Leave No Trace – How you can help

Written by Larry Deane, local expert for 20+ years

You probably arrived here from our Leave No Trace in the Blue Ridge Mountains page.  If not, be sure to head over and read that article to learn all about the negative impact people are currently having on the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky Mountains.  

You will also learn about how we can all make a significant difference by practicing the 7-principles of Leave No Trace.  We do not want these beautiful mountains to pay the price of our enjoyment and carelessness.

1 - Commit to making a difference

This is critical.  Together, through responsibility, caring, and good stewardship, we CAN make a difference and stop the negative impact we're having.

We share lots of content and guides here at Blue Ridge Mountain Life, all intended to help you find beautiful places to visit, hiking trails, and waterfalls here in the Blue Ridge Mountains.  If you use our guides and/or follow on social media, like Facebook, we ask that you join us in following the 7-Principles of Leave No Trace whenever you visit these mountains.

We appreciate your commitment! Please share the concepts of Leave No Trace, and encourage others to visit this page to commit as well.

2 - Share our Leave No Trace in the Blue Ridge Content

In addition to our photos, videos, and guides, we will begin sharing content specific to the principles of Leave No Trace on social media.  As influencers, we want to help educate people on the negative impact we're having, and how together, we can make a positive difference.

We want to help everyone be good stewards when visiting these majestic mountains.  We want our Blue Ridge Mountains to remain pristine, so that others can enjoy them for generations to come! 

You can follow us on:

We'll use the #LeaveNoTraceInTheBlueRidge tag for this content.

About the author

Larry Deane is the co-owner and voice behind Blue Ridge Mountain Life, a travel resource built from more than two decades of exploring the Blue Ridge Mountains firsthand. A Western North Carolina local, Larry has spent 20+ years hiking the trails, visiting small towns, chasing waterfalls, and documenting life in the mountains he calls home.

Alongside his wife Jenn, he created Blue Ridge Mountain Life to share their real-world experiences with others who love — or are just discovering — the Blue Ridge. Larry is a seasoned travel writer, photographer, and videographer with a background in journalism, and his work reaches more than 500,000 mountain lovers each month. Whether he's deep in Pisgah National Forest or strolling Main Street in a mountain town, you can count on Larry to give you the inside scoop from someone who’s truly been there.

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