At nearly 2,200 miles long, the Appalachian Trail is the longest single unit of the National Park System. With millions of people stepping foot on the Trail each year, we all share the responsibility to avoid accidental or unintentional damage to the A.T.’s natural environment.
Together, we can minimize negative impacts by adopting sound hiking and camping techniques which, while simple to learn, require a conscious and committed effort. If we are successful, the Trail will retain its essential natural qualities and continue to be a place where everyone can experience its transformative power for generations to come.
Please do your part. Follow and encourage others to learn about “Leave No Trace” on the Appalachian Trail.
Leave No Trace Principles & Videos
Plan Ahead & Prepare
Planning ahead goes a long way for your safety and enjoyment and reduces your impact on the land you’re passing through.
- Check A.T. guidebooks and maps for guidance. Camping regulations vary considerably along the Trail.
- Prepare for emergencies, hazards, and extreme weather – especially the cold. The more prepared you are, the less likely you are to need a rescue or rely on emergency services that can impact the Trail and surrounding landscape.
- Travel in groups of 10 or fewer.
- If you are traveling in a group of more than 5, avoid using shelters. Leave them for lone hikers and smaller groups.
- Try to avoid overcrowded areas and times on the Trail.
- For example, if you are planning a northbound thru-hike, avoid starting on popular dates like March 1, March 15, the first day of spring, or April 1.
- View real-time hiker crowding charts by registering your hike on ATCamp.org.
- Pack the 10 Essentials, including:
- A lightweight trowel or wide tent stake to dig a hole for burying human waste.
- A piece of screening to filter food scraps from your dishwater and pack them out with you. Repackage food in re-sealable bags to minimize waste.
- A bear-resistant food container (“bear canister”) to store food, trash, and scented items. Bear canisters are required in certain areas along the A.T., so be sure to research food storage regulations in the area you’ll be hiking.
Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces
Staying on Trail and choosing durable surfaces protects fragile ecosystems and keeps the treadway from eroding.
- Stay on Trail and never shortcut switchbacks.
- Take off-Trail breaks on durable surfaces, such as rock or grass.
- Restrict activities to areas where vegetation is already absent.
- Walk in the middle of the Trail to avoid expanding the treadway. Similarly, set up camp in the well-established core areas of campsites.
- If possible, move any tree branches that block the Trail rather than going around and creating new trails.
- Wear gaiters and waterproof boots, so you may walk through puddles instead of walking around them and creating a wide spot in the Trail.
Dispose of Waste Properly
“Packing it in, packing it out” keeps the Trail and its landscape natural, litter-free, and healthy.
- Don’t burn, bury, or leave litter or extra food.
- This includes cigarette butts, fruit peels, and hygiene articles.
- Keep your trash bag handy so you can pick up litter left by others.
- Wash your dishes, clothing, and body 200 feet away from water sources.
- Use biodegradable soap sparingly.
- Disperse your dishwater and toothpaste at least 100 feet away from shelters and popular campsites. This way, wildlife is not attracted close to camp.
- Before swimming, rinse off at a distance to avoid polluting the water with sunscreen, bug repellent, etc.
- Use the privy for human waste (feces) only. Do not add trash.
- If there is no privy, dispose of human waste by burying it in a “cat-hole,” a hole 6-8 inches deep, 4-6 inches wide and at least 200 feet (80 steps) from campsites, water sources and shelters, and well away from trails. Add dirt to the hole and stir with a stick to promote decomposition. Push toilet paper to the bottom of the hole and leave your stick in the hole. Don’t hide your waste under a rock – this slows its decomposition.
- Most disposable wipes are made from non-biodegradable material that must be carried out rather than buried, burned, or left in privies.
- For those willing to go the extra mile, consider packing out your toilet paper too. Animals’ curiosity often brings toilet paper and other trash to the surface, where it’s left for volunteers and other hikers to deal with.
- Urinate at least 200 feet away from shelters, campsites, and water sources.
- Urinate on rocks or bare ground rather than on vegetation. Animals sometimes defoliate plants to consume the salt in urine.
- Where water is plentiful, consider diluting the urine by adding water to the site.
- If you hike with your dog, bury your dog’s waste as you would your own or pack it out.
- If you wish to donate items to other hikers (food, extra gear, clothing, books, etc.), don’t leave them at shelters where they can attract wildlife and become an eyesore. Instead, use the hiker donation boxes at motels and hostels.
Leave What You Find
Leaving the Trail exactly as you found it preserves the A.T.’s natural beauty for those who come after you.
- Leave plants, rocks, historical items, and other natural objects where you found them.
- Do not “tag” shelters, signs, or trees with graffiti or carvings. Feel free to leave your mark in each shelter’s trail register.
- Don’t build structures or dig trenches around tents.
- Consider using rubber tips on the bottom of your trekking poles to avoid scratch marks on rocks, “clicking” sounds, and leaving holes along the Trail.
- Check your boots, socks, packs, tents, and clothing for seeds that you could remove to avoid introducing or transporting non-native invasive species.
- Do not damage live trees or plants; green wood is moist and burns poorly.
- Only collect firewood that is dead, down, and no larger than your wrist. Leave standing dead trees and attached limbs for the wildlife.
Minimize Campfire Impacts
Using campfires carefully and only where permitted is the most direct way you can help prevent wildfires.
- Use stoves for cooking.
- If you need a fire, build one only where it’s legal and in an existing fire ring.
- Collect dead and downed wood that you can break by hand only. Leave hatchets and saws at home.
- Burn all wood to ash.
- Do not try to burn trash, including foil, plastic, glass, cans, tea bags, food, or anything with food on it. These items do not burn thoroughly. They create noxious fumes, attract wildlife like skunks and bears, and make the area unsightly.
- Clean the fire ring by removing others’ trash and scattering unused wood, cold coals, and ashes 200 feet away from camp after the fire is cold and completely out.
Respect Wildlife
Giving wildlife the space they need to thrive supports a landscape that serves as a superhighway for migratory species and habitat for nearly 2,000 rare or endangered species.
- Learn bear safety and behavior.
- Bears inhabit or travel through nearly every part of the A.T. and sightings are increasing at campsites and shelters ever year. Even small amounts of human food teach bears to associate humans with food. Bears habituated to human food often have to be killed to protect human safety.
- Store your food, trash, and scented items (toothpaste, sunscreen, insect repellent, water purification chemicals, balm, etc.) out of reach of bears and other animals in a bear canister.
Protect wildlife by keeping a respectful distance so as not to cause a change in their behavior. - Do not follow or approach animals. Particularly avoid wildlife during sensitive times, i.e., when mating, nesting, raising young, or during winter.
- Clean up spills completely and pack out all food scraps.
- Dropped, spilled, or improperly stored food also attracts rodents to shelters. Even a few noodles or pieces of granola are a large meal for mice.
- Keep your dog on a short leash and do not allow it to interact with or chase wildlife.
Be Considerate of Other Visitors
Be the hiker you’d want to share the Trail with by letting nature’s sounds prevail and being mindful of others’ experiences.
- Respect others by keeping loud voices and noise to a minimum.
- Do not use cell phones or audio equipment within sight or sound of other hikers.
- A.T. shelter space is available on a first-come, first-serve basis in most (but not all) areas regardless of the type of hiker or length of their hike.
- Limit-of-stay is generally two nights at any one shelter or campsite.
- If you are hiking with a dog, be aware of its potential impact on other hikers.
- Keep your dog leashed and under control at all times, and learn where dogs are prohibited.
- Ask permission of other hikers before bringing your dog into a shelter and plan to tent.
- Keep your dog away from springs and other drinking water sources.
- Refrain from smoking or vaping in or near shelters. Pack out cigarette butts.
A Conversation with Experienced Hikers
How do experienced A.T. hikers practice Leave No Trace? Hear their best tips and pet peeves when it comes to minimizing impact the Trail.
Leave No Trace Guidelines for Groups
Groups can have a disproportionate physical impact on the A.T. environment, treadway, and facilities. Following these Leave No Trace guidelines can help minimize your impact and maximize everyone’s enjoyment of the A.T.
Learn More
Horizonline Pictures
Printable Leave No Trace Resources
Tips for all A.T. visitors.
For Trail Clubs and Agency Partners
