One important rule too often forgotten is to let others know exactly where you are going, with whom and when you can be expected back. I hate to sound maternal, but search and rescue teams often spend hours driving around on back roads looking for a subject's vehicle before they know where to enter the field to begin a search.
By letting someone know EXACTLY where you intend to go, when you expect to return and where your vehicle will be parked, you can eliminate the possibility of searchers having no idea of where to look. Should your plans change in route to your destination, stop and notify that person of your new itinerary. In addition, if you leave pertinent information on the dash of your car (e.g. name and phone number of your contact in town, location of travel/campsite and so on) search teams will have a very timely idea of your plans. Otherwise, search teams can be of little assistance when all that is known is that you "went camping somewhere in the Gore Range."
Whenever possible, utilize trail head and summit check-in logs. These generally exist at most popular National Forest trail heads and atop many popular mountain summits.
For more information on backcountry safety, check out the Mountain Rescue Associations public education programs @ http://mra.org/training/public-education
Courage - Commitment - Compassion
Mountain Rescue Association
Mountain Rescue Association
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