Research your route and check the weather forecast. Ensure you have adequate information to assist with route-finding such as maps, guidebooks or a GPS file of the route.
Make a trip plan and let a friend or family member know where you are going and when you plan to return. Canada’s AdventureSmart website includes excellent trip planning resources.
Ensure that you are carrying a safety communication device such as an emergency personal locator device or a cellular phone. However, note that cellular service is limited in many areas including the mountains.
Pack appropriate equipment for your outing. Items to consider include: proper footwear, extra layers of clothing including a hat or toque, protection from the sun, wind and insects, a flashlight or headlamp, adequate food and water, and an emergency shelter.
Carry bear spray year round and know how to use it! Watch this how-to video.
While You Hike
Stay on established trails and avoid trail braiding.
Share the trail with other users. During breaks, step off the trail so others can pass.
Do NOT pick or collect wildflowers or other vegetation including deadfall. Picking or collecting rocks, fossils and artifacts is NOT permitted. Take a photograph instead!
Do not litter. This includes cigarette butts, seed shells and tissue.
Occasional shouting will warn wildlife that you are in the area.
This is especially important near noisy creeks and in dense forest.
Shouts are more effective than a bell, whistle or horn.
If you decide to take your dog into the backcountry
Your dog must be kept on a leash at all times.
Your dog's waste must be packed out or buried.
Wildlife regard your pet as either prey or predator.
Disposal of Human Waste
When hiking, urinate at least 50 metres from trails and water sources.
When hiking, defecate in a cathole (catholes should be 15-20 centimetres deep and 50 metres from trails and water sources). Bury your waste then replace the topsoil.
Pack out toilet paper or dispose of it in an outhouse.
If you are travelling on snow or ice or in the high alpine, please pack out your waste.
While at camp, use the outhouse to urinate or defecate.
