Camp Chief Ouray believes that every child deserves a high-quality and nature-filled camp experience. By promoting the Seven Principles of Leave No Trace alongside the Core Values of the YMCA (Respect, Responsibility, Honest, Caring, and Faith), Camp Chief Ouray can ensure that camp stays beautiful and fun for future generations. We instill Leave No Trace ethics in all parts of camp, from our dining hall to our backcountry trips. We encourage our campers to bring their experience home with them through new knowledge and stories of their time at Camp Chief Ouray. 

The Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics provides proven, research-based solutions for the protection of the natural world. Camp Chief Ouray is a Leave No Trace Youth Accredited Program. This accreditation involves 11 standards that stimulate accountability, quality, and improvement of Leave No Trace education for youth-serving programs. CCO is proud to offer the highest quality of Leave No Trace education to engage campers in the outdoors.

Camp Chief Ouray’s Leave No Trace Statement:

Camp Chief Ouray believes that every child deserves a high-quality and nature-filled camp experience. By promoting the Seven Principles of Leave No Trace alongside the Core Values of the YMCA (Respect, Responsibility, Honest, Caring, and Faith), Camp Chief Ouray can ensure that camp stays beautiful and fun for future generations. We instill Leave No Trace ethics in all parts of camp, from our dining hall to our backcountry trips. We encourage our campers to bring their experience home with them through new knowledge and stories of their time at Camp Chief Ouray. 

The Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics provides proven, research-based solutions for the protection of the natural world. Learn more at LNT.org

Watch this short video by Care for Colorado.

Know Before You Go

• Pack your bag the night before.
• Use a packing list before you come to camp.
• Ask for things you don’t have.

Choose The Right Path

• Be mindful of what impact your footprint has on nature.
• Don’t expand trails and campsites.
• Enjoy the journey!

Trash Your Trash

• Pick up any and all trash.
• Don’t take more food than you need.
• If you gotta go, go right!

Leave What You Find

• Take pictures, not nature.
• Leave enough to share.
• Leave places better than you found them.

Be Careful With Fire

• Be aware of fire bans and warnings.
• Use existing fire rings.
• Contain and put out campfires.

Respect Wildlife

• Don’t give or leave things for animals.
• Don’t distract or provoke animals.
• Learn from animals from a safe distance.

Be Kind To Other Visitors

• Be mindful of what you say and how you say it.
• Share the outdoors with everyone.
• CORE VALUES! Respect, Responsibility, Honesty, Caring, and Faith.

The above statement and CCO specific Leave No Trace Principles were developed with the help of the CCO Youth Leadership Board in April 2019.