Safety and Outdoor Ethics
As a visitor to the National Forest, you are asked to follow certain rules designed to protect the Forest and the natural environment, to ensure the health and safety of visitors, and to promote pleasant and rewarding outdoor recreation experiences for all visitors.
For a more detailed guide for safety and ethics, please visit Know Before You Go.
Safety First - Be well informed and prepared for your next visit
Leave your schedule with a responsible person. Include details such as: where you are going, and when you will return. The sooner someone knows you’re missing, the sooner they will start to look for you.
Prepare for any and all the environmental extremes you may encounter such as: heat, rain, cold, etc.
Layers are your friend.
With either of these items you can keep warm and cook your dinner!
These items can fold up, making them easy to carry. They can also serve multiple purposes such as being used as: a rain shelter, shade, or just to keep you warm and dry.
Always carry some. Know how to find it and know how to make it as safe as possible to drink.
A whistle is louder than a voice and takes less energy to use. It will help others to locate you if you are lost and can be used to scare away animals.
This is an important item that you should carry with you. The size of the kit can vary from a small box to something that would require a donkey to carry it. Choose items that are versatile such as: a wide variety of adhesive bandages, gauze, and strips of tape. These can all be adapted to fit many sizes.
If your daily activity is low, then don’t take off on a very long hike. You are liable to get into trouble and your body won’t handle the strain very well.
It makes your journey more enjoyable when you share it with someone, and if you get into trouble a companion can help.
It's easy to get lost, knowing where you are is key. The best course of action is to follow a trail on a map. It's useful to know how to navigate with a compass. Try not to rely heavily on your GPS because it might break down.
By staying in one place, you’ll be found more quickly, and will not be injured in a fall.
Wear bright colored clothes when you go near the woods or desert. If you think you're lost, find a tree in a small clearing if possible.
If you're lost, and you hear a noise in the woods, yell at it or blow your whistle. If it is an animal it will run away to protect itself. If it is a searcher, you will be found.
Children have avoided searchers because they were ashamed of getting lost and afraid of punishment. Anyone can get lost. If kids know a happy reunion, filled with love is waiting, they will be less frightened, less prone to panic and work hard to be found.
Ethics - We all can do our part to keep public lands clean & beautiful
Watch this: The 7 Principles of Leave No Trace
Plan Ahead and Prepare
- Know the regulations and special concerns for the area you'll visit.
- Prepare for extreme weather, hazards, and emergencies.
- Schedule your trip to avoid times of high use.
- Visit in small groups. Split larger parties into smaller groups.
- Repackage food to minimize waste.
- Use a map and compass and never blaze trees, use marking paint, rock cairns or flagging.
Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces
- Durable surfaces include established trails and campsites, rock, gravel, dry grasses or snow.
- Obey camping setbacks (100 feet or more) from lakes, streams, trails, other campsites, and historic and cultural sites and structures.
- Good campsites are found, not made. Altering a site is not necessary.
In popular areas:
- Concentrate use on existing trails and campsites.
- Walk single file in the middle of the trail, even when wet or muddy.
- Keep campsites small. Focus activity in areas where vegetation is absent.
In pristine areas:
- Disperse use to prevent the creation of campsites and trails.
- Avoid places where impacts are just beginning.
Dispose of Waste Properly
- Pack it in, pack it out. Inspect your campsite and rest areas for trash or spilled foods. Pack out all trash, leftover food, and litter.
- Deposit solid human waste in catholes dug 6 to 8 inches deep at least 200 feet from water, camp, and trails. Cover and disguise the cathole when finished.
- Pack out toilet paper and hygiene products.
- To wash yourself or your dishes, carry water 200 feet away from streams or lakes and use small amounts of biodegradable soap. Scatter strained dishwater away from sleeping areas.
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.
- Do not build structures, furniture, or dig trenches.
Minimize Campfire Impacts
- Campfires can cause lasting impacts to the backcountry. Instead, consider using a lightweight stove for cooking and a candle lantern for light.
- If fires are permitted, use established fire rings, fire pans, or mound fires.
- Keep fires small. Only use sticks from the ground that can be broken by hand.
- Burn all wood and coals to ash, put out campfires completely, then scatter cold ashes.
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.
- Protect wildlife and your food by storing rations and trash securely.
- Control pets at all times, or leave them at home.
- 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.
- Step to the downhill side of the trail when encountering horses and pack stock. Stand quietly and speak to riders and horses in a quiet, calm voice to avoid accidents.
- Take breaks and camp away from trails and other visitors.
- Let nature's sounds prevail. Avoid loud voices and noises.
The above information is adapted from the Leave No Trace: Center for Outdoor Ethics.
Appreciate and observe wildlife from a safe distance. Don’t feed, chase or disturb wildlife. In nature, humans are the visitors.
Nationally, nine out of ten fires are caused by people. Carry a valid campfire permit and observe current fire restrictions. Drown your campfire with water before leaving it unattended.
Our final rule: Enjoy your visit! Plan to come back!
Seasonal Safety Tips to Live By
Winter
Traveling on forest and other high elevation roads during the winter months is serious business. Roads may be impassable for cars without high clearance and four-wheel drive or chains. Most forest roads are not plowed, so many may be closed. Winter hazards such as wind, cold, snow, or whiteout conditions can turn an outing into a tragedy. Advance preparation can ensure a safe and enjoyable outing! Know before you go.
Spring
Know the difference between a Flash Flood Emergency and Flash Flood Warning. Remember – turn around, don’t drown! Do not attempt to drive through flooded roads. Find out which areas where you are traveling are prone to flooding. A mere 6 inches of fast-moving flood water can knock over an adult. It takes just 12 inches of rushing water to carry away most cars and just 2 feet of rushing water can carry away SUVs and trucks. It is NEVER safe to drive or walk into flood waters.
Summer
As you swim, boat, hike, bike and otherwise recreate, don’t forget your personal and family safety this summer. Wear your life preservers, bike helmets and other needed personal protective equipment. Practice good heat stress prevention procedures and wear your sunscreen and bug repellant. Beat the heat and know how to help prevent heat related illness. Watch out for ticks, mosquitos, poison ivy and wild animals as you’re out and about.
Fall
Warm air doesn’t always mean warm water in lakes or streams, and even water temperature that may not sound very cold can be deadly. Plunging into cold water of any temperature becomes dangerous if you aren’t prepared for what the sudden exposure can do to your body. Warm air temperatures can create a false sense of security for boaters and beach goers. Being prepared for an outing on cold water means being prepared for the possibility of suddenly being immersed into cold water. Wear a life jacket in and around the water and dress for water temperature, not just for air temperature.