Cooking Use a gas camp stove whenever possible rather than building a ground fire. If you must have an open fire, use a fire pan and bring your own wood or charcoal. Make sure there are no tree roots exposed in the bottom of the pit. A rock ring around the pit does little to prevent ashes from spreading, so resist building one. Collect only dead or down wood and think small.
Bonfires are dangerous, especially during midsummer when forests are dry.
Burn the fire to ashes and douse heavily with water until dead and cold. Finally, cover the cold ashes with the soil that was originally removed from the pit. National parks prohibit the collection of firewood, even of deadwood that has fallen to the ground. At backcountry camping sites, the use of a fire pan is required and all ashes must be packed out. National forests may prohibit the use of ground fires during seasons of high fire danger.