By Corey Green, Wilderness Ranger and WNPF Creative Partner
As a Wilderness Ranger in North Cascades National Park, my role naturally revolves around Leave No Trace. For folks newer to outdoor recreation, you may have seen that term – or “LNT” for short – on trailheads, websites for trail information, or visitor centers across the country. Leave No Trace is an attitude, ethics, and helpful educational tool for all outdoor enthusiasts to practice, ensuring that public lands are taken care of for generations.
According to the National Park Service, “Leave No Trace is also a universal education message and a national program led by the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics and adopted by the four federal land management agencies, many state and municipal agencies, and private nonprofit organizations.” Understanding the 7 Principles can help you feel prepared outdoors and set a responsible example for other recreationists.
Plan Ahead and Prepare
You’ve heard this time and time again but for a good reason! This could be considered the most important principle. The success of a trip relies on proper planning and the six other LNT Principles can all be tied back to planning ahead. These are just a few essential questions you or your group needs to ask yourself before heading out, especially in areas without cell service.
It is common in the spring for several roads to be closed for snow removal or damage from the previous winter (this includes SR20 in the North Cascades and HWY410 at Mount Rainier). Pertinent park updates and alerts can be found at the top of the parks’ website. Other ways one can be prepared are by downloading park maps for offline use. The NPS mobile app is available for free and offers general park information.
Fun Fact: Mount Rainier National Park updates their Twitter page daily, especially with road closures in the winter. This is a great resource to check before your visit and you don’t need a Twitter account to access it.
Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces
So you’re finally on the trail – congrats! But you’re getting excited to make it to the top or back to the car. It’s tempting to trailblaze, skip a few switchbacks, or choose the most scenic spot to pitch a tent. But this can make a lasting impact on the environment and cause additional repair work for trail crews that spend hours building trails for us to enjoy.
Cutting switchbacks causes erosion and leaves social trails in its wake, resulting in scarring the landscape. It is best to have one well-established trail versus several social trails. This minimizes the impact and better ensures fellow hikers don’t get lost following the wrong trail.
At Mount Rainier, the meadows at Paradise are often trampled by hikers going off trail. Every year park staff and volunteers work hard to replant native plants in areas that have been destroyed by hikers not staying on the trail.
If you’ll be backpacking, finding sites can be a difficult task if you aren’t familiar with the area. Durable surfaces for camping include bare rock, dirt, and snow. Just remember to avoid camping on top of any vegetation or active trail restoration sites!
Fun Fact: WNPF donors can directly support trail maintenance in the parks! Hear a volunteer’s perspective on how long it takes to restore Paradise meadows at Mount Rainier or how volunteers are supporting Elwha Valley restoration at Olympic.
Dispose of Waste Properly
“Pack it in, pack it out.” This common saying refers to essentially not littering. Most of us, especially if you are reading this blog, know it is not okay to litter. But did you know that even things like orange peels, sunflower seeds, etc. are also considered littering? There are no orange trees in Washington’s national parks so it is not natural to the landscape and is quite the eye sore. Many people go out hiking to seek solitude, but seeing evidence of other humans can sometimes make a wilderness experience less enjoyable. Other trash to watch out for is micro trash such as the corner of a granola bar wrapper. If you want to take your LNT skills to the next level, you can pack out other people’s garbage if you find any on the trails!
This principle does not just refer to food trash. It also refers to human waste – poop. Essentially you will need to either dig a cat hole at least 6” deep, use one of the backcountry toilets if there is one where you’re hiking (again planning ahead), or packing it out entirely with a blue bag. And as always be sure to pack out your toilet paper; imagine coming across that on a beautiful trail like Cascades Pass!
Leave What You Find
If everyone picked the wildflowers in a park there would be none left for everyone else to see and enjoy. Additionally, many wildlife also rely heavily on the habitat that we’re recreating in. This includes wildflower meadows, rocky trails, and more. You may have heard the common saying, “Take only pictures leave only footprints.” Along with the amazing photos and videos you will capture, the only other thing you should be taking back with you from a hike is your disposals or other trash you see on trail.
Minimize Campfire Impact
If you’re having a campfire in a national park, first ensure that campfires are allowed in the area. Even in areas that usually allow campfires, burn bans can take effect due to dangerous fire conditions. This ties back to the first principle of planning ahead!
Each park and land management agency has different rules on where you can have campfires, but here are a few things to keep in mind before lighting up:
Respect Wildlife
Observe wildlife from a distance and keep your food secure by using proper food storage containers when camping. “A fed bear is a dead bear” is a true saying. Unfortunately, if a bear starts to get human food it can become aggressive, and park staff have had to put bears down due to safety concerns. The best way to keep ourselves and the wildlife safe is through education.
Food storage while camping includes using bear lockers, if provided, or using a park-approved bear canister. In these food storage containers, everything with a scent needs to go in there including chapstick, sunscreen, bug spray, trash, dehydrated meals, etc. These bear lockers must be closed properly at all times, even if you are just walking away for a minute. Additionally, camping at least 200 feet from water sources gives wildlife space to access drinking water.
Fun Fact: In North Cascades National Park, the Bear Essentials program has reached over 3,000 park visitors just in the 2022 season. Learn more about this project that WNPF donors have made possible.
Be Considerate of Other Visitors
Why do you go outside? Solitude, spending quality time with loved ones, connecting with the earth, learning and challenging yourself? Whatever the answer is, it’s important to think about how your actions can impact others around you who may be outside for reasons other than your own.
The natural environment is what draws visitors to national parks and public lands across the country. According to the Leave No Trace Center, “excessive noise, uncontrolled pets, and damaged surroundings detract from the natural appeal of the outdoors.” Sharing trails, yielding to other trail users, and staying up to date on trail rules are just a few more ways to be considerate of other trail users.
The seven Leave No Trace Principles are called principles, not rules. They are meant to be fluid and ever-changing to various circumstances. The main goal is to help educate everyone on how to be positive stewards of the land.
Interested in securing backcountry permits in the parks? Check out our other Backcountry Beginner blogs for Mount Rainier, North Cascades, or Olympic National Parks!
Cover photo: A mountain goat in the North Cascades. Photo by Corey Green, WNPF Creative Partner.