I Didn't Know That!: Leave No Trace Principle #1 - Plan Ahead and Prepare

You just decided to spend the next day at your favorite national park. While you’re super excited to go, you have other things to tend to before leaving. The next day, you pull up to the park’s entrance and learn that your favorite trail is currently closed. As it turns out, this is a seasonal closure for nesting birds in the area, which will continue for the next three weeks. Unfortunately, you didn’t research any other trails and don't know what to do next. Now you’re thinking, “Hmmm, had I planned better, I could have had a back-up plan and still really enjoyed my trip today.”

Did You Know?

Planning ahead and preparing for your trip is one of the 7 Leave No Trace Principles. These Principles empower you to leave nature as unchanged by your presence as possible. It’s a way of protecting the natural world and yourself and to preserve our outdoor spaces for the enjoyment of generations to come.

Plan ahead and prepare before you go.

NPS / Jonathan Shafer

Why is it important to plan ahead?

Each park is unique in its environment and recreational opportunities. From wild and scenic rivers to historic buildings to wilderness and wildlife, parks preserve America’s special places for the enjoyment of future generations. Planning is key to making the most of your adventure, reducing your risk of injury, and protecting these special places.

Do you need a ticket to enter the park or a permit for your activity? These are often used by parks to manage overcrowding which has a negative impact on natural resources and visitor safety. Are there closures to trail or areas of the park that can affect your plans? Are you familiar with the wildlife you might encounter in the park and park regulations that help protect wildlife and reduce your risk of injury?

How to Plan Ahead

Click the image to access the Trip Planning Guide.

Trip Planning Guide

Use the National Park Service Trip Planning Guide to help you “Plan Like a Park Ranger" for your national park adventure! It provides tailored recommendations for every stage of your trip to help you avoid common mistakes that lead to injuries and protect the natural and cultural resources at the park.

Click the image to Plan You Adventure Like a Junior Ranger.

Junior Ranger Park Explorer

Traveling with kids? Download the Junior Ranger Park Explorer booklet so you can plan together! It is full of fun games and activities that will help the next generation of park stewards learn how to plan for a memorable adventure in national parks.

Pass It On!

Did you learn something new? Pass it on! Protecting our ecosystems is a job for us all, but there’s no way for everyone to be an expert in everything. That’s why sharing knowledge is so important!

Download or screenshot this card to share with a friend or help spread the word and encourage others to Leave No Trace by planning ahead and preparing when they visit the outdoors. Thank you for helping protect our natural spaces for generations to come.

Check out other I Didn’t Know That! Topics.

Text Description of Infographic

I Didn't Know That! with Leave No Trace

Principle 1: Plan Ahead and Prepare

Each park is unique in its environment and recreational activities. Planning is key to:

• Making the most of your adventure,
• reducing your risk of injury, and 
• protecting special places.

Ranger Tip: Use the National Park Service Trip Planning Guide to help you "Plan Like a Park Ranger" for your next national park adventure. go.nps.gov/planyourtrip

Ranger Tip: Traveling with kids? Download the Junior Ranger Park Explorer booklet so you can plan ahead and prepare together. go.nps.gov/parkexplorer

go.nps.gov/idkt

In Collaboration with Leave No Trace

This article is part of the I Didn't Know That!: Leave No Trace series and was developed in collaboration with Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics. 

Leave No Trace 7 Principles © 1999 by the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics