Leave No Trace (LNT) is way for everyone to enjoy their visit to the redwoods while having little impact on the park - or ruining the experience of the next person behind you. LNT ethics and practices are not just for backcountry hikers or wilderness campers. Even if you only visit the Big Tree Wayside, have a picnic at Redwood Creek Overlook, or spend five minutes at any redwood trailhead - these simple LNT steps will help make the park a better place for everyone and everything.
Leave No Trace is not only just for parks - LNT is for anywhere and everywhere in nature that you visit.
Reference cards explain the Leave No Trace Seven Principles
Seven Principles of Leave No Trace
Each of us plays a vital role in protecting our national parks and nature sites. As we spend time outdoors, in the natural world and in wilderness, it’s important to be conscious of the effects our actions may have on plants, animals, other people, and even entire ecosystems. Following the Leave No Trace Seven Principles, summarized below, can help us minimize those impacts. They can be applied anywhere, at any time, while taking part in recreational activities.
Walk single file in the middle of the trail, even when wet or muddy.
Keep campsites small. Focus activity in areas where vegetation is absent.
In pristine areas: l
Disperse use to prevent the creation of campsites and trails.
Avoid places where impacts are just beginning.
3. Dispose Of Waste Properly
Pack it in, pack it out. Inspect your campsite, food preparation areas, and rest areas for trash or spilled foods. Pack out all trash, leftover food and litter.
Utilize toilet facilities whenever possible. Otherwise, deposit solid human waste in catholes dug 6 to 8 inches deep, at least 200 feet from water, camp and trails. Cover and disguise the cathole when finished.
Pack out toilet paper and hygiene products.
To wash yourself or your dishes, carry water 200 feet away from streams or lakes and use small amounts of biodegradable soap. Scatter strained dishwater.
4. Leave What You Find
Preserve the past: examine, photograph, but do not touch cultural or historic structures and artifacts.
Leave rocks, plants and other natural objects as you find them.
Avoid introducing or transporting non-native species.
Do not build structures, furniture, or dig trenches.
5. Minimise Campfire Impacts
Campfires can cause lasting impacts to the environment. Use a lightweight stove for cooking and enjoy a candle lantern for light.
Where fires are permitted, use established fire rings, fire pans, or mound fires.
Keep fires small. Only use down and dead wood from the ground that can be broken by hand.
Burn all wood and coals to ash, put out campfires completely, then scatter cool ashes.
6. Respect Wildlife
Observe wildlife from a distance. Do not follow or approach them.
Never feed animals. Feeding wildlife damages their health, alters natural behaviors, [habituates them to humans], and exposes them to predators and other dangers.
Protect wildlife and your food by storing rations and trash securely.
Control pets at all times, or leave them at home. Pets are not allowed on national or state park trails. Find out about pet-friendly options in the redwoods.
Avoid wildlife during sensitive times: mating, nesting, raising young, or winter.
7. Be Considerate of Other Visitors
Respect other visitors and protect the quality of their experience.
Be courteous. Yield to other users on the trail.
Step to the downhill side of the trail when encountering pack stock.
Take breaks and camp away from trails and other visitors.
Let nature's sounds prevail. Avoid loud voices and noises.
hese principles were established by the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics, and built on work by the US Forest Service, National Park Service, and Bureau of Land Management in the mid 1980s. This relationship continues today. The principles are based on and informed by scientific research in the fields of recreation ecology and human dimensions of natural resources. Take a look at the science behind the principles on the Leave No Trace website.
Thank you for doing your part to protect the redwoods and the natural world.
Offices:Heartland Inventory & Monitoring Network,Inventory and Monitoring Division
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Offices:Heartland Inventory & Monitoring Network,Natural Resource Condition Assessment Program
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Offices:Heartland Inventory & Monitoring Network,Inventory and Monitoring Division
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Offices:Inventory and Monitoring Division,Northeast Coastal and Barrier Inventory & Monitoring Network
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With over 300 million trips to parks each year, that is a lot of people sharing our public lands. We can all do our part to be considerate of others and share the trail to ensure everyone has the same opportunity to enjoy these places. Afterall, the outdoors are for everyone!
The natural world is full of fascinating finds that awe us with their beauty and intrigue. From colorful rocks and seashells to artifacts, feathers, and fossils. While you may be tempted to bring these items home with you, please follow Leave No Trace Principle #4 and leave them where you find them. Find out why in this I Didn't Know That! article.
