There is nothing better than our state's great National Parks. Here are some tips so you don’t ruin it for the rest of us.

1. Mind Your Campfire/Campfire Restrictions

You should always be mindful of your fire,  ESPECIALLY in the summer seasons. Check out your surroundings and make sure there is nothing around that could catch and cause a serious issue. Also make sure you’re aware of fire restriction laws and regulations in the park you’re staying it. If you can have a campfire PLEASE remember to fully extinguish the flames and the coals. A recent fire here in Colorado was started due to hot embers still roasting in the pit. Before you pack out, remember to pour water in the pit to make sure its all put out. Remember. Only you can prevent forest fires.  

2. Don’t Feed The Animals

Not only is this extremely dangerous for you, its SUPER dangerous for the animals. Once one person is seen doing it, tourists like to flock and do it themselves. This leads to several issues - In some cases people unintentionally box these wild animals in, making them feel extremely threatened, leading to people getting gored. In other cases, it leads to a mentality in the animals to stick by roads and populated areas, which puts them in dangerous situations. Not to mention whatever Cheetos-blasted-Doritos you feed them, will most likely make them sick.

3. … In fact try not to interact with the animals at all

Seeing animals in their natural habitat is an amazing site to see. I’m still waiting on my bear siting. Its one thing to view and appreciate nature it its purist form, but remember its just that – nature in its purist form. Do not try to pet, approach, or for god sakes “rescue” any animals you see doing their thing in a National Park. A few months ago a father-son duo “rescued” a baby bison by putting it in their truck and taking it to the ranger station stating it “looked cold” It’s a BISON; they are genetically and evolutionarily designed to withstand the cold (not to mention it was only about 39 degrees outside). Another video circulated around of a woman trying to take a selfie with an elk and gets launched.  The point is the great Teddy D. put National Parks in place so people can protect, respect, and to appreciate nature. This doesn’t give you any kind of “right” to approach and take selfies of wildlife. National Parks aren’t petting zoos and this is not a Disney movie. Rule of thumb is to stay at least 25 yards away from animals. Let the critters do their own thing, take pictures and tell your friend how you saw that moose from afar. Don’t get yourselves hurt or animals shunned by their families due to lack of common sense. [caption id="attachment_536" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Photo courtesy of ABC news[/caption]  

4. If you’re camping, put your food up high

If you’re camping in an area known for having certain predators like bears or coyotes, which are pretty prevalent in Colorado – Make sure you hang your food at least 10ft in the air, off a tree in a bear bag preferably. This will keep your food safe, and most importantly YOU safe. No one wants Yogi bear crashing their campsite in the middle of the night.  

5. Pack in, pack out…

National Parks are not your landfill. Pick up your trash, please. This includes cigarette butts, that little plastic film wrapped around some gum wrappers or bottles, or anything else you can think of that on any regular day you just rip off and let the wind carry (I mean, don’t even do that… throw your trash away people). Too many times I’ve been on the trail and have seen it littered with cigarette butts. Remember that National Parks are around to enjoy and respect nature.   If you’re hiking, or camping, or just visiting make sure you take a trash bag with you to hold all of your garbage. National Parks aren’t a zoo, they aren’t a theme park, and they are ABSOLUTELY not your trashcan.

6. Try and reduce the amount of things you have to throw away

While its great you packed out all of your trash, it’s honestly a better option to simply not bring a large amount of items or foods that produce trash. Invest in a Nalgene, put those crackers and fruit bars in singular zip-lock baggies. National parks accumulate trash at an alarming rate, and a large majority of that garbage ends up in landfills, which are basically the polar opposite of what National Parks stand for. Be mindful and reduce your trash, and better yet, recycle!!  

7. STAY.ON.MARKED.TRAILS

A few days ago we visited Rocky Mountain National Park for some nature seeing and picture taking. While walking back on one short little path another family was walking up. Aunt Gene (we’ll call her) decided it was all right to step off the trail onto the tundra. Obviously we called her out and asked her to stay on the trail, her response? “Oh, well I’m just stepping on the rocks.” SMHx1000000   While yes, technically she wasn’t disturbing the tundra… but as a general rule of thumb, keep off the grass. Listen to the MULTIPLE signs constantly advising you not stray from the path. The tundra is an extremely fragile ecosystem, which takes thousands of years to grow and thrive in such harsh climates. One person thinks its okay to stray from the path… a lot more people are going to see them and try the same thing. That’s when the ground Sorry to break it to you, but you’re not special. I don’t think I can say this enough but just respect our national parks and listen to what the signs say. That includes your dogs.

8. Be mindful of your other campers

Ah the great outdoors, the nature, the fresh air, the peaceful quiet…. Wait… is that… Pit Bull I hear off into the distance? Who the hell is… why is it so LOUD?! Who keeps yelling “Woooo?!” at the top of their lungs? We’re all out in nature to enjoy the great outdoors in our own ways. While yes, if you want to spend your camping night doing some drinking and listening to music, go right ahead… but remember that other people are around you and might not like the consistent air-horned backtracks.  

9. Be mindful of other hikers

Be mindful of other hikers as well. I recently went on a hike and we climbed up some rocks to get some pictures, a father and his son were also there, enjoying the scenery. Kind nods and smiles were exchanged and while my boyfriend and I were talking, it was in hushed tones and mostly speaking about the view. In comes a family of about 7, visors, clip-on-belt-phone cases and improper footwear and all, basically yelling at the top of their lungs. We saw them as we were headed out but the father/son duos were still hanging out by their rock. Once the family got up to them they immediately got up and started walking away. It’s a sad site to see people truly enjoying their surroundings be interrupted by rude, loud, thoughtless visitors.  

10. Most importantly HAVE FUN

I know I laid down some serious truth. But honestly National Parks are here for us to escape the hustle and bustle of every day life to get outdoors and enjoy nature! Safety is absolutely always a factor, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still have fun while exploring the great outdoors.  

Have any national park pet peeves you'd like to share? Comment below, we're here for you to vent!