Hiking is a great way to connect with nature and wildlife. There are ways to stay eco-friendly and keep the native wildlife around you safe. These are five important tips that could help keep the trails clean and prevent harm to the plants and animals around you.
Pick the Right Trail
Finding the right trail is important for a hiker, but it could also benefit the wildlife around you. A busy hiking trail adds stress to the hiker and the animals and natural species around you. Some areas face overcrowding, which is a threat to wildlife in a number of ways. For example, a large, consistent human presence could make native animals scared of that area. Additionally, overcrowding can lead to erosion, which eventually damages the wildlife.
Before heading out to the trail, go to the one less traveled, but make sure there’s a trail to follow as well!
Stay on the Trail
When you find the perfect trail that’s not overcrowded, make sure you stick to it. This is also a problem with overcrowding. Hikers may be more inclined to make their own trails. However, when you “trail off” into the forest or whatever area you’re hiking in, you risk the wildlife that is at your feet, whether that be native plants or an animal’s home.
As tempting as it may be to cut a switchback in a trail, stay on course. You never know what you’re trampling on, so keep that in mind.
Keep Wildlife Wild
It’s important to remember that the wildlife around you while hiking is exactly that — wild. This means no matter how cute the critter or critters are around you, keep to yourself. For example, feeding wild animals “people” food can potentially cause them severe health problems.
Additionally, as we mentioned before, animals have a natural fear of people. Therefore, feeding them causes them to lose that natural fear, and they potentially become dangerous animals when they’re too comfortable around people.
Leave No Trace
One of the best things you can do while hiking is to make sure no one knows you are there. The biggest example of this is littering. A common phrase is “pack out what you pack in.” It’s important that you never litter. That goes for biodegradable as well because even orange peels, apple cores, or nut shells stick around for a while.
Don’t Pick the Wildflowers
Wildflowers are one of the best parts of a beautiful hike. It adds a lot of beauty to a hiking trail, but it could also be tempting to pick them and take them home. The U.S. Forest Service highly recommends keeping them exactly where they are. They say almost all wildflowers are fragile and will wilt and perish shortly after being picked.
Losing these beautiful pieces of nature not only takes them away but could also cause a chain of events in the ecosystem. Wildflowers support ecosystems for pollinators, birds, and micro-animals.
