The Recreate Responsibly guidelines remind us how to respect our favorite outdoor places and create a space where everyone feels welcome. Whether you’re a Truckee local or visitor, please follow this guide created by The Recreate Responsibly Coalition and share your commitment with the hashtag #RecreateResponsibly on social media.
1. Know Before You Go: Check the status of the place you want to visit for closures, fire restrictions, and weather.
Read and bookmark our Truckee Travel Alert for breaking news and daily updates. Here, you’ll find detailed information on weather, air quality, campfire bans, road conditions and trail closures. Visiting during the summer or fall? Be sure to read our Visitor’s Guide to Wildfire Season and Visitor’s Guide to Power Outages.
2. Plan and Prepare: Reservations and permits may be required. Make sure you have the gear you need and a back-up plan.
Consider booking lodging midweek or during the shoulder season months, September - November, for the best rates and a quieter experience. Our restaurants are short-staffed during peak travel times. Call ahead to make a reservation and remember that your kindness, generosity, and patience go a long way for our hard-working locals.
If you arrive at a crowded trailhead, have a backup plan to explore outlying areas of Truckee such as Sierraville, Jackson Meadows, or Donner Summit, Soda Springs. Need ideas? Check out these Fall Hikes You Never Heard Of.
3. Build an inclusive outdoors: Be an active part of making the outdoors safe and welcoming for all identities and abilities.
All are welcome to explore Truckee-Tahoe! We hope both visitors and residents alike will show extra compassion to everyone they encounter in the outdoors. Please do your part to make Truckee-Tahoe a welcoming, safe space.
4. Respect others: There is space for everyone and countless outdoor activities. Be kind to all who use the outdoors and nature differently.
There are so many ways to enjoy the outdoors in Truckee-Tahoe. From bird watching to nature journaling to art hikes to stargazing, our trails are a source of inspiration, art, creativity and adventure. Keep an open mind and join us in welcoming all outdoor users with a smile.
5. Leave No Trace: Respect the land, water, wildlife, and Native communities. Follow the seven Leave No Trace principles.
Did you know that volunteer divers removed hundreds of pounds of trash from Donner Lake in 2020? They found tennis balls, beer cans and tires under the surface of the water! Let’s work together to keep trash out of our lakes, rivers and streams, and off of the trail. Follow the 7 Principles of Leave No Trace. Never leave garbage behind, pack out your trash and leave an area better than you found it.
PS - don't forget about microtrash like bottle caps and can tabs!
6. Make it better. We all have a responsibility to sustain the places we love. Volunteer, donate, and advocate for the outdoors.
Want to meet locals and have a unique travel experience during your visit? Get involved with the great work happening in our community by joining one of these voluntourism opportunities. Help build trail, join a litter pickup, use an app to become a citizen scientist and more!
Keep reading: Sustainable Travel Guide to Reno and Lake Tahoe
