Leave No Trace

Park rangers are an important part of ensuring that special places like Biscayne are here for future generations to enjoy, but rangers can't do it alone. Everyone has a role in protecting National Parks and other special places.

Leave No Trace is a national and international program designed to assist outdoor enthusiasts with their decisions about how to reduce their impacts when they hike, camp, picnic, bike, paddle, or fish. The program strives to educate all those who enjoy the outdoors about the nature of their recreational impacts as well as techniques to prevent and minimize such impacts. Leave No Trace is best understood as an educational and ethical program, not as a set of rules and regulations.

The Leave No Trace philosophy is built on seven basic principles:

1. Plan ahead and prepare.
2. Travel and camp on durable surfaces.
3. Dispose of waste properly.
4. Leave what you find.
5. Minimize campfire impacts.
6. Respect wildlife.
7. Be considerate of other visitors.

Learn more at the Leave No Trace website.