{"id":118642,"date":"2025-08-29T15:08:05","date_gmt":"2025-08-29T15:08:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/118642\/"},"modified":"2025-08-29T15:08:05","modified_gmt":"2025-08-29T15:08:05","slug":"how-to-poop-outdoors-in-a-way-that-wont-harm-the-environment-and-other-hikers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/118642\/","title":{"rendered":"How to poop outdoors in a way that won\u2019t harm the environment and other hikers"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019re one of the 63 million Americans who went hiking<\/a> last year, chances are you\u2019ve found yourself needing to go, with no toilet in sight.<\/p>\n

Aside from personal inconvenience, why is this such a big deal? <\/p>\n

Human fecal contamination is a public health concern<\/a> in natural areas. Pathogens in human poop can remain active<\/a> for a long time \u2013 over a year<\/a> in outdoor environments \u2013 meaning that waste left behind today can cause severe gastrointestinal disease<\/a> and other sicknesses for future visitors. Fecal waste can enter waterways after storms or snowmelt, harming water quality<\/a>. Finally, it can be upsetting \u2013 or at the least, unpleasant \u2013 to encounter someone else\u2019s poop and used toilet paper in nature.<\/p>\n

\"Used<\/p>\n

Toilet paper waste on Mount Elbert in the San Isabel National Forest in Colorado.
\n Shari Edelson, CC BY-ND<\/a><\/p>\n

As a researcher<\/a> and a Ph.D. candidate<\/a> who study human impacts on parks and protected areas, we have been thinking quite a lot about poop and ways people can tread more lightly on the landscape. Our focus is on Leave No Trace<\/a>, an environmental education framework \u2013 created by an organization with the same name \u2013 that helps people implement minimal-impact practices in the outdoors.<\/p>\n

Poop is causing problems in parks and protected areas<\/p>\n

From the Appalachian Trail<\/a> and Mount Everest \u2013 known as Sagarmatha in Nepali<\/a> \u2013 to national parks in Norway<\/a> and Aotearoa \u2013 known as New Zealand to English speakers<\/a>, researchers have documented the negative impacts our bodily wastes are causing in the sensitive environments where we seek recreation and restoration. <\/p>\n

In Colorado, the problem has gotten so bad that land managers have decided to take action. In the Eagle-Holy Cross District of the White River National Forest, for example, the U.S. Forest Service now requires visitors to take their human waste out with them<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A footbridge on the Chimney Tops Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains near the Appalachian Trail.
\n Shari Edelson, CC BY-ND<\/a><\/p>\n

Best practices for dealing with your poo in the great outdoors<\/p>\n

One of us \u2013 Derrick Taff \u2013 works as a science adviser to Leave No Trace<\/a>, an organization that has educated outdoor recreationists on this issue for more than 30 years and has provided concrete guidance based on scientific research. <\/p>\n

The first rule of thumb is to avoid the possibility of contamination entirely by not leaving waste in natural areas to begin with. Toilet facilities are regarded as the most effective method to reduce human waste<\/a> in the backcountry. If there\u2019s a toilet at the trailhead, use it before you head out.<\/p>\n

Current research we\u2019re doing in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming and San Isabel National Forest in Colorado<\/a> confirms that hikers prefer to use trailhead toilets when they\u2019re available. <\/p>\n

But as anyone who\u2019s been out in the woods is aware, remote wilderness areas do not necessarily offer such infrastructure. Access for maintenance and waste removal costs are major barriers<\/a> for land management agencies considering installing backcountry toilets<\/a>. <\/p>\n

And then there\u2019s the very real likelihood that even when trailhead facilities do exist, you may be far away when nature calls. In our own research, pending publication, we surveyed hikers on Colorado\u2019s Mount Elbert. Up to 70% of those needing to poop ended up doing so in the backcountry despite the presence of a trailhead toilet.<\/p>\n

Issues develop because hikers aren\u2019t prepared<\/p>\n

This issue may persist because people aren\u2019t aware of the current rules. In our soon-to-be-published study of Grand Teton hikers, 66% of backcountry trail visitors reported that they had not received any information on how to dispose of human waste in the park. <\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

The view from String Lake in Grand Teton National Park.
\n Shari Edelson, CC BY-ND<\/a><\/p>\n

Other reasons why people may not follow the rules are because they may consider them onerous<\/a> or unimportant. <\/p>\n

Research shows<\/a> that clear, actionable messaging including relevant environmental and moral appeals does make a difference in shifting people\u2019s behaviors in the outdoors. Although individual choices may seem inconsequential, they add up to big impacts in the aggregate.<\/p>\n

How to poop in the backcountry<\/p>\n

So what to do when there really is no potty? Leave No Trace advises us of two main options<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The first is to dig a little pit, commonly called a cat hole, and deposit your poop in there. Can\u2019t aim? No worries \u2013 Just poop next to the hole and scoop it in afterward.<\/p>\n

The use of cat holes is recommended in areas where it\u2019s possible to dig roughly the length of your hand deep in the soil, where moist ground indicates that material buried there will decompose, and where digging is not likely to disturb fragile environments. Make sure you\u2019re about 70 steps away from any water source, trail or campsite to avoid water contamination and reduce the likelihood that someone else will accidentally come upon your waste.<\/p>\n

You can typically leave toilet paper in a cat hole, but check local regulations and carry it out in a sealed bag if not. Never leave wet wipes behind. They don\u2019t biodegrade<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Outdoor companies are now making lightweight trowels designed for digging cat holes in the backcountry. But there are also places where it\u2019s difficult if not impossible to dig a cat hole because of snow, frozen ground, shallow soil or exposed bedrock, or where leaving human waste in the outdoors is not recommended due to environmental conditions. These typically include high-mountain zones above tree line, alpine environments inhabited by delicate and slow-growing flora, and deserts and other arid places characterized by low soil moisture. <\/p>\n

In places like this, it\u2019s best to remove all poop and toilet paper and dispose of it in a proper location such as a trash can at the trailhead or even back at your home. Before you recoil in horror, remember that dog owners do this with their pets\u2019 waste<\/a> when on a walk.<\/p>\n

Wag bags \u2013 short for waste aggregation and gelling \u2013 are used to pack out poop. Wag bag kits typically include an inner and an outer bag as well as a drying agent to prevent odor and leakage. Our current research, as well as a recent study of Norwegian park users<\/a>, has demonstrated that people are willing to use them.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A kiosk offers free wag bags at the beginning of the Mount Elbert summit trail near Leadville, Colo. Wag bags are commonly used by hikers as self-contained receptacles for feces.
\n Shari Edelson, CC BY-ND<\/a><\/p>\n

Our study found that among people who defecated while on a hike to the summit of Mount Elbert, 30% used a wag bag to carry their waste off the mountain, and 87% expressed willingness to use one on future trips. <\/p>\n

These results suggest that people are willing to do the right thing when given the proper tools and information, and that it\u2019s possible to effectively teach people how to care for our wild spaces.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If you\u2019re one of the 63 million Americans who went hiking last year, chances are you\u2019ve found yourself…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":118643,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[192,79],"class_list":{"0":"post-118642","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-environment","8":"tag-environment","9":"tag-science"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118642","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=118642"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118642\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/118643"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=118642"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=118642"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=118642"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}