Leave No Trace, in one minute
Seven principles you can internalize on the drive to the trailhead. The outdoors is a shared inheritance — leave it better than you found it.
The Leave No Trace Center has seven principles, and they are genuinely all important. If you have a short drive, here is the spine:
- Plan ahead. Know the rules, the weather, and your exit.
- Travel on durable surfaces. Stay on the trail. Camp on rock, sand, or established sites — not fragile meadows.
- Pack out everything. Including food scraps, toilet paper, and dog waste.
- Leave what you find. No souvenirs. No new cairns.
- Minimize campfire impact. Use a stove. If you must have a fire, use existing rings.
- Respect wildlife. Observe from a distance. Never feed.
- Be considerate. Yield, keep voices down, and let others have their own moment out there.
The outdoors is a shared inheritance. If every visitor leaves it 1% better, the places we love outlive us.
