The Outdoor Code
Scouting's four-line promise about how to act in the outdoors, and what each line asks of you.
Scouts BSA, Cub Scouts, Venturing · 4 min
The code
As an American, I will do my best to—
Be clean in my outdoor manners,
Be careful with fire,
Be considerate in the outdoors, and
Be conservation-minded.
What each line means
Clean in my outdoor manners
Leave every trail, campsite, and picnic spot cleaner than you found it. Pack out your trash (and any you find), keep soap and food scraps out of lakes and streams, and treat public land like it belongs to everyone — because it does.
Careful with fire
Know the fire rules where you are, use a stove or an existing fire ring, keep fires small, never leave one unattended, and make sure it's cold out before you leave. In dry or windy weather, the careful choice may be no fire at all.
Considerate in the outdoors
Share the outdoors with other visitors and the animals who live there. Keep noise down, yield on the trail, respect private property, and give wildlife plenty of space.
Conservation-minded
Help take care of soil, water, forests, wildlife, and energy so they last. Learn how to protect them, pitch in on conservation projects, and encourage others to do the same.
The Outdoor Code and Leave No Trace
Requirements often ask how the two fit together. The Outdoor Code is a personal promise about your attitude: you'll do your best to be clean, careful, considerate, and conservation-minded. Leave No Trace is a set of practical skills for keeping that promise on every trip — how to plan, where to camp, what to do with waste, and more.
Talk about it
- Which line of the Outdoor Code did your patrol or den keep best on your last outing?
- What's one thing you'd do differently next time to be more careful with fire?
- How can you be considerate of other people using the same trail or campground?
Where you'll use it
Requirements that call for this skill in 30 ranks, badges, and awards.
Keep learning
Explanations here are ours, written to help you learn. Your unit leader or counselor decides when a requirement is complete.