Determine the Right Group Size for Low-Impact Camping

Video Transcript

" Hi, this is Bruce Lessels from Zoar Outdoor on behalf of expertvillage.com, talking about low impact camping methods. So another tenative of low impact camping is you want to match the size of your group to the area you’re going to be in. Some areas have large campsites and can accommodate large groups, maybe up to 15 or 20 people but 15 or 20 people in the back country is a lot as a large group. Groups of maybe 6 to 12 is probably, is usually more manageable and some areas my actually have limits on the size group you can bring in. When you get your permit you’ll usually find out about those limits. National Parks, National Forest, Wilderness areas often have limits. An area this size may be able to accommodate 2 or 3 tents and you may be able to put the tents down and then be able to return it to more or less its natural state. But if you start to crowd the tents in, start to put more tents on an area than it can hold and start to tread down the soil, you’re having an impact on the area. Part of what you’re impacting is the roots of the trees and the other vegetation and eventually the roots will start to be exposed through the soil and when that happens you’re starting to damage the trees and the trees will have a limited life. So limit the size of your group so that you can make sure that you leave the area the way you found it."