Columbia Cascades

Leave No Trace

Your backcountry permit is a signed contract between you and the National Park Service. It's an agreement to treat the wilderness with respect by practicing Leave No Trace (LNT) techniques. Keep in mind that Leave No Trace camping goes beyond following the rules; it requires thoughtful judgement for each situation that comes up.

July through September, when the high country is most accessible, the meadows are filled with wildflowers. To heighten your enjoyment of the park, carry a light weight field guide to identify them. Some of these plants, such as low-growing mountain heather, are also very fragile. Although heather can withstand extreme weather, it's woody stems are easily broken when trampled or camped on. Such trampling often leads to new plantings of heather seedlings by revegetaton staff and volunteers. Grasses and grass-like sedges are the only vegetation that can readily withstand being walked and camped on.

Sneakers, sandals, or water sport slippers are a welcome change at camp after a day in heavy boots. They also cause less damage to fragile vegetation around campsites, especially in cross-country zones, and are often useful for wading streams as well.

You can also help protect heather and other fragile vegetation by staying on the trail. When traveling cross-country, choose resistance surfaces such as rocks, snow, gravel covered stream beds, and dry grass and sedge meadows. Routes through heavy brush or sparsely vegetated forest areas are good choices, too. If you must cross fragile vegetation, spread out to avoid creating a new trail. Don't mark a new route with blazes or litter the backcountry with flagging tape.

On trail: Camping is allowed only in designated sites. Pitch your tent on established tent sites and not on undisturbed vegetation. Never dig a trench around a tent.

Cross-country: You may select your own campsite following LNT techniques and the restrictions listed above. Rock, snow, sedges and pine are the best surfaces to camp on. Do not alter your camp site by digging out rocks, moving logs or building windbreaks. Try to tuck your camp out of sight. Remember, brightly colored tents announce your presence, whereas earth-tone tents blend into the landscape.

Pit or composting toilets are located at most designated campsites. When these facilities are not available do the following: Choose a spot at least 200 feet from water and trails. With a small trowel or ice axe, dig a cat hole 6-8 inches deep for fecal waste. To promote decomposition, choose a site in organic rather than sandy mineral soil. After use, fill in the hole and replace the sod plug. Consider packing out used toilet paper in double ziplock bags. Sanitary napkins and tampons should never be buried; they are slow to decompose and are frequently dug up by animals. It would be for the best if they were packed out by ziplock bags. Urinate on rocks and gravel well away from camp. Salt starved deer and mountain goats can cause dramatic damage as they paw up soil and defoliate plants looking for newly deposited salts from urine.

Purify drinking water by one of the following methods: portable water filter, full boil for one minute, or water purifying tablets.

Bring a portable stove to cook your meals. Stoves give you maximum flexibility and ease of cooking, particularly in bad weather, and they avoid the impacts caused by gathering wood for campfires.

Repackage food into reusable containers or plastic bags. This not only saves weight and space in your pack, but also reduces the amount of trash to carry out.

Bring a collapsible water container to transport water to your campsite for cooking and washing. This minimizes the number of trips made to the water source and allows you to wash dishes well away from lakes and streams.

Carry water at least 100 feet from lakes and streams to wash your dishes. Scrape off food scraps and pack them out with your garbage. Hot water and perhaps some sand for scouring eliminates the need for soap. Toss the wash water by throwing it over a wide area away from campsites.

There are black bears and a few grizzly bears in the park. While bears are potentially dangerous, rodents are the chief threat to your equipment and food supply. To keep bears and other animals away from your campsites: Store all food and scented toiletries in lightweight animal-proof containers. These containers are available in a number of backpacking supply catalogs and some wilderness centers have several for free loan.

Another option is to hang food and scented items 10 feet above the ground and 4 feet out from the tree trunk. Bring at least 50 feet of utility cord. Since trees with large limbs are not always available, this technique can require time and ingenuity. Avoid trampling fragile vegetation in your search for tree.

Keep a clean camp. Avoid bringing greasy, odorous food into the backcountry. Seal leftovers and garbage in airtight containers or plastic bags and store with food.

Cook well away from your sleeping area. Keep food and other scented items out of your tent.

Never feed wild animals. Handouts disrupt natural feeding behavior and create bothersome, even dangerous pets.

Don't throw food into pit toilets. Pack out all food scraps and garbage. BEWARE: deer, mountain goats, marmots and other rodents are attracted to urine and sweat, and they can chew holes in clothes, boots and camping gear left unattended.

Mosquitoes and flies can be very annoying in some areas during July and August. Bring insect repellant, or be prepared to cover up with lightweight clothing and perhaps a headnet.

Access to trails is limited, yet pack stock have the right of way on trails where they are allowed. Hikers should yield to the downhill side of the trail where they are visible to stock and riders. Speak to the riders as they approach to let the horse know you are there.

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