Hiking Trail Rules & Safety: Ten Essentials, Leave No Trace, Right-of-Way

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The trailhead kiosk at 7 a.m.: a faded map behind plexiglass, a sign about bears, a box of permits and a pencil on a string. A family reads it while a backpacker cinches her hip belt and a trail runner jogs past. Hiking has no referee, but it does have rules, and they’re the reason millions of people can share the same trails and come home safe. Here are the hiking rules that matter: the Ten Essentials, Leave No Trace’s seven principles, who has the right of way, when you need a permit, and the safety habits rangers wish everyone followed.

The Ten Essentials

The National Park Service (NPS) asks every hiker to carry these, on short hikes as well as long ones. Most fit in a small daypack.

1. Navigation: a map, a compass and a GPS or phone app. Know how to use them before you need them, and remember phone batteries die and signal disappears.
2. Sun protection: sunglasses, sunscreen and a hat.
3. Extra clothing: a jacket, hat, gloves, rain shell and other layers for a sudden change in weather.
4. Illumination: a headlamp or flashlight, to keep walking after dark and to signal for help.
5. First-aid supplies: a kit suited to your trip and your own medical needs.
6. Fire: matches or a lighter and fire starters, for warmth and signaling in an emergency.
7. Repair kit and tools: duct tape, a knife or multi-tool, and scissors.
8. Nutrition: extra food that needs no cooking, such as trail mix and granola bars.
9. Hydration: water and a way to treat more.
10. Emergency shelter: a tent, space blanket, tarp or bivy.

The NPS adds an eleventh habit that costs nothing: tell someone where you’re going and when to expect you back. Leave them the trailhead, your route and the time to call for help if they haven’t heard from you.

Three easy ways to tick boxes: the Suunto A-10 compass, a simple baseplate compass with a jewel-bearing needle, map scales and a fixed declination correction (about $24 at Suunto); the Black Diamond Spot 400 headlamp, 400 lumens on three AAA batteries with a red night mode (about $55); and the Adventure Medical Kits Mountain Series Hiker, a first-aid kit the maker sizes for one or two people on one- or two-day trips. More on our hiking gear page.

Prices change often. The prices on this page are what we saw at the maker or a major retailer in October 2026; check the current price before you buy.

Leave No Trace: the seven principles

The Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics, a nonprofit in Boulder, Colorado, has taught seven principles for enjoying the outdoors responsibly since 1994. In short:

1. Plan ahead and prepare. Know the area’s rules, prepare for extreme weather and emergencies, avoid busy times, keep groups small, and use a map and compass rather than paint, cairns or flagging.
2. Travel and camp on durable surfaces. Stick to trails, established campsites, rock, gravel, dry grass or snow. Camp at least 200 feet from lakes and streams. In popular areas, walk single file in the middle of the trail, even when it’s wet or muddy.
3. Dispose of waste properly. Pack it in, pack it out. Bury human waste in a cathole 6 to 8 inches deep, at least 200 feet from water, camp and trails, and pack out toilet paper. Wash 200 feet from water with a little biodegradable soap.
4. Leave what you find. Leave rocks, plants and artifacts where they are; don’t move non-native species or build structures.
5. Minimize campfire impacts. Cook on a stove. Where fires are allowed, use existing rings, keep them small, burn only sticks from the ground you can break by hand, and put them out completely.
6. Respect wildlife. Watch from a distance, never feed animals, store food and trash securely, and control pets or leave them home.
7. Be considerate of other visitors. Be courteous, yield on the trail, step to the downhill side for pack stock, take breaks away from the trail, and keep the noise down.

Trail right-of-way and etiquette

The NPS’s hiking etiquette rules settle most trail standoffs:

• Uphill hikers have the right of way. If you’re going down, step aside and let the climbers keep their rhythm.
• Bikes yield to everyone. Cyclists yield to hikers and to horses, coming to a full stop and stepping to the side.
• Everyone yields to horses. Hikers step slowly and calmly off to the downhill side; horses scare easily, so avoid sudden moves or loud noises.
• Passing: announce yourself in a friendly, calm voice when coming up from behind.
• Stay on the trail, even around mud, and don’t leave it to get closer to wildlife for a photo.
• Keep it quiet: say hello, keep speakers off, and let nature’s sounds carry.

Permits: when you need one

Most day hikes need no permit beyond any park entry fee. Rules tighten in three cases. Always check the website of the park or forest you’re visiting.

• Overnight trips in national parks. Many parks require a backcountry or wilderness permit for any night outside a developed campground. Grand Canyon and Rocky Mountain National Park are two examples, and day hikes at Grand Canyon don’t need one. Most parks now handle permits through Recreation.gov.
• Famous, crowded day hikes. In Yosemite, hiking to the top of Half Dome requires a permit seven days a week while the cables are up (normally from just before Memorial Day to just after the second Monday in October). No more than 300 hikers a day may go past the base of the subdome. Day-hiker permits go by lottery on Recreation.gov: a preseason lottery in March, then daily lotteries during the season.
• Long trails. If you plan to hike 500 miles or more of the Pacific Crest Trail in one continuous trip, you can apply for the free interagency PCT long-distance permit, which the Pacific Crest Trail Association issues for the Forest Service and other agencies. Permit systems cover about a third of the trail. For 2027 trips, the PCTA set the first registration period for October 15–22, 2026.

Safety rules on the trail

• Know your limits. The NPS asks hikers to be honest about their experience, fitness and ability to handle the terrain and elevation, and to check with rangers about alerts, closures and weather before they leave.
• Let the slowest hiker set the pace, and stay together.
• Watch the clock. Keep track of time and distance so you’re not caught out in the dark; pick a turnaround time and respect it.
• Heat: in hot places like Grand Canyon in summer, the NPS asks hikers to avoid hiking from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and to eat salty snacks along with water.
• Lightning: the National Weather Service says there is no safe place outside in a thunderstorm. Get off peaks and ridges early, and never shelter under a lone tree or a rock overhang.
• Water: treat water from streams and lakes. The CDC says to boil it for 1 minute (3 minutes above 6,500 feet) or use a filter rated to remove particles of 1 micron or smaller.
• If you’re lost: stop, stay where you are and make yourself easy to find: whistle, wave, flash a light. Teach kids to “hug a tree.” More in our hiking with kids guide.
• After the hike: check yourself for ticks where they’re common, as the CDC recommends.

Injuries, altitude and when to see a professional are on our hiking injuries page, the organizations behind the trails are on organizations and trails, and the whole sport is on our hiking hub. Skiers have their own code too: see the skiing rules page.

Trail rules FAQs

Do uphill or downhill hikers have the right of way?

Uphill hikers. The NPS asks hikers coming down to step aside and give the climbers space.

Do I need a permit to go hiking?

Usually not for a day hike, apart from any park entry fee. You often need one for overnight backcountry camping in national parks, for a few famous day hikes such as Half Dome, and for long-distance trips on trails like the PCT. Check the park or forest website before you go.

What are the 7 Leave No Trace 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.

How far from water should I camp or go to the bathroom?

Leave No Trace says to camp at least 200 feet from lakes and streams, and to dig catholes 6 to 8 inches deep at least 200 feet from water, camp and trails.

Do I need the Ten Essentials on a short hike?

The NPS treats them as the minimum for any hike. A twisted ankle or a wrong turn can turn a one-hour walk into an evening outside, and the essentials weigh little in a small daypack.