Planning for Safety

  1. Check in with someone before you leave.Leave a detailed itinerary with someone who is not going on the trip, including your route, inventory, areas you plan to stay. It's important that someone knows when you expect to return, so they can check in if you're late. Be sure to contact them after you have safely returned.

    • Leave a note on your car, at least. This can be very helpful in the event that you don't show back up to the car on time.
    • Check in at the ranger station or the Visitor's Center before you go camping. This is an easy way to let people know how long you're going to be in the area.

  2. Pace yourselves.An average hiking pace is 2-3 miles per hour. Don't get overambitious. Shoot for less, rather than more, so you can take time to enjoy the sights. Determine the approximate area where you will camp each night ahead of time. Try to plan your trip so that you camp close to a reliable water source each night.

  3. Don't keep food in your tent.All of your food needs to be secured from bears, and kept separate from your tent, if you're going to be hiking in the backcountry. Even if bears aren't regularly found in the area you're hiking, it's important to protect yourself from all sorts of curious animals, who might want to sneak a bite.

    • If you will be visiting an area with bears, bring a bag and rope to hang your food from a tree, or use an Ursack or bear canister, depending on local regulations.
    • Follow the same precautions with anything scented, including hair products, shampoo, lotions, toothpaste, and gum.
    • Always use the same bag for storing and hanging food and scented items, from campout to campout.
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