Backcountry Considerations
Campfires and Wood Gathering
Don't burn glass, foil, aluminum cans, and other materials which produce toxic and unsightly ash. The next campers to come along will thank you for your courtesy.
While a campfire is a traditional outdoor activity, a lightweight camp stove offers a perfect, fuel-efficient alternative for cooking. Campfires are usually inadvisable in the desert because desert vegetation is slow-growing and widely scattered, and firewood is scarce.
In arroyos and washes, however, periodic flash floods often deposit substantial amounts of driftwood and flood debris. In these areas or where scattered dead and down wood is abundant, small campfires are possible. Remember, however, that dead and down wood provides habitat for many creatures, and decaying wood nourishes the soil.
If a fire site exists already, use it. If not, build a fire that can be cleaned up afterwards. Avoid building rock rings—try a shallow sand pit instead, and don't build fires against boulders or under overhangs, as this causes lasting scars. Use small pieces of dead and down wood for fuel, and conserve firewood by keeping your fire small. Always burn wood completely.
Leave no trace of your fire. Crush any coals and scatter cold ashes widely in wash bottoms or other areas away from campsites and trails.
Wood gathering and ground fires are generally prohibited in any national park and most BLM recreation areas. If it is permitted, and you must have a campfire:
Keep it safe and small. - Shelter your fire from high winds and keep away from logs, brush, and tree trunks.
- Never start a fire under an overhanging tree limb; the tree could catch fire.
- Never start a fire under a rock overhang; smoke will blacken the rock for years.
- Clear the ground to mineral soil.
- Make sure it is dead out before leaving.
- Be sure you have necessary permits.
- Report inappropriate behavior to the proper authorities.
Building Safe Campfires
Open or ash producing fires are are prohibited in many areas of the backcountry because of the environmental damage they can cause. Charred ground, fire rings, and soot-blackened rock walls are long-lasting eyesores that will attest to your thoughtless presence for years to come. But also take care with gas lanterns, barbeque grills, gas stoves, and anything that can be a source of ignition for a wildfire. When building a campfire, follow these safety guidelines:
- Always have adult supervision. Be sure that children know how dangerous fire can be. Tell them not to play with matches or lighters.
- Use an established fire ring when there is one available. You may have to clean it out, but this is environmentally preferable to scarring another spot with a new ring.
- Clear the site of the campfire down to the bare soil.
- Circle the pit with rocks.
- Build campfires away from overhanging branches, steep slopes, dry grass, and leaves.
- If a fire pan is used, it should be at least 24 inches in diameter and have a three inch lip. Set the pan on rocks a couple of inches above the ground so that the heat from the fire does not scar the soil. Take care of cold ashes by transferring them to a trash bag for proper disposal.
- Keep all burning materials well inside the fire ring. Keep all unused firewood well away from the fire.
- Never leave a campfire unattended.
- Keep a buck of water and a shovel nearby to extinguish campfires.
- Do not put cans, bottles, aluminum foil, and other non-burnable items into your fire as these items foul the fire pit.
- When putting out a campfire, drown the fire, stir it, and drown it again. Do not extinguish a campfire with soil, as it will make it difficult for the next visitor to use the same fire ring. Allow wood to burn to ash and douse the fire with water, then stir it until it is completely out.
- When backpacking, use lightweight backpacking stoves and plan simple, light meals that will allow you to carry less weight in fuel and garbage. You'll also have more time to enjoy the wilderness.
- Contact a ranger if you see any suspicious or unsafe fire practices. It is up to each of us to keep our forests and rangelands safe. Report any smoke you might see.
Wood Gathering
Wood gathering is generally prohibited in most national park and BLM recreation areas.
- Driftwood from along rivers can generally be collected, but its best to purchase a bundle of imported wood or bring your own from home.
- Wood gathering is prohibited. Bring fuel for the grills provided, or bring a stove.
- Oleander is a toxic plant common to some developed areas. Do not use wood of the oleander for cooking.
- The main fuel wood should be no longer than your forearm and no wider than the diameter of your wrist.
- Sticks for kindling should be about the thickness of a pencil.
- Tinder (twigs, dried grass, or shredded dry leaves) should be toothpick-sized.
- Return leftover firewood to the woods or take it with you.
No Matches
If you find yourself without matches find some dry wood. If all the wood around you is wet, split dead sticks to get at the dry wood inside. Shred it into finer and finer pieces until you have a pile of dry fuzz. Have a selection of progressively larger split sticks to place on the fire you start with the fuzz. Gather enough of them to support a blaze that will dry out your larger pieces of wood. Don't try to light a fire until you have enough fuel to succeed. Without matches you may not get more than one chance.
There are several ways to start a fire without matches or a lighter. A flint-steel set or a magnifying glass or clear, convex eyeglass lens (to focus sun light on the tinder) are the easiest ways. If you are near a vehicle, attaching wires (like jumper cables) to either terminal of a live battery and touching them together will probably get you a spark. This may work with other batteries, but not as well.
There's also the "drill" method, although this takes a lot of patience and energy. It works like this: Rapidly spin a piece of hardwood in a grooved piece of softwood until the friction causes small pieces of the softwood to ignite. The greater ton contrast in hardness between the two woods, the better chance you'll have.
One quick way to start a fire is to take along a few of those trick birthday candles, the ones that keep relighting themselves. They make excellent fire starters. They're easy to light and one candle can be used over and over again.
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