Leave No Trace in the Snow: Winter Outdoor Ethics

By Sylvia Karcz, Contributing Blogger

As stewards of the lands we use and love, it’s important to minimize our impact every time we venture outside to preserve, protect, and keep our trails and wild landscapes beautiful for generations to come.

While it may be true that slightly fewer people adventure outside during the colder winter months, rest assured that outdoor ethics are just as important when snow blankets our trails as during those warmer seasons.

Read on for a few of the top tips on how to recreate responsibility and leave no trace during the winter, and keep educating yourself on all the ways you can be the best outdoor steward you can be.

Always pack it in, and pack it out.  

Disposing of trash properly during your outdoor outings is, without fail, one of the golden etiquette rules of any adventure in nature. Be it fruit peels, tissues, or energy bar wrappers, everything you bring along with you on the trail needs to be stored and disposed of properly off-trail.

It can be easy to think that something left on or in the snow —even organic matter, something as seemingly innocent as an apple core—will simply be covered with more snow and eventually decompose under those harsher, colder elements.  But out of sight should not be out of mind. Animals are still attracted to rubbish smells and that piece of trash will eventually be uncovered, so do your part by storing it carefully —a plastic zip-lock is a surefire choice— and toss it in a proper trash receptacle when you’ve reached the trailhead or your home.

Respect wildlife, and help keep it wild.

Part of what makes the natural world so special is the wildlife that lives within it. So, as passionate outdoorsmen and outdoorswomen, we need to tread carefully and be very conscious of the fact that our actions and behaviors, however small, can negatively impact the entire ecosystem. Two of the most important rules are:

• Don’t intentionally feed animals or leave food or rubbish behind for them. It can affect their health and eating habits (hence, altering their natural behavior), and have negative repercussions.

• Don’t follow animal tracks. It not only spooks wildlife, but it can be dangerous if it leads you to a den or a pack/herd. Wildlife should be kept wild, and minimizing human interaction— even from a distance— is in the best interest of the animals.

Stay on the trail, no matter the conditions.

Listen, I get it: when the snow’s deep or melting or ice has glassed over a trail, it can be tough to step right in the center of something not-so-alluring when everything around you seems the better option. However, it’s important not to veer off and create a separate path, no matter what the trail conditions are. Even if you have the best intentions, you could potentially be damaging trailside plants and wildflowers or a restoration area, and paving the way for others to do the same.

At day’s end, part of any outdoor adventure is being adaptable when faced with surprises or happenstances, so let’s focus on doing just that: adapt to what nature and weather give you and stay on the trail.

Keep water free of pollutants.

Even though a river, stream, or lake may be frozen, it’s still a water source and should be treated as such. If camping, keep at least 200 feet away from the water, and as always, if you need to go to the bathroom, make sure you’re at least 200 feet away (more is ideal, though!) 

Also, don’t forget about the visuals. Urine becomes easy to spot on snowy landscapes and it can be an eyesore for those hitting the trail after you— so respect your fellow hikers and cover it up. If you’re releasing something more….solid…just pack it out, period. The ground during winter months is typically too frozen to dig a proper “cat hole” 8+ inches deep, so carry a specialized WAG bag (or a couple of plastic bags) and carry it out. It’s not ideal, but it’s the right thing to do.