Appreciate Arizona
Please keep these AppreciateAZ Leave No Trace Principles in mind when venturing throughout Arizona. We can all do our part and take care of the Grand Canyon State together.
Plan ahead & prepare
Know regulations and special concerns for the area you’ll visit. Prepare for extreme weather, hazards and emergencies. Schedule your trip to avoid times of high use. Visit in small groups. Repackage food to minimize waste. Use a map and compass to eliminate use of rock cairns, flagging or marking.
Stick to trails
Concentrate your use on existing trails and campsites. Walk single file in the middle of the trail, even when the trail is wet or muddy. Good campsites are found, not made. Keep campsites small. Focus activity where vegetation is absent. Avoid areas where negative impacts are just beginning.Know regulations and special concerns for the area you’ll visit. Prepare for extreme weather, hazards and emergencies. Schedule your trip to avoid times of high use. Visit in small groups. Repackage food to minimize waste. Use a map and compass to eliminate use of rock cairns, flagging or marking.
Trash your trash
Pack it in, pack it out. Pack out all trash, leftover food and litter. Deposit solid human waste in catholes 6-8 inches deep at least 200 feet from water and trails. Bury toilet paper deep in a cathole or pack the toilet paper out along with hygiene products. To wash yourself or your dishes, carry water 200 feet from streams or lakes and use small amounts of biodegradable soap. Scatter strained dishwater.
Leave what you find
Preserve the past: observe cultural or historic structures and artifacts, but do not touch them. Leave rocks, plants and other natural objects as you find them. Avoid introducing or transporting non-native species. Do not build structures, furniture or dig trenches.
Be careful with fire
Campfires can have lasting impacts. Use a lightweight stove for cooking and enjoy a candle lantern for light. Use established fire rings, pans, or mound fires are permitted. Keep fires small. Use only sticks from the ground that can be broken by hand Burn all wood and coals to ash, put out campfires completely, then scatter cool ashes.
Respect wildlife
Observe wildlife from a distance. Do not follow or approach them. Never feed animals. Feeding wildlife damages their health, alters natural behaviors, and exposes them to predators and other dangers. Control pets at all times or leave them at home. Avoid wildlife during sensitive times: mating, nesting, raising young or winter.
Share the outdoors
Respect others and protect the quality of their experience. Be courteous. Always yield to other users on the trail. Try and greet all riders and ask which side of the trail to move to when encountering pack stock. Take breaks and camp away from trails and other people. Let all of nature’s sounds prevail. Avoid loud voices and noises.
PLEASE BE RESPECTFUL AND ALWAYS LEAVE GATES AS YOU FIND THEM.
When you're venturing throughout parks and/or trail system(s) with gate(s), it's important to keep these tips in mind:
If you arrive to a closed gate, always leave it closed once you enter or leave. Leaving a closed gate open may put cattle or other wildlife in danger.
If you arrive to an open gate, leave it open. In this case, closing a gate may restrict wildlife from getting water or other essential items.
Gates
