Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces

⛺️ With tent camping season upon us, please don’t make this damaging mistake you see in photos 2-4.

[↗️ Camping this summer? Make sure you know this important piece of information and share with anyone this may benefit.]

Leave No Trace Principle 2: Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces

❌ Camping within 200 feet of a water source
✅ Camping locations should be at least 200 ft from water to protect these riparian resources and to prevent water contamination. The best camp sites are found, not made. Durable surfaces include established sites, dry grasses, rock, gravel, sand.

🚨 How do you choose a campsite in sensitive terrain such as tundra shown here?

Impacts from camping are most easily minimized by using developed or existing campsites. If no developed sites exist, it is best to camp on sites that are so highly impacted that further careful use will cause no noticeable impact. These sites are prominent in popular areas because they have already lost their vegetation cover. Also, it is often possible to find a site that naturally lacks vegetation, such as exposed bedrock or sandy areas, not those eroded on the immediate lakeshore. Some Nationally designated areas recommend at least 100ft, however 200ft is best practice is possible.

As the area shown above, there are multiple sites with exposed bedrock that are at least 200 feet from the water perfect for camping. Also if no site exists, unpopular opinion, go someplace else.

♻️ THE TIME FOR CHANGE IS NOW. If there aren’t immediate changes, these places will never recover in our lifetime, if ever. Please don’t have the mentality of oh it’s just this once, and one time won’t hurt. When done over and over and over, one time absolutely hurts.