Stay on trail.

  • Hands forming the shape of a heart.
    Be kind.

    Treat others how you want to be treated.

  • Hands holding a heart shaped globe.
    Be respectful.

    Respect others, property, the outdoors and nature.

  • The sun and clouds forming a heart shape.
    Be positive.

    Help use create positive experiences that others will remember.


Code of Conduct.
Our Code of Conduct

Our general expectation is that everyone who joins our group will act appropriately and help create positive experiences for others. This is very important to us. Almost all of this is common sense, but most of the rules exist because of behavior we have encountered over the years. The rules in our code of conduct help use to fairly and consistently handle issues when they occur, but we will always prioritize the safety and wellbeing of others.

What is important to know...

As a group member the rules list below are really all you need to know to have a great experience in our group. We do have a more detailed set of rules that organizers use when enforcing them which can be found by clicking this link. While we are making it available to be transparent, we suggest your skip it, be kind and enjoy the group! Let us stress over the details so you dont have to.

Writing in a notebook, establish ground rules.
General Rules

Most importantly, be kind and help create positive experiences.

  • Be kind. Treat others how you want to be treated.
  • Be respectful. Respect others, property, the outdoors and nature.
  • Be positive. Help use create positive experiences that others will remember.
  • Respect private property rights, do not trespass.

A tree held in hands
The Enviroment

We want to leave places better than we found them so that others can enjoy them.

  • Follow the "Leave no trace" principals.
  • Stay on established trails and respect trail closure signs.

Writing in a notebook, roles and responsibilities.
Personal Responsibility

All of our events should be considered to be a group of friends doing something together. It is your responsibility to make sure that you are prepared.

  • We recommed always carring the ten essensials, event on short hikes. For longer hikes or trips into remote area you should always carry them.

  • Be sure to carry more than enough water when participating in our events, the majority of Utah is considered to be desert and it is easy to underestimate needs.

A vehicle in the desert.
Driving and Carpooling

These rules will ensure the safety of our group members and help keep things fair.

  • Drive safely on the way to and from our events.

A hiker carrying a stick.
Weapons

The purpose of this section is to make a group a safer place. Keep in mind that how one conducts themselves and handles items might be the factors that determine whether or not your are in compliance with these rules.

  • Weapons are not allowed while participating in our events.
  • We define weapon as:
    1. Any item appearing to be intended to cause harm to others.
    2. Any item used to cause harm to others.
    3. Any item that creates reasonable fear.
  • A weapon does not need to be in your immediate presence to violate our rules, a weapon at another location can violate our rules if it causes concern for the safety of other group members.
  • Current and retired law enforcement officers are allowed to carry concealed weapons while participating in our events.
  • The group organizer can authorize individuals to carry concealed weapons on our hikes, you must obtain approval at least 48 hours prior.
    • Group leaders can access the list of approved individuals by following this link.
  • Violations of this section will resulting in being banned from our group.

A couple at sunset
Relationships

We would prefer not to get involved with relationships between group members, however there are some rules we will enforce.

  • If an ex-significant other of an established group member joins our group, the group member can request the removal of that individual from the group provided that:

    1. They indicate that there is existing conflict.

    2. The relationship was in effect while the established group member was in our group.

    3. The ex-significant other joined our group after the relationship ended.

    4. The make the request within a resonable amount of time after becoming aware of the situation.

    The reason for this rule is that we want the group to be a safe space for existing members.

  • We will ban any group member accused of domestic violence against another group member or any other individual.

  • We will ban any group member accused of stalking another group member or any other individual.

  • The standard used to enforce the rules in this section is whether an accusation is believed by group leaders to be more likely than not true.

Women holding drinks.
Drugs and Alcohol

Most importantly, be kind and help create positive experiences.

  • Drunk driving is specifically forbidden and may result in your being removed from our group.

  • Possession of and being under the influence of illegal drugs is prohibited in our group and will result in your being removed from the group if we become aware.

  • Drive safely on the way to and from our events.

Weather.
Communicating With Group Members

While creating oppertunities to meet and communicate with others is a big part of why our group exists, there are right and wrong ways to do this.

  • Do not privately message group members who you have not met in person.
  • Meetup.com is not a dating site, treating it's messaging feature as such is against our rules.
  • Sending spam in the group is prohibited.

A compass pointing towards integrity.
Integrity

The ability to trust those around you is very important as it can impact the safety of the group.

  • Blocking or restricting our group leaders and event hosts on Meetup and social media will result in you being banned from our group. We will assume that the purpose of blocking us is to prevent us from seeing things that violate our rules.

A climber hanging from a crane.
Conduct Unbecoming

Occasionally someone is going to do something bad that we haven't thought of or never thought necessary to prohibit in writing.

When these things happen, it's up to our group organizers discretion on how to handle the behavior. In such cases, any action taken will be agreed upon by multiple organizers in order to ensure their actions are fair and consistent with our group ethos.

Writing in a notebook, establish ground rules.
Dogs

It is our intent to allow dogs on our events as much as possible.

  • Dogs that have a history of being aggressive or biting are not allowed at our events.

  • If a dog acts aggressively or bites, the dog owner must act with urgency to get their dog under control.

  • Dog owners are responsible for knowning and following all local rules and regulations regarding dogs, such as leash laws and where dogs are allowed.

  • Click here for our full dog policy.

Weather.
Weather Rules

Guidelines for Staying safe.

  • Lightning, coming soon...
  • All individuals participating in winter events where avalanche safety is a concern are expected to be familiar with the days avalanche forcast.

Writing in a notebook, establish ground rules.
Illness

It is our goal to prioritize the health of others.

  • Do not attend any of our groups events if your are not feeling well, an exception is made for allergies.

  • You must follow our COVID-19 Policy when participating in or leading our events.

Weather.
Permits

Many hikes now require permits.

  • Completing hikes without first obtaining proper permits is against group policy. This rule applies to group events and to conduct outside of our group.

Contact us.

Contact Utah Outdoors

Thank you for reaching out, we will get back to you as soon as possible. We take all reports of misconduct seriously and do our best to make the group a safe and enjoyable space.