Principles
This principle reminds you to know the terrain, weather, and regulations before your trip.
What is Plan Ahead and Prepare?
After lunch, you notice a couple apple cores and peanut shells on the ground. Your group says, “It’s fine — it’s biodegradable.”
What is Pack Out All Waste?
Store your food in one of these to keep bears away.
What is a bear box?
This popular camp activity should be avoided in dry conditions.
What is building a campfire?
You see a banana peel tossed behind a tree on the trail.
What is pick it up and pack it out?
This principle says that you stay on durable surfaces and camp 200 feet from water, you’re practicing this principle.
What is Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces?
You find a well-used shortcut off the trail that saves 10 minutes of hiking. It’s muddy and eroding, but others have clearly used it.
What is Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces?
You're in the desert and come across a snake sunning on the trail. Your friend throws a rock near it to scare it away.
What is don’t provoke or disturb wildlife — wait at a distance until the animal moves on?
You should always build a fire inside this.
What is a fire ring or pit?
You find a cool fossil while hiking.
What is leave it behind?
This principle encourages you to leave natural objects as you found them.
What is Leave What You Find?
You’re camping with a group and someone starts playing music on a Bluetooth speaker during sunset. Other hikers nearby seem annoyed.
What is Be Considerate of Other Visitors?
This is the minimum distance you should stay away from most wild animals, according to Leave No Trace guidelines.
What is 100 feet (or about two bus lengths)?
You should set up your tent at least this far from lakes and streams.
What is 200 feet?
True or False: Campfires are always okay as long as you put them out.
What is false, fire risk and environment matter?
This principle helps protect both wildlife and people.
What is Respect Wildlife?
You’re hiking through a meadow filled with blooming wildflowers. A friend wants to pick one to put in their hair.
What is Leave What You Find?
You find baby birds alone in a nest on a low branch and think they may have been abandoned.
What is leave them alone — the parents are likely nearby?
Staying on these helps protect plants and prevents erosion.
What are established trails?
Planning ahead and Preparing helps prevent this.
What is getting lost, needing rescue, creating unnecessary impact, bringing too much or too little gear?
Sharing the outdoors with others while minimizing your impact relates to this principle.
What is Be Considerate of Other Visitors?
You brought firewood from home to a campsite 200 miles away, because it’s cheaper than buying it locally.
What is Minimize Campfire Impact?
Your group sees a fox cross the trail. Someone suggests following it to see where it lives.
What is don’t follow or track wildlife — it can stress or endanger them?
You see a cool rock or antler and want to take it home.
What is leave it where it is?
You see a bear from 50 feet away.
What is back away slowly, don’t run, give it space?