Popular Places Need Gentler Feet

High-Traffic Trails, Low-Impact Habits

Beloved trails carry thousands of footsteps each season. Small choices—where we step, how we wash, how loud we are—get multiplied. A few calm habits protect soil, water, and wildlife while keeping the experience wild for the next hiker.

Five Habits (Do These Every Time)

• Stay on tread: widen paths with your patience, not your footsteps. If the trail is muddy, walk through the middle instead of skirting edges—side-stepping turns singletrack into doublewide scar.
• Pack microtrash: tape bits, tea tabs, food corners, floss, citrus peels. Carry a dedicated zip bag and do a 30-second ground scan at each rest. It’s amazing what disappears into duff.
• Quiet hours: dawn and dusk belong to wildlife. Keep voices low, disable phone speakers, and use warm/low headlamp modes.
• Camp smart: choose legal, durable sites; prefer existing pads and rings or go ring-free with a stove. Keep tents on durable surfaces (gravel, rock, dry duff) rather than fragile vegetation.
• Wash away from water: 200 ft / 70 adult paces from lakes/streams. Strain food bits, scatter gray water broadly, let soil do its filter work.

Trail Use: Mud, Switchbacks, and Passing

• Mud season: step straight through with firm, flat steps; poles lightly, not like jackhammers.
• Switchbacks: never cut them. Cutting scars hillsides and accelerates erosion.
• Passing etiquette: announce gently (“on your left”), step to rock or durable edge, beams down at night.

Food & Scent: Leave Critters Wild

• No food trails: don’t drip ramen, scatter oats, or toss peels—animals learn to patrol campsites.
• Secure storage: use canisters/ursacks where required; otherwise, odor-tight bags and clean cook zones.
• Cook, then camp: if possible, prep meals slightly away from sleeping area to reduce nighttime visits.

Bathrooms, Gray Water, and Soap

• Cat holes: 6–8 in (15–20 cm) deep, 200 ft from water/trail/camp; cover and disguise thoroughly.
• TP strategy: pack it out in a sealed bag; colored dog-waste bags work great.
• Gray water: strain with a tiny mesh (tea strainer or bandana), pack solids, broadcast the rest over a wide area.
• Soap: use sparingly (or not at all). Hands: alcohol gel; dishes: hot water + a drop of soap dots.

Noise & Light: Keep the Night a Night

• Headlamp etiquette: beams down, warm/low modes; red mode for late arrivals.
• Music: headphones over speakers. Share the creek, not your playlist.
• After dark: voices carry—campfire radius is quiet time for everyone beyond it.

Dogs, Groups, and Photos

• Dogs: leash where required, yield to others, pack out bagged waste (don’t “pick up later”).
• Groups: smaller is kinder. If you’re many, split into pods and stagger start times.
• Photos: step off to durable surfaces (rock) for shots; don’t trample meadows for a better angle.

Campfires: Know When “No” is Best

• Use a stove: in high-use zones, stoves beat new rings and charcoal scars.
• If fires are legal: keep them small, use existing rings, burn only dead/down wood you can break by hand, and cold out—stir until ash is cool to the touch.

Quick Checklist (Pin to the Pack)

• Stay on tread · Don’t cut switchbacks
• Microtrash bag ready · 30-sec ground scan at breaks
• Quiet dawn/dusk · Warm/low lights
• Camp on durable surfaces · Use existing pads/rings
• 200 ft to wash · Strain and scatter gray water
• TP packed out · Food secured

High-traffic trails amplify our choices. Gentle feet today keep tomorrow’s miles wild.

Our TrailHaven kits include strainers, soap dots, and tough little trash bags—simple tools that make low-impact routines second nature.