The best practices and rules for dispersed camping (any camping and outdoor recreation) are all tied into the Leave no trace principles which are essentially that; leaving absolutely no trace behind us and leaving nature in a better condition than we found it in.
Each governing agency and public land area have different specific rules when it comes to length of stay, fees, where to camp, pets, and so on. But the best practices for protecting yourself and your surroundings apply to all public lands and outdoor recreation types.
Why is it important to follow the Leave No Trace Principles?
These rules were brought about in the 60s when the forest service realized that giving everyone access to public lands actually harmed nature and left significant damage behind.
As a result, there are very few clean water sources left in the US today (campers have contributed to this by toileting and washing too close to water sources, thus polluting them over time). The impact was also noticeable on vegetation which would be trampled down and unable to recover, especially those fragile plants near water or in the desert. Trees were damaged for firewood as well.
I am not hear to lift my finger at you, but simply to stress the importance of following these principles and to make everyone aware that everything adds up over time.
YOU HAVE TO KNOW THESE AND OBEY THEM to help the governing agencies in their job to protect the land for you and future generations, AND to make your experience safe and to keep the natural resources scenic and unspoiled for other campers.
What if I can’t remember all these principles?
Now you are not expected to remember every detail right away - the best way to practice these principles is when you are actually camping. But remember, the more you prepare from home, the easier it is to follow these principles while camping.
Being aware of these principles is the first important step. And you are probably following most if not all of these principles already if you are used to camping or being outdoors.
A lot of the harm we do in nature is unintentional but so easily avoided. So be smart, come prepared and remember, karma is a bitch.
Prepare the family from home or while camping with this family friendly Leave No Trace bingo game.
Let me walk you through the 7 Leave No Trace principles
1.Plan and Prepare
Plan and prepare refers to educating yourself on the area you will visit and its immediate dangers. When you know what to expect and come prepared for primitive living, it’s much easier to follow all the other principles and to protect yourself and your surroundings from harm.
Make sure you know the rules for the public land you will be camping on, including current fire restrictions and closures. The best way to find out what areas are open to dispersed camping is to contact the nearest Forest Service office or BLM office to the area you wish to visit (or the agency managing the land if not BLM or National Forest).
2. Dispose of waste properly
This refers to all kids of human and food waste you will produce. Water gets contaminated by visitors who do not take care of their human waste, their water waste or their garbage and food properly.
How do you handle waste the proper way?
Wash and rinse your dishes and yourself (and dispose of the water) at least 200 ft (about 70 adult steps) from any water source.
Absolutely no gray or black dumping of human waste from RVs. But the same goes for all campers.
We often dispose of this along with tiny food particles in the fire pit, but this is actually not recommended because a fire isn’t always enough to remove traces of food. Instead, get as much food debris out as possible and walk away from camp and water sources to scatter it. Use only biodegradable soap, but limit the use of this as well since this can always be harmful..
Bring a large container if you need to dispose of oil or bacon grease (if you don’t want it in your trash bag) or the like - or better yet, cook something that leaves your dish water relatively clean.
Avoid applying sunscreen just before a swim. I know, that's basically impossible without asking for a sunburn. But freshly applied sunscreen (and other lotions and bug spray) leaves a lot of residue in the water. Use sunhats and SPF water shirts for swimming and reapply once you're out of the water.
Pack in and out - this refers to minimizing the amount of trash you take with you. By reorganizing and repackaging food from home, you minimize what you take with you and what you have to bring with you back.
Leave absolutely nothing behind, not even orange or banana peels (they take up to two years to decompose and are often sprayed with pesticides!).
Bring a bungee cord to tie the trash bag to the roof on the way home.
Avoid dumping your trash near an overflowing or tiny trash bin. They are not emptied that often on public land. And overflowing trash bins pose a danger to wildlife - and attract more animals which poses a danger to future campers. So be mindful. Bring it home or dispose of it in a larger bin for public use elsewhere.
Stick to cans if you bring beer and sodas because they pack smaller and safer. We always find broken glass in used campsites, probably from people shooting at bottles or just leaving them behind.
Bring extra trash bags for potential leaks as well as trash you might find in your site (I fully believe in good karma as well as saving your dog or toddler from a cut on broken glass).
Going to the bathroom in the woods - always keep at least 200 feet (70 adult steps) from any water source when toileting on public land (outside outhouses/public restrooms).
Avoid washes and areas where water runs through and into water sources.
Bring a small shovel and dig at least 6” deep (a ‘cathole’). Do not bury the toilet paper, pack it in with you (doggy bags are great for this and for stinky diapers too). Never defecate or leave toilet paper on top of the ground. It could easily get into the local water source and contaminate it.
Why can you not bury the toilet paper? To put things into perspective: it takes up to a year for toilet paper to break down (under the right circumstances). Not all micro organisms are able to do that - the desert for example (where it’s also tough to dig).
Your dogs might also have a field day if you are not careful with properly burying your own personal waste, so be thorough.
For busier or more barren sites, I recommend using a camping toilet. We use a simple tripod/chemical bag solution because it’s compact and simple.
Important note about water (treating it)
Keep in mind to treat any water you might drink from natural water sources. Water sources in National Forest and on other public lands have been contaminated with invisible micro-organisms, Giardia is a common one, that can make people very ill. It will cause diarrhea, cramping, and other physical problems. Giardia has been spread through improper toileting, cattle, and wild animals to many water sources.
The only way to ensure that water from any undeveloped source is safe is to treat it. That means heating it until it comes to a rolling boil, using water purification tablets or a water purification filter.
3. Camp on durable surfaces
So, just because you are allowed to set up camp anywhere (almost) on public land doesn’t mean you can or should drive anywhere.
Stick to existing roads and prevent resource damage by keeping your campsite within 150 (some allow 300 ft) feet from a roadway.
look for already established spots on bare soil if possible, to avoid damage or killing plants and grass. These are easy to spot on satellite view on a map and from the road.
Please place your campsite at least 100 feet from any stream or other water source. Plants near streams are very fragile. Driving on wet ground especially leaves significant damage.
Avoid driving on meadows where plants are fragile to access your camping site.
Keep 1 mile distance to developed recreation areas such as campgrounds, picnic areas, or trail heads. Now this may seem like a lot as well as difficult to do, but it’s really not because you often see signs of already established sites at least a mile from established places.
Why keep so far away from recreation areas? To minimize the traffic and impact in one spot AND, (my favorite), to protect yourself from bears and other hungry wildlife that come to the established recreation areas first for food.
Also, avoid leveling the ground with a shovel or digging trenches around your tent. Look for higher and level ground instead.
4. Minimize fire impact
This one is extremely important since most wildfires are caused by human recreation activity. Fire restrictions (and conditions) change from one day to the next, so remember to check in with the local area you are visiting.
Restrictions are usually in place because of dry conditions. But as of writing, fire bans are in place because of Covid-19 and limited resources to respond to fires.
This is how you minimize campfire impact
Make sure to put out fires properly. A campfire is cold to the touch when it’s been put out correctly with lots water, or dirt if you have no water. Don’t assume it’s put out and leave a campsite. Wait, touch, and double check before you go.
Obey fire restrictions. This can also apply to open flame restrictions which could affect your cooking options.
Use established fire rings or use a portable grill. You can get many fold-able compact ones that are easy to bring. Having a fire off the ground prevents scorching and scarring - and is a requirement in some areas. Remember, there should be no trace of you having been there.
If you build your own fire ring, clean an area and make a ring of rocks about two feet in diameter that is not next to a tree with low overhanging branches. Look for dirt ground.
Use only dead wood on the grounds and avoid cutting live trees for firewood. You may have to bring your own firewood depending on where you go. The animals, insects, and micro-organisms in the soil need rotting wood on the ground to survive.
Try to buy this locally to prevent spreading of beetles and diseases.
5. Leave what you find
Animal carcasses and bones can carry disease, so leave that and keep a distance.
It’s also important to leave trash you would normally pick up if it seems to have already been ‘accepted’ by nature, such as a moss grown tire. You don’t want to disturb microorganisms and habitats by removing what is now a part of nature. But the most trash you will see is recent and perhaps even windblown.
Plants and rocks. By removing rocks and plants, imagine what the area or spot will look like if everyone removed something after 50 visitors, 100, 1000 and so on.
Firewood. Campers may leave their firewood in a spot for the next campers. Use it or leave it as well to prevent spreading beetles and diseases.
Pick up any newer trash that you find for good karma and a pleasant visit for you and future guests.
6. Respect wildlife
Wildlife is everywhere, especially where people go with food. Remember that dispersed camping won’t come with bear lockers, so you have to prepare from home on how to best avoid attracting animals.
Leave no traces of food and pack as few aromatic food items as possible. This can be extremely difficult since you are likely to dispose of dishwater in the woods.
If you know there is a lot of wildlife activity near you, especially bear, minimize the dirty dishes you have and dispose of your dish water far from your camp site. Remember to store your trash bag up high and away from your tent or in bear proof storage.
Bring odor-proof storage for your food, and store food away from your camp or in your car.
Check with rangers for wildlife sightings. Bears and other hungry wildlife tend to go to the official campgrounds for food first, simply because of the abundance and concentration of it there. This is a good reason to make sure to camp at least 1 mile from official campgrounds.
Keep a distance to wildlife if you see any, including leashing your dog if it will go ‘hunting’ tirelessly. You don’t want to risk separating young from their mothers or chase any animals away from their homes. And remember to pick up your dog’s waste too!
7. Be mindful of others
Share the space and keep a distance to your neighbors so you all have a remote experience.
Keep your camp ‘tucked away’ instead of in someone’s view. Others might be camping nearby, so make sure you all have the secluded experience you came for by staying out of each other’s sight if possible
If you bring a dog, make sure it’s under control and doesn't bother any neighbors.
And please, keep the music and other loud noises to a minimum.
Is it even realistic to carry out all 7 Leave No Trace principles correctly when camping?
Yes and no. If you plan accordingly from home and make sure to bring the right gear for proper waste disposal and have looked for already established sites from home (just to mention a few things), then it's absolutely doable.
Did I follow all these principles correctly from the get go? Nope! I am still learning to implement them in practice.
One thing I find hard is proper disposal of dish washing water. I used to dispose of it very close to camp. I would however not leave much food debris in it and I would use biodegradable soap. I bring a proper collapsible sink with a handle so I can easily carry the water away. So there's no excuse now.
I am also guilty of rinsing tough stained dishes in streams and rivers. I've always thought the power of dilution would still work. But so did many others which means I've been part of polluting our water resources.
And then there's of course the one I think we're all guilty of: lathering up in sunceeen before jumping into a cool lake or river. I've made it my goal this summer to swim with a SPF shirt on and then lather up afterwards and wait for it to sweat off before jumping in again.
Now you and I are that much wiser and prepared for safe dispersed camping. It's never too late to learn.
Happy camping, my friend!
