Tips on Using Durable Surfaces:

 Camp at least 200 feet away from water sources and well off the trail. This gives
you privacy and protects the water from contamination. It also helps allow wildlife access
to water.
 To ensure that your travel plans and campsite selection are legal, familiarize
yourself with local regulations. The principles of Leave No Trace are ethical guidelines,
not laws. But, many popular areas have put legal regulations in place to help protect
against unknowing or uncaring individuals.
 Finish your day of travel early so you have enough time to find a suitable
campsite. Being tired, running late, or encountering bad weather are not good reasons to
set up camp in a dangerous location.
 For established campsites:
 If there are multiple sites from which to choose, use the one that
best fits your group. Don't take a big site, forcing a larger group to crowd into a small
site and impact its edges.
 Choose the site that has been the most heavily affected, with all
vegetation worn down and exposed rocks.
 Set up your tents and cooking in the middle of an pre-existing
campsite. Keep traffic as close to the already tarmpled areaas possible. Don't put
your tent on the grassy area over on the edge, instead, let it grow while your tent sits
on the dirt.
 Take time to clean up an existing site before leaving, including
scraping ashes, packing out other users' garbage, and probably dismantling
structures and extra firerings.

 In pristine space:

o If you notice a place that looks great, but has traces of prior use, keep
looking and let it recover.
o Set your tents up a ways apart to distribute the footprints
o Place your cooking area on the most durable location. It gets the most
traffic.
o Wear soft shoes around camp, mocassins make much less of a track
than a hiking boot.
o Plan your traffic to minimize unneeded walking. When you stow your
pack, get everything you'll probably need for the evening so you don't need to walk back
to get your toothbrush, then your flashlight, then your washcloth, ...
o Take a different route every trip you make to disperse your foot steps. If
there is an obvious, durable path, use that - stepping rock to rock, for example.
o Use your backpacking stove and do without a campfire.
o When leaving your site, rake matted grass up with a stick, brush out
noticable footprints, and restore the area to as natural a state as possible. You do not
want anyone to see you were here and use it again.

Tips on Using Durable Surfaces:

 Camp at least 200 feet from water sources and well off the trail. This
gives you privacy and protects the water from contamination. It also helps
allow wildlife access to water.
 Know and follow local regulations to ensure your plans for travel and
campsite selection are within the rules. Leave No Trace principles are ethical
guidelines, not rules. But, many popular areas have put legal regulations in
place to help protect against unknowing or uncaring individuals.
 End your day of travel early so you have time to properly select a
campsite. Being tired, or running late, or encountering bad weather are not
good excuses for inhabiting a fragile location for your campsite.
 For established campsites:
o If there are multiple sites from which to choose, use the one
that best fits your group. Don't take a big site, forcing a larger group to crowd
into a small site and impact its edges.
o Choose the most heavily-impacted site - all vegetation worn
away, exposed rocks.
o Set up your tents and cooking in the center of an existing site.
Keep traffic confined as much as possible to the area already trampled. Don't
put your tent on the grassy area over on the edge, let it grow while your tent
sits on the dirt.
o When you pack to leave an established site, take time to clean it
up, including removing ashes, packing out other users' trash, and possibly
taking apart structures and extra firerings.
 In pristine space:

o If you notice a place that looks great, but has traces of prior
use, keep looking and let it recover.
o Set your tents up a ways apart to distribute the footprints
o Place your cooking area on the most durable location. It gets
the most traffic.
o Wear soft shoes around camp, mocassins make much less of a
track than a hiking boot.
o Plan your traffic to minimize unneeded walking. When you stow
your pack, get everything you'll probably need for the evening so you don't
need to walk back to get your toothbrush, then your flashlight, then your
washcloth, ...
o Take a different route every trip you make to disperse your foot
steps. If there is an obvious, durable path, use that - stepping rock to rock,
for example.
o Use your backpacking stove and do without a campfire.
o When leaving your site, rake matted grass up with a stick, brush
out noticable footprints, and restore the area to as natural a state as possible.
You do not want anyone to see you were here and use it again.