Leave No Trace Circuit: Seven Principles, Seven Stations

A station circuit where each stop covers one Leave No Trace principle with a real-world case and a physical task. It turns the seven principles into concrete decisions the group can use on its next trip.

How to play

1. Quick intro to the seven principles: plan ahead and prepare, travel and camp on durable surfaces, dispose of waste properly, leave what you find, minimize campfire impacts, respect wildlife, and be considerate of other visitors (4 min).
2. Groups of four rotate through seven 3-minute stations, jogging between them. Examples: cross a 'meadow' stepping only in hoops (durable surfaces), sort which waste you pack out, decide what to do about a nest or wildflowers, choose between a campfire and a stove based on local rules (21 min).
3. Review: each group shares its answers and the teacher clears up tricky cases (6 min).
4. Each group writes one specific commitment for the next trip and reads it aloud (4 min).

Rules

• Jog between stations; no racing.
• At the hoop station, anyone who steps outside starts over.
• Leave the cards the way you found them for the next group.
• Listen to other groups' answers without interrupting.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: walks or uses a wheelchair, and the hoop station becomes a path marked on the ground.
• Visually impaired: cases read aloud by the group and hoops marked with textured tape.
• Lower-body injury: judges one fixed station.

Learning goals

• Know the seven Leave No Trace principles.
• Apply each principle to real trip situations.
• Make environmental commitments as a group.

Equipment for a class of 25

• case cards: 21
• cones: 14
• trash bags: 7
• hoops: 10

Teacher tip

The principles and free teaching materials are on the Leave No Trace website. On fire, remind students that many areas ban fires during high-risk seasons; the common mistake is thinking 'being careful' is enough.

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