Blog Article · Canoe · Instructional Article · Solo Canoe ·Aug 14, 2024

Is Your Canoe Camping Environmentally Friendly?

5-minute read

Canoe camping is a marvelous way to enjoy wilderness areas, rivers and parks. How can we help protect these areas from negative human impact for future generations of canoeists?

woman in the bow of a canoe as they paddle calm water

Thinking "eco-friendly" will help save our canoe camping routes for the next generation (Photo courtesy of Caleb Young)

Thankfully we don’t have to go far to find straightforward guidelines for environmentally-friendly canoe camping. Whether the areas you visit by canoe see thousands of people every year or just a few hundred, we can all do our part to keep them as pristine as possible.

Follow Leave No Trace Guidelines

The Leave No Trace initiative has helped outdoor lovers protect our natural environment for 25 years through education and support. We paddlers can do our part to follow these guidelines too, especially on overnight trips.

Here’s a summary of the Leave No Trace guidelines:

Plan ahead and prepare—Planning ahead vs impromptu camping trips helps you with trip details like what to pack, how much to pack, what not to pack and your transportation needs. Most wilderness areas have regulations you’ll need to know about such as group size limits. Part of planning ahead is preparing for the weather forecast and any emergencies that may arise.
Travel and camp on durable surfaces—For canoeists this often involves camping only on designated campsites and using only designated portages. When you go ashore make for surfaces like gravel, rock or dry grasses.
Dispose of Waste Properly—Human waste in wilderness areas is a big deal, especially in popular spots. If vault toilets are available (like in the Boundary Waters), that makes it easier. If they aren’t, educate yourself about cat holes and biffy bags. Always practice pack-in-pack-out with garbage and food waste.
Leave what you find—Enjoy rocks, wildflowers and artifacts without removing them. Leave them for others to enjoy. Avoid the rock cairn craze—that contradicts Leave No Trace even if it seems harmless.
Minimize campfire impacts—Consider using an ultralight camp stove instead of a fire for cooking. Not only is it faster and more reliable, it’s low-to-no-impact. If you do build a fire (and every wilderness traveler needs to know how to in case of emergencies), only use dead wood already on the ground. Keep your fires small and in a designated ring or box. Put it out completely to help prevent wildfires.
Respect wildlife—Never follow, approach or feed wildlife. If you bring your dog with you, keep it under your control at all times.
Be considerate of others—Be courteous, friendly and quiet. Protect the quality of their experience too. Remember that noise travels easily over a calm lake at night!

See more details on the Leave No Trace website.

A canoe trip group sits on boulders next to the water

One of the Leave No Trace guidelines is to travel and camp on durable surfaces (photo courtesy of Forged from the Wild)

Follow Guidelines for the BWCAW

The US Department of Agriculture offers a free PDF Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Planning Guide. Pages 5-7 of the PDF go into detail about the Leave No Trace principles we listed above as well as a few eco-friendly guidelines:

Do you hammock camp? Only strap your hammock to the trunk of thick-barked trees at least 8 inches in diameter (not birch trees) using flat straps intended for hammock use (not rope).
Don’t bring non-native plants or live bait into protected areas.
Keep your group size small. You’ll have a better time and cause less negative environmental impact.
After you pack up and load your canoe(s), do a final campsite inspection to be sure you don’t leave anything behind.
Treat your dog’s waste like you do human waste.

While much of the PDF is BWCAW-specific, these pages in particular can apply to other canoe camping destinations too.

Do you plan to swim while canoe camping? Be aware that chemical products you use on your hands and skin (like sunscreen and hand sanitizer) can cause harm to the water environment.

Bear Safety

One of the most important eco-friendly guidelines is to keep your food away from wildlife, especially bears. Most human food isn’t healthy for any wild animal. But when bears discover human food it can become a major problem.

food packs hanging from trees to keep away from bears

Learn how to hang your food packs to keep them away from bears and other critters (photo courtesy of Sharon Brodin)

A bear that learns campsites are a great source of easy food becomes unafraid of humans and therefore dangerous. Dangerous bears often need to be destroyed. So it’s best for campers and bears that we follow bear-safe guidelines when we canoe camp in bear country:

Don’t attract them in the first place by keeping a clean camp.
Never eat or keep food in your tent, or personal hygiene items like toothpaste and scented lotion.
Use bear-proof food storage containers or hang your food pack from a tree to keep it out of reach while you’re away from camp and at night.

Indirect Ways to be Eco-Friendly

There are indirect ways to ensure your canoe camping adventures—and indeed all your outdoor adventures—are committed to being environmentally friendly too.

One is to buy your tripping gear and apparel second-hand or from companies committed to sustainability. Many outdoor brands have eco-friendly policies such as using recycled or sustainable materials in their products, supporting environmental organizations and reducing waste in their manufacturing. (Bending Branches has adopted all those policies where we can!)

Another indirect eco-friendly practice is to support conservation efforts in your area. This can be things like volunteering for portage and campsite maintenance or giving monetarily to watershed organizations that serve the area where you love to canoe camp.

three women at a designated canoe campsite at sunrise

Stick to designated campsites on your canoe trips (photo courtesy of Sharon Brodin)

The most important way you can help is by developing an eco-friendly mindset. Then share that mindset with those you canoe with in a friendly and helpful way.

Together we can make a positive impact on these natural areas, ensuring they stay healthy for years to come.

What paddling questions can our friendly Customer Service team help you with? Contact us here: 715-755-3405 or [email protected]

More for you...