Leave No Trace: 7 Simple Rules That Keep Trails Wild

Every trail you walk is shared. With the people behind you, with the animals that live there, and with the version of yourself that comes back next year. The good news? Keeping a trail wild is not hard work. It is seven small habits.

The Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics built these seven principles on decades of work with the US Forest Service, National Park Service, and Bureau of Land Management. They are the closest thing the outdoors has to a golden rule.

1. Plan ahead and prepare

Check the weather, the trail conditions, and the local rules before you leave. A little planning means you carry the right gear, avoid getting lost, and never have to improvise in a way that hurts the land.

2. Travel and camp on durable surfaces

Stick to the path. Trails, rock, gravel, and dry grass can take your footsteps; fragile plants and soft soil cannot. When a trail is muddy, walk through the middle rather than widening it around the edges.

3. Dispose of waste properly

Pack it in, pack it out. That includes food scraps, fruit peels, and pet waste. A banana peel takes far longer to break down than most people think, and it is not native to the forest floor.

4. Leave what you find

Take photos, not souvenirs. Leave rocks, plants, flowers, and artifacts exactly where you found them. The next visitor deserves to discover them too.

5. Minimise campfire impacts

Use a stove when you can. If you do build a fire, keep it small, contained, and legal — and make sure it is completely out before you leave.

6. Respect wildlife

Watch from a distance and never feed wild animals. Feeding them changes their behaviour, harms their health, and can make them dangerous to the next hiker.

7. Be considerate of others

Keep noise down, yield to others on the trail, and leave room for everyone to enjoy the outdoors. A friendly hello costs nothing and makes the whole trail feel better.

None of this is about being perfect. It is about leaving the trail a little better than you found it — so the next walk, and the one after that, still feels wild.

Sources: Leave No Trace — The 7 Principles; U.S. National Park Service — Leave No Trace Seven Principles.