LEAVE NO TRACE

"Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints."

This book is a collection of day hikes. Hikers may combine trips or use the descriptions as part of a multi-day hike but most will be done in one day. It is much easier to leave little sign that you have been there on a day hike than on an overnight hike.

Leaving little trace that you have been there is very important for the area and for other hikers who follow. Most people who follow routes in this book want to get away from the crowds to places that are rarely visited, where there is no trash and no visual or noise pollution. Following are some things you can do to minimize your impacts on the land and on other people.

Sanitation: Catholes seem to be the most accepted method of treating solid human waste in arid lands today. That has changed and probably will change in the future. For now, dig a shallow hole 200 or more feet from water, a wash, a camp or other used area. South slopes or ridges are preferable and as close to vegetation as convenient. Pack out the paper.

Urinate away from water or use areas. Just do not concentrate it in any one spot.

Walking: Stay in the, washes so the next storm will wash out your foot prints. Walk on rock so there are no tracks. Walk firm ground where you do not sink in very far. This may mean delaying or rerouting a hike if recent rain has softened the area you want to hike.

Resting: Do not clear an area in which to rest. Sit on a log, rock or in the sand where you do not have to break off branches, kick out growing plants or move numerous rocks. BLEND with the area, DON'T BEND it to your temporary desires.

A great echo cliff can be a fun addition to a hike. Enjoy it but do not overdo it. A loud noise or echo can carry a long way. There may be other people in the area. Constant yelling back and forth can also be very disturbing to others. Have fun but try to limit, not eliminate, the noise.

Need I say DO NOT LITTER? I hope not. If you litter you do not belong on these hikes.

Follow game trails or the trails of previous people. If there are a number of people in your group (No more than ten allowed) and you are traveling new ground, walk gently and spread out. I found a "trail" along a ridge in a very remote area and on checking found twelve people had walked there over a year earlier. A trail would last twenty years in some places.

DO NOT SWIM IN WATER HOLES. Cool off in a flowing stream but treat a water hole as if it was your drinking water supply.

It IS the drinking water supply of MANY living things. To use a water hole to cool off, dip out some water then move to a place where the water will not seep back to the hole immediately or after a rain. To use a water hole for drinking water always filter it or add appropriate chemicals.

If you find an old fire ring, disperse the rocks and bury the charcoal.

Take any other precautions you think of to reduce your impact on the area you hike through. Nature and following hikers will appreciate it.

Except for the last hike, overnight hikes are not mentioned in this book. Additional precautions to be taken by overnight hikers include the following. Wood fires are not allowed in the Park. Camp well away from any water source, historical, or archaeological sites. Put your camp on a durable surface, preferably slickrock. Strain dishwater and pack out the garbage.

Do not trample an area that cannot recover. Concentrate camp activities on rock or in a wash. A free permit is required for overnight camping in Capitol Reef National Park.


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