The Leave No Trace principles were developed for wilderness recreation, but they apply just as well to visiting abandoned places and historical sites. The core idea is simple: leave the place exactly as you found it, so that the next person to visit has the same experience you did. In the context of abandoned places, this means resisting the urge to take souvenirs, move objects, or leave any evidence of your visit.
Why It Matters
Abandoned sites are finite resources. They are not being maintained, and they will not last forever. Every artifact removed, every wall tagged with graffiti, every floor weakened by unnecessary foot traffic accelerates the decline of a place that can never be rebuilt. The cumulative effect of hundreds of visitors, each taking "just one thing" or leaving "just one mark," can strip a site of everything that made it interesting.
We have seen this happen to sites across Ontario. A ghost town that was rich with artifacts a decade ago is now an empty collection of walls because visitors carted everything away. An abandoned factory that was photogenically decaying is now covered in spray paint. A historic mill foundation that survived a century of weather has had its stones pried loose for garden landscaping.
Practical Guidelines
Do not remove anything. Not a nail, not a bottle, not a doorknob. Objects in situ have historical context. An old bottle on a windowsill tells a story. The same bottle on your shelf at home is just junk. Leave everything where it is.
Do not move things. Resist the temptation to rearrange objects for a better photograph. Do not open drawers, move furniture, or clear debris to get a better shot. Document what you find as you find it.
Do not mark anything. No graffiti, no scratching, no stickers, no markers. This includes "I was here" messages, directional arrows, and any other marks. Your desire to leave a record of your visit does not outweigh the next visitor's desire to see the place unmarked.
Do not force entry. If a door is locked or a window is boarded, that is the end of the line. Do not pry, break, or remove barriers. If the building is secured, respect the owner's clear intention to keep people out.
Pack out your trash. This should go without saying, but bring a bag and take everything out with you. If you find trash left by others, consider packing that out too.
The best exploration leaves no evidence that you were ever there.
Photography Ethics
Photography is the primary way that most explorers document their visits, and it is the least destructive form of interaction with a site. But even photography has an ethical dimension.
Staging photographs by moving objects, breaking things, or artificially creating "atmosphere" is not documentation. It is vandalism dressed up as art. The most compelling photographs of abandoned places are those that document what is actually there, not what the photographer wished was there.
When sharing photographs, be thoughtful about what information you include. Location metadata in digital photographs can reveal the exact position of a site. If you are sharing images of a sensitive location, strip the EXIF data or disable geotagging before posting.
The Bigger Picture
Leave No Trace for forgotten places is really about recognizing that these sites do not belong to any individual explorer. They are part of Ontario's shared heritage, and they deserve to be treated with the same respect we would give to any other cultural resource. The ethical exploration guide covers the broader principles that underpin this approach.
If every person who visits an abandoned site follows these guidelines, the site will last longer, stay more interesting, and remain accessible. That is the best outcome for everyone.