Leave No Trace tips

To ensure that Vancouver Island remains beautiful and accessible to everyone, it is important to Leave No Trace when exploring.

Think of Leave No Trace as an ethics code for visiting natural places. The idea is to minimise our impact on nature as much as possible.

Of course, it is impossible to leave absolutely no trace at all. Leave No Trace is all about making many small choices that help leave places better than when you found them.

Thank you so much for being kind to nature and local Vancouver Island residents!

The Seven Principles of Leave No Trace: Explained

Leave No Trace has seven core guidelines. Embracing the following practices will help reduce you own impact on nature.

• Plan ahead and prepare - Check the weather forecast before leaving and bring appropriate clothing, navigation aids and the 10 Essentials. Let someone know where you’re going and when you plan to come back.

• Travel and camp on durable surfaces - Stay on the hiking trails and don't cut corners. Using established trails reduces overall damage. Good campsites are found, not made. Use established campsites when possible.

• Dispose of waste properly - Pack it in, pack it out. Not only is it pretty gross to find trash and human waste in nature, it can cause serious harm to wildlife, water sources and vegetation. Take ALL of your trash home with you!

• Leave what you find - Take only memories and photos with you, to help preserve the natural environment. This also allows other people to experience the destination or trail as you were able to.

• Minimise campfire impacts. For many Canadians, a campfire is an integral part of camping. But campfires can be pretty destructive. Check for fire bans first, use existing fire rings and always extinguish the fire properly.

• Respect wildlife - Seeing wildlife can be one of the best aspects to exploring Vancouver Island. Observe from a distance and give animals an escape route. Do not feed them, even unintentionally - store food properly. Control your pet at all times.

• Be considerate of others - As well as respecting wildlife, we should respect other people too. Yield on trails, give other people space, don't play music on hiking trails and allow other people access to viewpoints.

  Here's the simple version!

  • Do your research

  • Stay on the trail

  • Leave nature as it is

  • Pack out what you pack in

  • Extinguish campfires (and keep ’em small)

  • Be considerate to humans and wildlife