Guidelines of Leave No Trace

Leave No Trace is a popular phrase and if you spend a lot of time outdoors, you should know what it means.  If you only know the basics and follow it when camping, that’s fine, but in reality, you should understand how to Leave No Trace behind anytime you are outside.

Just in Australia alone we go out on millions of outdoor adventures a year.  Anyone that doesn’t follow the Leave No Trace guidelines, leaves an overabundance of litter, trail erosion, polluted water, and more problems behind.  Not everyone intends to harm nature, but sometimes a few people are not sure of what they need to do to keep everything looking beautiful.

Who Need to Use the Guidelines of Leave No Trace?

Leave No Trace guidelines were started for those who were out exploring the backcountry areas of the world, but the guidelines now apply for anyone who is out in nature.

The Seven Leave No Trace Guidelines

• Plan and Prepare
• Camp and Travel on Durable Surfaces
• Properly Dispose of All Waste
• Leave What You Find Out in Nature
• Minimize the Impacts of Your Campfire
• Respect All Wildlife
• Be Considerate of Other People at All Times

Plan and Prepare

Planning and preparing before you head out into nature will help you avoid problems.  This planning and preparation includes researching the area where you are going and determining what items you will need to keep yourself healthy and safe.

• Know all the regulations for where you are visiting.
• Prepare for emergencies, extreme weather, and other potential hazards.
• Avoid high use times by scheduling your trip accordingly.
• Visit in small groups or split larger groups up into smaller ones.
• Minimize waste by repacking food items.
• Keep marking paint, rock cairns, and flagging to a minimum by taking a map and compass with you and using them.

Camp and Travel on Durable Surfaces

Established trails and campsites are the best places to walk and set up camps, because they are resilient to more use.  Rock, gravel, snow, and dry grasses will also work if you need to walk off the trail or set up camp in a space no one has been before.

While in popular areas you should:

• Use only existing trails and campsites.
• Camp at least one hundred metres from lakes and streams.
• Keep your campsite small and try to stay in areas where there is little vegetation.
• Walk in the middle of the trail, even if it wet or muddy.

While in unused areas that are pristine:

• Try to spread out so you do not create campsites and trails.
• Avoid any area that has impacts beginning.

Properly Dispose of All Waste

Waste is considered food, wrappers, rinse water, and human waste.

• Anything that you bring in, you should take out with you. There should be no food, wrappers, or spills anywhere near your campsite and you should try to leave it better than it was when you arrived.
• Human waste can either be buried in catholes that are at least fifteen centimetres deep and at least one hundred metres from water sources, camps and trails. If this is not possible, or the area will not decompose your waste, you will need to be prepared to take it with you.
• Carry out all toilet paper and hygiene products that you use.
• Dishwater should always be dumped at least one hundred metres away from water sources and your camp, plus you should use as little biodegradable soap as possible.

Leave What You Find Out in Nature

The saying goes, “take only pictures, leave only footprints” and that is quite true.  Although, you should try to leave less footprints if possible.

• Preserve the past by examining but not touching artefacts or structures.
• Leave all rocks, plants, and natural objects right where you see them.
• Never bring non-native species with you. Clean of your bike tires, kayaks, and the bottom of your boots in between outdoor adventures.
• Never build furniture, structures, or dig long trenches.

Minimize the Impacts of Your Campfire

Campfires can help you eat and keep you warm on chilly days, but they can destroy nature quickly.  You may want to consider a stove for cooking and extra layers for warmth.

• Fire rings, fire pans, and mound fires should be used where campfires are allowed.
• Fires should be kept as small as possible and you should only use sticks that you can break with your hands.
• Burn the campfire down until all the wood and coals are ashes, they put the ashes out completely.
• Firewood should never be brought in from home to burn, because it could introduce new diseases and pests to the area. You should only purchase it locally or gather it if it is allowed.

Respect All Wildlife

No one should ever approach an animal out in the wild, but you can still pay close attention to them with a camera or binoculars.

• Watch all wildlife from a distance and never approach them or follow them.
• Wild animals feed off the land and you should never offer them food. Regular food can harm their health, alter their behaviour, and expose them to danger and predators.
• Store all your food and trash in a safe and secure place to protect the wildlife.
• Control your pets all the time to keep them away from wildlife or simply keep them home.
• There are certain times when you should completely avoid wildlife and they are during mating season, when animals are nesting or raising their young, or during the winter months.

Be Considerate of Other People at All Times

Here is another saying that holds true in the outdoors, “Treat others the way you would like to be treated”.

• Respect others and keep their experiences a positive one.
• Be courteous and allow others to pass when necessary on trails.
• You should step to the downhill side of trails when you see pack stock.
• Take breaks when necessary and always camp away from other people and the trails.
• Nature should be all that is heard in the outdoors, so limit loud voices and noises.
• Keep pets under control.