, other trash or garbage.

Respect Wildlife

• 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.
• Control pets at all times or leave them at home.
• Avoid wildlife at sensitive times: mating, nesting, raising young or winter.

Be Considerate of Other Visitors

• Respect other visitors and protect the quality of their experience.
• Be courteous. Yield to other users on the trail.
• Take breaks and camp away from trails and other visitors.
• Let nature’s sound prevail. Avoid loud voices and noises.