Camping DIRECTLY on trail

[rocketsocks]

I don't believe I've ever parked in the middle of the road, why would I.

[Kaptainkriz]

Like this:

i've heard the trail described as a wildlife highway at night, animals liking the easy walking as much as humans do... i don't know how true that is but it has always discouraged me from hanging my hammock across the trail, even when stopping well after dark with an early start planned!!! so, hammock parallel to and right next to the trail, without a tarp -- done that a handful of times, leaving plenty of passing room. across the trail? never...

[Sarcasm the elf]

Even with a headlamp, sometimes it's just not safe or smart to keep walking. A small tent on the trail ought not constitute an emergency for any other hiker that happens to come by. If it did that'd be pretty rude.

You say "15 minutes later, I found a site" -- but the hikers in question most likely didn't know. I can think of several instances where I ran out of steam or out of daylight without reaching the shelter or campsite I was aiming for. Only to discover, the next morning, that it was a quarter mile from where I'd made camp.

It's not something I'd encourage. But it's not the end of the world either. Pull off the trail if at all possible.

Agreed. Camping on trail shouldn't be seen as an acceptable practice in normal circumstancesp, but aside from being rude doesn't cause any actual damage or problems, it's likely the best "bad option" when things go wrong.

Beyond that, any time a hiker gets hurt, disoriented, or "lost," setting up on trail and staying put until morning is the safest and most prudent decision. No need for hikers to be a hero and push on if doing could make the situation worse.

[Sarcasm the elf]

I don't believe I've ever parked in the middle of the road, why would I.

I don't believe I've ever seen a hiker go down the trail at 35mph either.

Well, except Malto, but that's not the point.

[1azarus]

A tent on a trail is not an emergency for another hiker until they trip over you and snap a couple poles. THEN it becomes an emergency.

And there's a backpacking rule I have found to be true more times than not---Do not stop at the first campsite you find---go ahead a couple hundred feet and you'll probably find something much better. I learned this the hard way by setting up camps at so-so spots and in the morning shoving off and finding much better camps just a little bit further on.

If someone does set up on a trail, they should not be surprised to have their guylines or tents disfigured by stumbling bipeds at 3am.

...and after you've gone "just a little bit further on" you need to be willing, at least on occasion, to turn around to camp in that pretty good place you just passed!!! ...a couple of nights ago I came to a pretty stream just before what my map showed as a little lake, which I had planned to camp at. I was tempted to camp at the stream, but convinced myself to walk "a bit farther..." after a couple of hundred feet, with no lake in sight, I want back to my stream site. Next morning I found that lake -- surrounded by brambles and bypassed by the trail leaving quite a bit of margin to protect its shoreline.

[Tipi Walter]

I don't believe I've ever parked in the middle of the road, why would I.

Exactly.

Like this:

It's amazing how many coyote prints I see in the snow all around my tent and along the trail by my tent during winter trips in the snow. These guys investigate everything. One time I was camping on top of Flats Mt and during the night a black bear came by and took a nice healthy dump right next to my tent while I was sleeping.

[Lone Wolf]

By Lakes of the Clouds hut?

that was about 10 feet off the trail

[Tipi Walter]

Another consideration is illegal bicyclists using the trail as their personal downhill racetrack. What if you're camping on the trail and wake up past sunrise with a bicyclist coming downhill at 30mph and not stopping? Point is, camping on the trail makes you more vulnerable.

[Greenlight]

The Knobstone Trail in southern Indiana is a 60 miler where a lot of the "illegal" established camps are right on the trail. It is still considered bad form to put up tents, start a fire and such. But if I was hiking thru I'd take in stride.


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[imscotty]

On the PCT? I don't understand it. The camping opportunities are plentiful. It is easy enough to find a spot adjacent to the trail if you want to be found.

I'll cowboy camp next to the trail on a nice night when it is clear. I don't want to infringe on other people's experience so I tend to do this after sunset and get up at the crack of dawn. If I am setting up my hammock I try to get far enough off trail to be out of sight.

[fiddlehead]

Definition of stealth camping: "one tent stake on the trail"

DCP01432-1.jpg

I've done it directly on trail in the Wind River Range in March.
Hadn't seen another hiker for a few days and it was a nice spot with little to no snow. (It was also dark and I was up at dawn and gone)

[rocketsocks]

I don't sleep where I poop

[Hikingjim]

Not ideal, but when I've passed people camping on the trail it doesn't really bother me much. As long as they're not leaving a trace and they just got stuck there

In addition to bears, a lot of trails up here are moose highways. Even if it was allowed, I wouldn't be doing it

[Bronk]

I see few situations where it would be necessary to set up a tent on the footpath itself...most times it would be easy to set up a tent at least 5 or 10 feet away...though sometimes if the trail is on the side of a steep hill that may be your only option. Of course this would likely block the footpath. I've set up my tent right next to the trail a number of times, but never actually on the footpath.

[Tipi Walter]

I don't sleep where I poop

Exactly. If horseback riders allow their horses to poop directly on the trail, why shouldn't backpackers also poop directly on the trail and leave the mess for the horsemen???????

[Spirit Walker]

The fact that most trails are wildlife highways, especially out west, would keep me from setting up on the trail unless it was a real emergency. Getting run over by a deer, elk, moose or bear is not fun.

[BrianLe]

As Tipi Walter said... depends very much which trail, plus when and where on it.
Of course do this only in real need, but recognize that the volume of foot traffic on the AT isn't normal for trails in general.

The situation one might do this is when, for example it's raining or snowing hard, brush everywhere and/or sloping ground (typically both). Darkness falling fast. And you're not hiking on a summer weekend close to a popular trailhead (do factor in local hunting seasons too). So throw down right on the trail, but then set an alarm on your phone to wake up before it's light out and get your tent packed up and your butt on the trail by very early daylight.

[Malto]

I have setup directly on the trail (or where the trail may have been) several times but I also believe it very bad trail etiquette unless there is a dire emergency. I have done it on these situations:

1) It is well after dark.
2) I plan to leave before daylight.
3) It is in a remote area or time of year unlikely to get night runners or hikers.
4) There is a special circumstance.

What were those circumstances.
1) It was the only snow free patch for miles. I did this twice.
2) I got separated from the hiker that I was hiking with and had no clue if he was ahead or behind. I purposely setup up feet from the trail or in one case on the trail to keep him from hiking by me in the event he was behind and pushed into the night.

Couple other factors. No shelter was set up in any of these cases and there nobody for miles given the conditions on the trail at the time. In fact nobody ever saw me on the trail those nights.

So now that a full confession has been made here's my concern. I believe there is a whole group of hikers that don't know any better and would set up on trail because they can. I have seen it on multiple trails primarily because I start early and end late. In the case that I posted above, clearly she was in no hurry to clear the trail in the morning, it was getting hot when she started packing up. I believe this is one of many hiker 101 subjects that many take for granted but may not be commonly known. Burying food, proper disposal of poo etc.

I am thinking about hiking a long trail this year to raise awareness for basic hiking etiquette. Maybe a gofundme page since this would be an awareness hike.

[RangerZ]

Exactly. If horseback riders allow their horses to poop directly on the trail, why shouldn't backpackers also poop directly on the trail and leave the mess for the horsemen???????

I don't poop where I sleep but I have pre dug holes against middle of the night needs.

I have wondered on shared use trails why dog owners have to clean up but not horse owners.

[Dogwood]

The fact that most trails are wildlife highways, especially out west, would keep me from setting up on the trail unless it was a real emergency. Getting run over by a deer, elk, moose or bear is not fun.

On the PCT in SoCal rattlesnakes, mountain lions, fox, skunks, lizards, and coyotes use the trail to travel at night. Remember, the PCT is a multi use trail that experiences the occasional equestrian. Sectioning and thru-equestrians usually start their day very early particularly in SoCal.

On the PCT in SoCal which is where this picture was taken there are plenty of places to sleep OFF the trail particularly if you don't need a larger footprint like when setting up a tent. This hiker looks like they could have cowboy camped. They aren't using a cover over their Hubba. Weather was cooperating. There shouldn't have been a concern for high insect pressure. This is a case that sounds like the "bad situation" developed as result of BAD personal planning and ignorance resulting in some imposition. NO, you don't get to hike into the night deciding to camp in the middle of the trail on a rocky sloped single track section because your knees magically instantaneously felt sore. BS. This is similar to the hike a thon fast and light ULers/SULers(I'm one) and FKTers that impose themselves on others arriving at lean-to's or multiple site CS's with others already counting sheep in the after 10 p.m. and early a.m. hrs making a racket, shining lights, cooking, chatting it up, knocking on Tipi's Hilleberg looking for avocados, etc. Camp away from and respect others if you're hiking mega hrs throughout the night or doing a hike a thon.

Wyoming, no way would I camp directly within or partially on the AZT and CT tread or any trail that is multi use. MBers ride throughout the night on multi use trails.

TU Malto for, after all the complaining, your solutions.