How to poop outside in the Gunnison Valley and beyond

When do you use a bathroom vs. a WAG bag vs. a cat hole? Follow these guidelines to choose the right place to do your business.

Heading out on a long adventure? Find a bathroom before you head into the backcountry. Use the bathroom at your lodging, make a stop into a local business and use theirs, or find a public toilet. Locations of public restrooms are listed below with links to the location on Google Maps.

In Crested Butte, find public bathrooms at the Four-Way Stop, next door to the fire station, or outside the Crested Butte Nordic Center. There are also port-a-potties and pit toilets at several trailheads, including the Snodgrass trailhead and the Judd Falls trailhead. Use the public restroom in the Mt. Crested Butte transit center while you’re up on the mountain.

In Gunnison, access public bathrooms downtown at IOOF Park or on the west side of town at West Tomichi River Park. Pit toilets at Hartman Rocks are also open year-round.

This one’s a no-brainer. If there is a bathroom, pit toilet or port-a-potty nearby, use it. Some map apps such as Trailforks show the location of backcountry pit toilets across the Gunnison Valley. Download an area map before heading out of service.

When to use a WAG bag

Waste Alleviating Gel (WAG) bags reduce impacts on the land by allowing users to pack out their poop in an easy-to-use, sanitary way. Use a WAG bag in the following locations:

• Delicate ecosystems, such as high alpine tundra or wetlands
• Places where it’s impossible to dig a hole, i.e. rocky areas
• Areas where it’s required or recommended, such as Conundrum Hot Springs
• On rafting trips where pooping far enough from the river is difficult or impossible
• High-traffic areas

How to use a WAG bag

1. Open the bag and place it on flat ground.
2. Squat and poop into the bag.
3. Wipe and place toilet paper in the bag.
4. Remove air from the bag and tie a knot.
5. Pack out the bag.

When to bury your poop

If you can’t get to a toilet in time and you aren’t in an area that requires WAG bags, bury your poop.

How to poop in a cat hole

1. Move at least 200 feet (70 steps) from water sources, trails or campsites. Go farther if possible.
2. Use a trowel to dig a hole six to eight inches deep and four to six inches wide. Make sure the hole is deep enough to prevent your TP and poop from resurfacing.
3. Poop into the hole.
4. Wipe and place toilet paper in the hole. Pack toilet paper out if possible.
5. Thoroughly cover the hole back up.

• A trowel for digging a cat hole
• Toilet paper
• Hand sanitizer
• WAG bags
• A PACT backcountry bathroom kit