Outdoor Safety & Ethics

• Visit the forest or grassland web pages for safety rules and alerts, including those that warn you of road closings, trail conditions, wildland fires and known animal dangers. If you need more information, call the forest of grassland of your destination.
• Check the weather then wear and/or bring the appropriate clothing.
• Make sure you have a full tank of gas, plenty of drinking water and food to last throughout your trip – or even beyond in case you decide to say longer. Know where to find gas near your forest or grassland destination.
• Pack a first aid kit and know how to use it.
• Make sure someone knows where you’re going and when you’ll be back. Then stick to the plan.
• Know whether you need a permit for the activity you plan and be sure you carry your permit with you at all times.

1. Appropriate footwear: Make sure you are wearing sturdy footwear that can withstand the terrain and the length of your trip.
2. Map: Bring a printed map. Don't rely on your phone for navigation in emergencies. You can't count on cell phone coverage in remote areas. 
3. Extra Food: Carry more than the minimum requirement of food. Such as: Power bars, jerky or chocolate.
4. Extra Water: Bring extra water! It's often helpful to carry water purification tablets or a water filter.
5. Extra Clothing: Bring layers of clothing that are not cotton. This way you can regulate your temperature if the weather shifts. 
6. Emergency Items: Bring a flashlight & extra batteries, whistle, matches.
7. First Aid Kit: including foot care and insect repellent (as needed)
8. Multi-tool or Knife: plus a gear repair kit
9. Backpack: Bring a backpack that can fit your essentials and any extra gear you need.
10. Sun protection: Hat, sunglasses & sunscreen.

The best tool needed for survival in the event you get lost outdoors is your skill of advanced planning. You must expect the unexpected and plan accordingly. Even if you are going out for just a few hours, pack enough essentials that you can stay hydrated, fueled and prepared for any type of weather. Review the 10 Essentials in the tab above for an idea of what to bring.

It’s also important that once you have planned your outing, tell someone. Give them exact details of where you are going, the trail you plan to follow, when you will return, the vehicle you are driving (and where you plan to park) and how many people will go with you – do not go alone.

If you do become lost your most important tool is keeping a positive mental attitude.

Stop:

• As soon as you realize you may be lost: stop, stay calm, stay put. Panic is your greatest enemy.

Think:

• Go over in your mind how you got to where you are. What landmarks should you be able to see? Do not move at all until you have a specific reason to take a step.

Observe:

• Get out your compass and determine the directions based on where you are standing. Do not walk aimlessly.
• If you are on a trail, stay on it. All trails are marked with signs (where intersections meet) and with diamond blazers or markers. However, signs are sometimes vandalized or stolen.
• As a very last resort, follow a drainage or stream downhill. This is often a difficult path but could lead to a trail or road. Again, this could be very dangerous.

Plan:

• Based on your thinking and observations, come up with some possible plans, think them through then act on one of them.
• If you are not very, very confident in the route, then it’s always better to stay put.
• If it’s nightfall, you are injured or you are near exhaustion, stay in place.

Self-rescue tips:

If after careful planning and consideration you decide that you should try to rescue yourself, here are some tips to remember:

• Stop and rest when you start to feel tired. Don’t wait until you are exhausted.
• Your body can’t hike hard and digest food at the same time. Rest in the shade for at least 30 minutes when you stop to eat. If you are still tired after 30 minutes, continue to rest.
• Make sure to drink enough water to avoid dehydration. Symptoms of dehydration could include thirst; dry/sticky mouth; not urinating very much or dark yellow urine; dry, cool skin; headache; muscle cramps.
• Stop and fix small problems while they are still small. If you ignore your body and keep pushing, the pain or illness will only get worse and make recovery more difficult.
• Avoid hiking between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. on hot days. If you are on a trail between those hours, find a shady spot and stay there until the temperature cools down. Adjust your hiking pace to one you can comfortably maintain and rest when you feel the need.

Do you know the seven principles of Leave No Trace? Leave No Trace provides an easily understood framework of minimum impact practices for anyone visiting the outdoors.

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 lnt.org.

• Keep fires small and bring firewood purchased in the local area. Firewood brought from another area could also bring invasive pests.
• If you have to collect firewood at your campsite, collect dead and down wood only.
• Check at the local ranger station for current fire restrictions, which can change on a daily, sometimes hourly, basis.
• Use existing fire rings. Scrape away litter and any other burnable material within a 10-foot-diameter surrounding the ring.
• Make sure all wood fits inside the fire ring. Do not feed a large log into the fire ring.
• Have a shovel, axe, and bucket of water available before lighting your campfire.
• Never leave a campfire unattended, even for a few minutes or even if there are no flames present. Many wildfires start because of abandoned fires or because someone thought a fire was out.
• Put out a campfire by slowly pouring water onto the fire and stirring with a shovel. Continue adding and stirring until all material is cool to touch.
• Do not bury your fire. The coals can smolder and re-ignite.

• Creating new campsites kills vegetation and leads to soil erosion. If possible, use an existing site, or pick a site where vegetation is absent.
• Keep campsites small.
• Pick a spot where vegetation is absent.
• Never dig a trench or build a tent platform.
• Respect living trees. By carving or chopping into the trunks of trees, people unknowingly damage the tree by slitting veins right below the bark. These veins transport nutrients and water throughout the tree. If the damage becomes severe, it will deprive the tree of nutrients and food, and the tree slowly starves to death.
• Choose your campsite, park your car and wash at least 200 feet from rivers, streams, lakes or wetlands. 
• Use biodegradable soap or plain water when washing.

The black bear is the only bear species still found in Arizona. It is the smallest and most widely distributed North American bear.

Their breeding period is in July and cubs generally are born the following January in winter dens. Black bears normally hibernate from November through March.

Within the state, black bears live in most forest, woodland and chaparral habitats, and desert riparian areas, primarily at elevations from 4,000 to 10,000 feet. They generally roam an area of 7 to 50 square miles.

Hikers and other members of the public recreating at higher elevations may come in contact with black bears, which are most active at dawn and dusk. To minimize bear encounters, people should adhere to the following precautions:

• Do not feed bears
• Do not store food in sleeping areas
• Secure human food, pet food, scented toiletries, and trash in animal proof dumpsters, food storage containers, and/or trashcans provided in some developed recreation sites
• Travel in groups
• Keep kids close and pets leashed
• Make noise
• Carry an easily accessible, Environmental Protection Agency-registered bear pepper spray that you know how to use

However, being outdoors means that people may encounter a bear. The following tips may help discourage an approaching bear.

• Alter your route to avoid a bear in the distance
• If the bear continues approaching…
  • Make yourself as large and imposing as possible
  • Stand upright and wave your arms, jacket or other items
  • Make loud noises, such as yelling, whistles, and banging pots and pans
• Do not run and never play dead
• Give the bear a chance to leave the area
• If the bear does not leave, stay calm, continue facing it, and slowly back away

Black bears usually avoid people yet if they start associating people with food, they may become aggressive. If a black bear attacks, do the following:

• Fight back with everything in your power – fists, sticks, rocks and EPA-registered bear pepper spray

People can call 911 to report a situation with a bear or contact the Arizona Game and Fish Department at (623) 236-7201. Department personnel remove bears that present an imminent threat to human safety. The department also offers Living with Wildlife brochures that are available for downloading on the Arizona Game & Fish website.

The Tonto National Forest contains a significant portion of the core breeding areas for the bald eagle in Arizona along portions of the Salt and Verde rivers within the Forest.  Through management and protection of these bald eagle nesting areas, the Tonto National Forest has contributed to the recovery of the bald eagle since the species was listed in 1967.  The Forest has promoted protection and enhancement of the species and its habitat by restricting land management activities, maintaining "No Entry" areas around bald eagle nests, initiating and supporting the "Bald Eagle Nestwatch".  In 1978, the Tonto National Forest and Maricopa Audubon Society began the Nestwatch Program by stationing observers at bald eagle nests on the Salt River to protect bald eagles from recreationists, aircraft overflights, and other activities that were affecting bald eagle reproduction.  This program has since been directed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service and later the Arizona Game and Fish Department and is considered critical to the recovery of the species.

"No Entry" areas around bald eagles nests are found on the Cave Creek, Mesa, and Tonto Basin Ranger Districts to protect three breeding areas: The Lower Verde, Lower Salt River, and Roosevelt Lake breeding areas. These breeding areas are generally closed from December 1 to June 30 each year. For the most recent closure orders please see our Alerts and Closures Page.

​The Tonto National Forest serves on the Southwest Bald Eagle Management Committee (SWBEMC), a committee comprised of federal, state, private and tribal agencies dedicated to coordination and cooperation of funding and activities designed to protect and recover the bald eagle.  Efforts by these land management agencies have been successful in increasing the number of eagles fledged from a low of 4 in 1974 to 43 in 2014.

The SWBEMC continues of coordinate activities, such as the Nestwatch Program, public education, and research needs, across multiple agencies. The committee's website is found at the following link and contains extensive information of Arizona bald eagles, protection and other activities.

For more information, visit the Southwest Bald Eagle Management Committee web site.

Your chances of encountering a mountain lion are small. However, mountain lion attacks have been on the rise as humans increasingly enter these cats’ territory. If at any time you spot a mountain lion, report the sighting or encounter to your local forest ranger station or visitor center as soon as possible.

Hikers and other members of the public recreating at higher elevations may come in contact with mountain lions, which are most active at dawn and dusk. To minimize mountain lion encounters, people should adhere to the following precautions:

• Do not hike alone. Go in groups, with adults supervising children.
• Avoid dawn and dusk excursions.
• Keep children close to you. Animals seem especially drawn to children.
• Pick up small children. The mountain lion will see small children as easier prey.
• Do not approach a lion. Most mountain lions will try to avoid confrontation, so give them a way to escape.
• Do not run from a lion. Running may stimulate a mountain lion's instinct to chase.
• Do not crouch down or bend over. A human standing does not resemble a mountain lion's natural prey.
• Do all you can to appear larger. Raise your arms. Open your jacket if you are wearing one. Wave your arms slowly and speak firmly in a loud voice.
• Fight back if attacked. Mountain lions usually try to bite the head or neck; try to remain standing and face the attacking animal.

More information on Mountain Lions and safety can be found on the USDA Forest Service page on Mountain Lions or the Arizona Game and Fish page on Mountain Lions.