Eco-Friendly Hiking in Moab, Utah

Sustainability is the name of the game these days, from your food choices to your clothing to your job. There are plenty of steps you can take to reduce your impact on the environment and save our beloved earth, but it’s easy to forget about your hobbies.

Hiking is a great way to experience the great outdoors, especially in places like Moab, where it’s packed with extravagant hiking trails for anyone and everyone! And, believe it or not, hiking is a great way to start being eco-friendly. With natural beauties to hike in and spectate, it’s important to treat these places with the utmost respect.

So, if you’re a keen hiker but aren’t sure how to make your hiking trips more sustainable, make sure you read on to discover seven tips to make sure your trip is as eco-friendly as possible!

1. Avoid campfires in the wild

Campfires are indeed dreamy and can be a wonderful part of a camping trip, but it has its downsides. Campfires in the wild can quickly lead to wildfires if they become out of control, which has devastating consequences for the fauna and flora of the area. Instead, make your campfire in areas specifically designated for them.

2. Plan your routes carefully

Chris Waters, a travel blogger at Paper Fellows and Boom Essays tells us- “even if some routes look amazing on Instagram, try to avoid them if you feel like they’re suffering from over-tourism. Excessive amounts of visitors can be very damaging for the soil and nature on a route as thousands or even millions trample on it.”

If you go to a less popular destination, make sure you plan how to get there carefully and also make sure you won’t get lost whilst you’re enjoying it!

3. Wear natural sunscreen

If you’re doing a coastal hike, or if you’ll be going near any body of water, consider wearing natural sun protection. You may want to take a dip in the water, and some sunscreen ingredients can be very damaging to the fauna and flora beneath the water, especially as it builds up from multiple people swimming with harmful sun cream on their skin over the years. You may also want to consider sun-protective clothing so you don’t have to worry about sun cream at all.

4. Leave no trace behind you

Sounds obvious but it’s worth the reminder. Whatever you take with you camping, should come back with you. Leaving any sort of litter behind can severely disturb the natural environment. To begin with, animals may confuse it with food and eat harmful nonedibles. Also, as certain items decay, they may pollute the surrounding soil or water, creating a catastrophic knock-on effect for the entire ecosystem.

5. Choose eco-friendly gear

Charlotte Cross, a lifestyle writer at Essay Roo and Lia Help tells us- “it may not be directly related to a hiking trip, but choosing to purchase sustainable and eco-friendly hiking gear supports and encourages sustainability within the field.”

You can also choose to wear gear that’s made from recycled materials, further limiting the impact you cause on the environment.

6. Save up your energy

Most of our energy sources still come from burning down fossil fuels. This is obviously very harmful to the environment. When going on a hiking trip, be mindful of saving your energy as much as possible and consider using solar chargers and solar-charged items such as flashlights and lamps. Do remember that solar-charged items only charge when the sun is shining bright so you should definitely have a backup in case you’re hit with a few rainy days in a row.

7. Ditch the bottled water

Bottled water is still widely used by many people, but it implies the production of millions of tons of single-use plastic. Water is absolutely key on a hike so don’t skimp out on it to save up on plastic. Instead, consider buying reusable water bottles and water crates. Apart from saving a lot on plastic production, they also tend to keep your water cooler and fresher for a lot longer than the plastic water bottles from the supermarket.

At the Moab Adventure Center, all trips come with a free flip-top water bottle (a $14 value), as a means to promote eco-friendly gear in hiking activities.

Summary

Hiking is a lovely experience that allows you to immerse yourself in nature and really come in contact with your local area’s native fauna and flora. It’s important to remember that if we want to enjoy nature, we must also protect it, so be sure to use these tips and tricks next time you go hiking.

Moab, Utah is a great place to experience great hiking adventures! To learn more about Moab and what hiking trails are available, visit MoabAdventureCenter.com and sign up for our free Insider’s Guide!

Elizabeth Hines writes about the latest tech and marketing trends, innovations, and strategies. She also writes for online magazines and blogs, such as Literature review help, and others. She is a digital marketer and content writer at OX Essays and Academized.