At Valley Outdoors, our goal has always been simple: to help people connect with the outdoors in a real and meaningful way. For us, that connection comes with responsibility. That’s why our team follows the Leave No Trace principles, because protecting the places we love is part of every paddle, every camp, and every journey we take.
When you spend enough time on the river, you start to notice the little things; how the current changes after heavy rain, how footprints on a bank can linger, how one broken branch or bit of litter changes the feel of a place.
Those small changes add up. And that’s where the Leave No Trace principles come in.
They remind us that adventure isn’t just about where we go, it’s about how we go. They give us a framework for sharing Kangaroo Valley’s beauty in a way that protects it. For me, that’s what real outdoor adventure is all about; connection with purpose.
We’ve built Leave No Trace into everything we do at Valley Outdoors. From the way we train our guides to the way we land our canoes. It’s not a checklist; it’s a mindset that guides our choices on and off the water.
Our rivers are living systems, and the banks are their backbone. They hold the soil together, filter runoff, and give shelter to plants and animals. If too many people launch from the same spot or drag their canoes up and down the shore, the damage can happen fast.
We take extra care by:
It might seem small, but healthy riverbanks mean cleaner water, stronger habitats, and better paddling for everyone.
Even calm rivers change with the season. Summer storms can bring higher flows, while dry spells can leave shallow stretches. BSome of my favourite memories are made at remote campsites stars above, stories shared, that stillness you only get deep in nature. But every campsite has its limits, and once a place is damaged, it takes a long time to recover.
That’s why we:
When we leave a site, it should look untouched. That’s the real mark of a good camp.
TIt’s pretty simple; everything we bring in, we take out. That includes the tiniest bits of plastic or packaging.
Every Valley Outdoors guide carries dry bags for waste, and we make a point of collecting any litter we see along the river, even if it’s not ours. The way I see it, we’re guests out there. And guests clean up after themselves.
Canoeing feels peaceful because the river is clean and quiet, and it’s our job to keep it that way.
We do our best to avoid soaps, chemicals, or fuels anywhere near the water. We use biodegradable products responsibly, and we keep food and waste stored securely to prevent spills or runoff. If we need to empty washing-up water, we do it well away from creeks and rivers.
The goal is simple: leave the water just as pure as when we arrived.
This is something a lot of people don’t realise; weeds and pests can travel between waterways on boats, paddles, or even shoes. It only takes one seed or spore to cause real damage to an ecosystem.
Our team cleans and dries all our canoes, paddles, and gear between trips, and we check for mud, plants, or algae before we launch anywhere new. It’s a bit of extra effort that makes a big difference.
Leave No Trace isn’t about perfection. It’s about respect for the land, the river, and the people who come after us.
When guests join us on the water, they often tell us how peaceful it feels out there. That peace exists because we’ve all agreed, quietly, to care for it. That’s why we do what we do. Because if we look after these places now, they’ll keep looking after us for generations to come.
Subscribe to our newsletter to hear the latest from the Valley Outdoors team and get a 10% discount on canoe hire.
Sign Up HereCome and see what it feels like to paddle lightly. Join one of our guided canoe tours or plan your next adventure at valleyoutdoors.com.au and experience what it means to leave no trace.
