Uncle Sam Hands Out Free Camping
One of the best-kept secrets for boondocking fans is called "dispersed camping." Defined by the US Forest Service as, "Camping anywhere in the National Forest OUTSIDE of a designated campground," and for the most part, that also means "At no charge," and "With few crowds." Of course, you'll be doing primitive camping--no water, terlits, or garbage dumpsters. Can you handle that?The fact that it's free doesn't mean there are no strings attached. Here are some guidelines that will make Uncle's stewards of the forest a lot happier if you observe them:
Try and camp on bare soil to preserve grass and plant populations.
Stay a mile away from established campgrounds and 200 feet from streams.
While meadows are lovely, park your rig on the edge--rather than in the middle--so that others can appreciate a pristine scene.
ALWAYS observe fire restrictions and observe safe campfire practices. If you stay in an area where others have had fires before, use their fire rings if possible. Don't cut live (or even standing dead) trees or plants. Find deadwood or bring your own.
Pack out your trash. Be a good neighbor and dump your holding tanks ONLY at proper dump stations.
Check with Forest Service officials to make sure you don't boondock in a closed area.
Photo: Early winter, Dixie National Forest, Utah. Copyright R & T DeMaris, may not be used without written permission.
2 Comments:
Actually, there doesn't seem to be a NATIONALLY ENFORCED set of rules. The key word here may be "ENFORCED". There is a lot of inconsistency in regard to what is allowed. I've seen beautiful sites within a few feet of streams. There are also often "overflow" sites within a couple hundred feet of a regular campground. Generally, if it apppears other people have been regularly camped on a site, (packed-down tire tracks, fire ring, etc.) and there aren't any signs posted, you probably won't have any problems.
Some administrations of National Forests are more friendly to boondocking than others. In some places the boondocking areas have been nearly completely blocked off. Typically, this is near to cities, resorts or ski areas. In other areas, private campground owners have complained about "Unfair Competition". There are many areas in which the boondocking sites are being increasingly confined to "designated areas". Then again, there are still some less-heavily-used National Forests where there are numerous boondocking sites to pick from. Lets' hope it doesn't all go away.
By ClassC, at May 7, 2007 8:40 AM
Also, it's advisable to not bring firewood in unless from the local area because of bugs & other infestations.
By Kitty, at May 9, 2007 10:27 AM
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