The Program
The Leave No Trace program provides guidelines for minimizing impact on the landscape:
- Plan Ahead and Prepare
- Travel (and Camp**) on Durable Surfaces
- Dispose of Waste Properly
- Leave What You Find
- (Minimize Campfire Impacts**)
- Respect Wildlife
- Be Considerate of Other Visitors
** Camping and campfires are not permitted at Monocacy National Battlefield.
Here are some tips adapted from Leave No Trace to make your visit to Monocacy more enjoyable:
Plan Ahead and Prepare
Travel on Durable Surfaces
- Durable surfaces include established trails, rock, gravel, dry grasses or snow.
Dispose of Waste Properly
- "Pack it in, pack it out." Monocacy National Battlefield is a trash free park, so please pack out all trash, leftover food, and litter.
Leave What You Find
- Preserve the past: examine, but do not touch, cultural or historic structures and artifacts.
- Leave rocks, plants and other natural objects as you find them.
- Avoid introducing or transporting non-native species.
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.
- Keep pets on a leash at all times.
- Avoid wildlife during sensitive times: mating, nesting, raising young, or winter.
Be Considerate of Other Visitors
- Respect other visitors and protect the quality of their experience.
- Be courteous. Yield to other users on the trail.
- Let nature's sounds prevail. Avoid loud voices and noises
