Sustainable Hiking Trips: Plan the Journey and Protect the Trail

A lower-impact hiking trip starts with a route your group can manage, a workable journey, and a plan for water and waste. Before buying equipment, settle those decisions: they determine what you need to carry and whether the outing fits the conditions.

Choose the journey and hike together

Start by comparing a nearby route with the destination you originally had in mind. Then consider whether rail, a trailhead shuttle, or a shared vehicle makes the trip practical.

The IEA’s 2019 report identifies rail as one of the most energy-efficient passenger transport modes. That supports considering rail where it serves your trip; it does not establish the emissions of a particular hiking itinerary. Include the connection from the station to the trailhead when comparing options. IEA: The Future of Rail.

Choose the hike for the group’s abilities, including terrain and the weight everyone can comfortably carry. Set a turnaround time that allows for the return walk and any transport connection. The National Park Service recommends letting the slowest hiker set the pace and keeping the group together. NPS: Hike Smart.

Check land-manager notices for closures, weather hazards, permits, pet restrictions, and food-storage requirements. Have a shorter route or another activity ready if conditions make the main hike unsuitable. Where practical, choose a quieter visiting time on an established route. Leave No Trace recommends avoiding peak use and matching plans to participants’ skills. Leave No Trace: Plan Ahead and Prepare.

Pack for the route, starting with what you own

Inspect your existing pack, footwear, rain protection, and other equipment before deciding what to replace or borrow. Try unfamiliar equipment before departure. NPS recommends checking that equipment works and selecting it for the terrain; a paved walk and a rugged dirt trail need different preparation. NPS: Hike Smart.

Pack the ten essentials and any additional equipment the conditions require. Leave your route, companions, and expected return time with someone who is staying behind. Keep navigation available without mobile reception, and understand how you will seek help where there is no signal. A downloaded map does not provide an emergency communication service. NPS: Hike Smart.

Plan food around the length of the outing while retaining an emergency supply. Ready-to-eat food can simplify a day hike; for overnight trips, simple meals can reduce cooking equipment and cleanup. Repackage food where useful to reduce the packaging carried onto the trail, and keep a waste bag accessible during breaks. NPS packing guidance; Leave No Trace meal planning.

Handle mud and passing without widening the trail

Stay within the established trail and follow switchbacks rather than cutting across them. Leave No Trace recommends walking single file through the middle of an open trail, including wet sections, to avoid expanding its footprint. NPS advises turning back when a trail is too wet and muddy. Apply both principles: respect closures and turn back when conditions warrant it; do not create a detour through vegetation to keep your shoes dry. Leave No Trace: Durable Surfaces; NPS hiking etiquette.

Follow posted right-of-way signs. In the NPS’s general guidance, descending hikers yield to uphill hikers, and hikers yield to horses and other pack stock. Around stock, move calmly to the downhill side where it is safe to do so and avoid sudden movements. Announce yourself calmly when passing someone from behind, and protect nearby plants when making room. NPS hiking etiquette.

Keep wildlife viewing on the route, observe required distances, and never feed animals. Leave plants, rocks, and artifacts where you find them, and keep electronic noise low. NPS hiking etiquette; Leave No Trace principles.

Decide how every type of waste will leave

Food scraps belong in your waste bag, including peels and shells. Pack out pet waste, wrappers, and small scraps from rest stops. Burning or burying leftover food is not an appropriate substitute for carrying it out. Leave No Trace waste guidance; Leave No Trace principles.

Identify toilets before departure and check the area’s backcountry rules. Where burial is permitted and suitable, Leave No Trace describes a cathole 6–8 inches deep, at least 200 feet from water, campsites, and trails, covered after use. Some places require solid human waste to be carried out, including certain fragile alpine and desert environments. Carry the required system before you need it. Pack out toilet paper as a straightforward practice, and always carry out wipes and menstrual products. Leave No Trace waste guidance.

For washing, collect water in a container and move at least 200 feet from lakes and streams. Use little soap, even if it is biodegradable. Strain dishwater and pack out the trapped food; where local rules allow, scatter the strained water broadly. At developed campgrounds, ask where wastewater should go instead of assuming backcountry disposal guidance applies. Leave No Trace wastewater guidance.

Plan drinking water and sun protection separately

Decide whether to carry the water needed for the outing or use confirmed sources along the route. Account for heat, time outside, and the possibility that a source is unavailable. NPS advises carrying extra water or treating water as the hike requires, and learning to use equipment before setting out. If your plan depends on a refill, confirm water availability with the land manager and prepare the treatment equipment your route requires. NPS: Hike Smart.

Use sun-covering clothing, a broad-brimmed hat, sunglasses, and broad-spectrum sunscreen. FDA recommends SPF 15 or higher, applied as directed and reapplied at least every two hours, more often with swimming or sweating. Water resistance has a limited labeled duration; it does not eliminate reapplication. FDA sunscreen guidance.

Leave No Trace cautions that sunscreen, lotions, and body oils can contaminate scarce water sources. Protect those sources by reconsidering a dip in a small creek or desert pool while continuing to protect your skin during the hike. Leave No Trace waste guidance.

If you stay overnight

In popular areas, use designated or established campsites and choose one large enough for your group without spreading onto surrounding vegetation. Leave No Trace generally recommends camping at least 200 feet from lakes and streams; follow local campsite rules. An empty meadow is not an invitation to clear a tent space. Remote, undisturbed camping requires different site-selection skills and guidance specific to the area. Leave No Trace campsite guidance.

Plan meals around current fire restrictions. Use a stove where permitted or choose meals that need no cooking rather than depending on a campfire. An existing fire ring does not establish permission to light a fire. Leave No Trace planning guidance.

After returning, note whether the route, transport timing, meals, and equipment worked for the group. Use those notes to plan the next outing and identify specific repair or replacement needs. Reviewing the trip is part of Leave No Trace’s planning advice. Leave No Trace: Plan Ahead and Prepare.

Sources

• IEA: The Future of Rail (2019)
• Leave No Trace: Seven Principles
• Leave No Trace: Plan Ahead and Prepare
• Leave No Trace: Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces
• Leave No Trace: Dispose of Waste Properly
• National Park Service: Hike Smart
• National Park Service: Hiking Etiquette
• FDA: Sunscreen and Sun Protection