Protecting our National Parks

1. Travel small as part of a national parks small group guided tour to reduce your impact.

2. Choose a tour operator that prioritizes sustainability as part of their trips and operations. At Explore, we offset the carbon footprints of all our trips and incorporate sustainable practices into every level of our organization.

3. Consider how to minimize your carbon footprint. We've measured the carbon footprint of all our trips, showing how small group travel produces far less carbon and is better for the environment.

4. Use public transportation. Many national parks, like Zion National Park, and nearby towns offer free shuttle services around town and the park. In addition to reducing gas and energy use from too many cars, using the free shuttles also improves the visitor experience. On our small group national park tours like Walking the Western US National Parks, we choose accommodations as close to the park as possible to take advantage of these free shuttle routes.

9. Don't disturb, touch or take anything from around the park. Don't stack rock cairns, take souvenirs or alter the environment in any way.

10. Leave no trace at all times. Never litter or leave trash except in trash cans or at designated spots.

11. Recycle whenever possible.

12. Ditch the single-use plastics for reusable items such as water bottles.

17. Reduce overcrowding at the most popular national parks by visiting a national monument or national preserve instead. Or visit both, but visit the more popular park on a low traffic day.

18. Eat locally whenever possible. Carbon emissions from food waste and food transportation are a big problem, which you can prevent by eating local fare. So, when visiting a landlocked park like Yellowstone National Park, skip the seafood at the local restaurant and opt for locally-raised meat or seasonal vegetables.

19. Support organizations like the National Parks Conservation Association and the National Park Foundation. Donating to these organizations helps support conservation and preservation programs and projects, outreach, education and much more.

20. Make sure your elected representatives know that you support the national parks. The national park system and public lands are constantly at risk from things like the extraction of natural resources, oil or natural gas exploration and drilling, and climate change. It's important that when issues come up that could impact our national parks, your elected officials in Congress know that you want these lands protected.