Going on a nature hike or a camping trip through a state or national forest can bring you a lot of wonderful experiences to have. It enables you to view wildlife outside of a zoo, bird watch to see what types of birds are out there, and so much more. However, when venturing out into the wilderness it is important that you remember to take nothing but photos and leave nothing but footprints behind when you leave.
Taking Photos
In most areas, a national forest is a protected piece of land. Every part of them, from the biggest animals to the smallest pebbles, are placed there, where nature intended them to be. Therefore, removing anything from the forest is often considered illegal; even if it is something as tiny as a pebble or a chunk of firewood to remember your trip with. This is because they should be preserved for the animals that call it home and the people who may venture into that spot after you have left. The two exceptions are your photographs and your trash. Those are the memories that you can hold onto. They are 100% legal to take away with you when you leave the National Forests, no matter what area of the world you are camping and hiking through.
Alternative Memory Keepsakes
If you still feel that you need to take something home with you from the forest, you have options. Most national forest areas are tourist destinations and people venture out to them from all areas of the world, just to see what they can discover for themselves. Therefore, there are often gift shops located near the forest and they have things available that make wonderful keepsakes of your trip. For instance, you could purchase a tee-shirt that shows you hiked the trails at this national forest or a coffee mug that says you survived hiking through. If the trails are located near a mountain or something, you can even buy polished rocks that have come from that area of the park.
Leave Nothing but Your Footprints
Anytime you wrap up a camping trip, whether it is on a beach, near a lake, or deep in the National Forest, it is important that you take everything with you when you leave. This is the only way to ensure that your trash doesn’t get scattered around and take away the beauty of the area, but it is more than that as well. If you remove your trash, you are protecting the forest animals or other wildlife that live in that area, so that other people can enjoy watching them. If you take away your empty food wrappers, there is no chance of a bear getting plastic for dinner. If you remove all your broken chairs or tents, you do not have to worry that a deer will get tangled up in it and lose their lives trying to get out. Above all of that though, you ensure that it is as perfect as it was when you found that beautiful spot to take photos of.