Eco-Friendly Camping Practices: Leave No Trace in Colorado

Colorado offers a bounty of stunning landscapes and marvelous adventures for everyone who visits, but that bounty will only be around for as long as we take care of it. Everyone who ventures to the rugged mountains, sweeping prairies, or gorgeous waterfronts of Colorado has a responsibility to respect and preserve the places they visit. See how you can incorporate eco-friendly camping practices and Leave No Trace principles into your next Colorado trip with these tips.

Leave No Trace Principles

Leave No Trace is a list of seven principles that offer guidance on ethical outdoor adventures. By following these principles, anyone can minimize their footprint and help preserve outdoor areas all around the world:

• Plan ahead and prepare
• Travel and camp on durable surfaces to prevent vegetation damage
• Dispose of waste properly
• Leave what you find behind, including rocks and plants
• Minimize campfire impacts by using stoves and lanterns and/or practicing fire safety
• Respect local wildlife
• Be considerate of other visitors

By letting these principles guide your decisions when booking your campground, buying gear, and venturing out into the great outdoors, you can make every trip more responsible and better for the environment.

Pick Your Campsite Carefully

Leave No Trace is just one example of eco-friendly Colorado camping practices. There are plenty of other things you can do to promote better environmental responsibility whenever you travel, including choosing parks and campgrounds that support sustainability efforts. Locations such as national and state parks invest in conservation efforts and education. Booking these campgrounds supports these efforts while also ensuring you stay somewhere that is working to lessen environmental harm through strategies like renewable energy, recycling efforts, and more.

Switch to Eco-Friendly Gear

The gear you use also makes a difference. For example, using lanterns and camp stoves instead of building a fire minimizes damage to the natural landscape and prevents forest fire risks. You can also use solar-powered lights and other tools to minimize power usage and prevent the noise and exhaust of generators.

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