View Full Version : Tuckerman Ravine Trail Campsites
jgop_151
06-03-2007, 13:10
Wondering if there are any stealth/primitive campsites on the Tuckerman Ravine Trail between the the Pinkham Notch Visitor Center and the Hermit Lake Shelters? Looking for something relatively close to Pinkham Notch, however I realize you must be at least 1/4 mile from the trail head and 200 feet off trail.
Thanks!
The Tucks trail is in the Cutler Drainage area, where there is no camping allowed except at Hermit Lake Shelters.
Darwin again
06-03-2007, 19:40
The present political climate will likely preclude most people from sounding off on places and ways to break the rules, esp. in that highly protected, used and fragile area.
However. I've heard of people tent camping roughly a quarter mileor more beyond the Pinkham Notch V center (north, across the road, river, into the trees, along the AT ...). I wouldn't camp, stealthy or otherwise, in the area you mentioned, for any number of reasons. Just my 2 cents.
Lone Wolf
06-03-2007, 19:44
there's plenty of places to lay down and sleep all over the whites. who needs a "campsite"?
If you are gonna stealth camp, then do it right and stealth camp right IN Pinkham Notch. Hang out on the benches at the Visitor Center until the lights go out, then head behind one of the many buildings and throw down your bag. I've done that a couple of times. Its risky, but you have ZERO impact since you are sleeping next to a building. Plus, you get up at first light and can hit the all you can eat breakfast before setting off.
Lone Wolf
06-03-2007, 19:55
If you are gonna stealth camp, then do it right and stealth camp right IN Pinkham Notch. Hang out on the benches at the Visitor Center until the lights go out, then head behind one of the many buildings and throw down your bag. I've done that a couple of times. Its risky, but you have ZERO impact since you are sleeping next to a building. Plus, you get up at first light and can hit the all you can eat breakfast before setting off.
do the same at the huts. when the lights go out, grabb your bag and pad, walk in the hut and lay down under a table
It just so happens I climbed to the base of Tuckermans Ravine this morning. I'm not sure why you're asking. It's an easy 1.5 to 2 hour walk from Pinkham lodge to the Hermit Lake shelters. Stealth camping? I wouldn't try. That's an extremely popular and well-patrolled area, and that trail in particular is one of the most heavily traveled in the Whites. I saw a fella in a USFS uniform walking uphill as I was walking down.
do the same at the huts. when the lights go out, grabb your bag and pad, walk in the hut and lay down under a table
That sounds like good clean fun. Not.
The Old Fhart
06-03-2007, 21:44
I've got to agree with Terrapin_too on this one. It makes no sense to find a spot to illegally camp when it is only 2.4 miles to the Hermit Lake shelters. Either start your hike an hour or two early or stay at the shelters.
jgop_151
06-03-2007, 22:07
Thanks for the replies. Did not realize it was against the rules to camp in that area. I thought you just had to be 1/4 from trail head and 200 feet off trail. Wanted to car camp in parking lot but heard that was a rule as well. Heading up there Friday after work and would get there too late to make it to Hermit Lake. Might try Dolly Copp campground down the road. Anyone know of any good rest stops along Rt. 16 to car camp at?
Heading up there Friday after work and would get there too late to make it to Hermit Lake.
Not necessarily. I've walked from Pinkham Lodge to the shelters, in the dead of night, by starlight. It's a wide trail that's impossible to lose. Sunset is 8:30 these days.
Thanks for the replies. Did not realize it was against the rules to camp in that area. I thought you just had to be 1/4 from trail head and 200 feet off trail. Wanted to car camp in parking lot but heard that was a rule as well. Heading up there Friday after work and would get there too late to make it to Hermit Lake. Might try Dolly Copp campground down the road. Anyone know of any good rest stops along Rt. 16 to car camp at?
From what I remember there's not much along Rt 16 besides Dolly Copp. South of Dolly Copp I suppose you could try sleeping for a few hours at the trailhead parking area for the Great Gulf Trail. I have no idea if that's allowed or not, but I do know you're not supposed to park at any trailhead lot unless you've bought a park pass, so you'll be gambling no rangers cruise by if you get there late. That is a rough area to arrive late to. Good luck!
Thanks for the replies. Did not realize it was against the rules to camp in that area. I thought you just had to be 1/4 from trail head and 200 feet off trail. Wanted to car camp in parking lot but heard that was a rule as well. Heading up there Friday after work and would get there too late to make it to Hermit Lake. Might try Dolly Copp campground down the road. Anyone know of any good rest stops along Rt. 16 to car camp at?
Dolly Copp is a nice campground about a five minute drive from Pinkham. It has isolated sites and busy sites. It will have multiple open sites this time of year. I think the camping fee is around $14. But if you are in late and leave early, only your conscience will know you've been there.
Weary
Thanks for the replies. Did not realize it was against the rules to camp in that area. I thought you just had to be 1/4 from trail head and 200 feet off trail. Wanted to car camp in parking lot but heard that was a rule as well. Heading up there Friday after work and would get there too late to make it to Hermit Lake. Might try Dolly Copp campground down the road. Anyone know of any good rest stops along Rt. 16 to car camp at?Just before the Dolly Cop turnoff, there is a trail that runs along the Immp Brook. I forget the name, but it runs up to Immp Face. If you walk up the trail about 50 yards or so, right near the mileage sign, there is a tiny ridge to the left between the brook and the trail. Just over that little hump is a nice flat spot to camp next to the brook. It isn't a quarter mile from the road or the trail, but you are out of sight of both. Across the road is a nice grassy area. Don't try to camp there, you'll get rousted. Also would not try to set up a tent at the trailhead parking lot.
Years ago in a situation like yours , I just walked across the street from Pinkham and spent the night on top of Square Ledge. The next morning I was rewarded with a great view of the Ravine.
I'm also going to suggest that you resist the advice to do the " only 2.4 miles " up the Ravine Expressway in the dark.
Late September of 1973 I almost died of E&E on that section of trail-[the last 90 degree turn where the trail flattens out ]- doing exactly what you are doing . I put in a long week at work, drove 7 hours , started up the ravine in the dark and then the weather turned to junk. OOPS
I thought you just had to be 1/4 from trail head and 200 feet off trail.I think the 1/4 mile rule is not just from the trailhead, but also from many roads (and some other features like huts or lean-tos). Might seem like a detail, but in a case where the Trail parallels a road for a bit (like going North on the AT out of Pinkham), this might come in to play.
In many areas in the Whites, you are not even required to go into the woods 200 feet. That is mostly for just designated wilderness areas.
Here are the rules:
http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/forests/white_mountain/recreation/camping/backcountry_rules_2006-07.pdf
The Cutler River Drainage has its own special restrictions; you picked the most regulated section in the Whites.
I don't have a map showing the Cutler River Drainage and Great Gulf Widerness boundaries, but I think if you hiked south on the AT out of Pinkham Notch for a bit over 1/4 mile you could find a legal place on the western side of the Trail without much difficulty.
Rick B
Tipi Walter
06-04-2007, 08:19
Well patrolled areas? Getting rousted? There's a car highway and a locomotive railroad running to the top of Mt Washington and the authorities are worried about stealth camping? Good God, you'd think they'd shut down the road and the rail line and clean up that mess first before rousting the lowly foot camper.
I'm also going to suggest that you resist the advice to do the " only 2.4 miles " up the Ravine Expressway in the dark.
I need to add that when I did it, it was winter, and the trail was packed with snow. It's about the only night hiking I've ever done. I was not alone, and I wouldn't have considered it without my hiking partners.
Dolly Copp is a nice campground about a five minute drive from Pinkham. It has isolated sites and busy sites. It will have multiple open sites this time of year. I think the camping fee is around $14. But if you are in late and leave early, only your conscience will know you've been there.
Ya think? I tried this at one of the USFS campsites along the Kanc, many years ago. I arrived late... around 2 AM. But I failed to depart before Mr. Ranger showed up, at around 8 AM. I was hit with the regular daily camping fee for my six-hour stay, even though my "camp" consisted of a sleeping bag on a mat on bare ground. I was pissed.
Tipi Walter
06-04-2007, 09:57
Ya think? I tried this at one of the USFS campsites along the Kanc, many years ago. I arrived late... around 2 AM. But I failed to depart before Mr. Ranger showed up, at around 8 AM. I was hit with the regular daily camping fee for my six-hour stay, even though my "camp" consisted of a sleeping bag on a mat on bare ground. I was pissed.
It's the Nanny state and the forest gestapos. I guess backpackers need to bone up on the movie Rambo: First Blood, and learn how to have an enjoyable backpacking trip while still avoiding the Tent Police. Anyone try covering themselves completely in mud before turning in? Wait, that was in the Predator movie.
In the future, all backpackers will have to attend the USMC Escape and Evasion School to have any hope at finding and keeping a tentsite. As Edward Abbey said, have fun in the wilderness but only in a clockwise direction.
The Old Fhart
06-04-2007, 10:33
Tipi Walter-"Well patrolled areas? Getting rousted? There's a car highway and a locomotive railroad running to the top of Mt Washington and the authorities are worried about stealth camping? Good God, you'd think they'd shut down the road and the rail line and clean up that mess first before rousting the lowly foot camper."Typical uninformed anti-establishment rant. The areas patrolled are in the White Mountain National Forest, The Mount Washington Auto Road (built 1861) is on private land, The Cog (built 1869) is private land as well, the Summit is a New Hampshire State Park owned by the state, not the federal government.
Whoever the "they" are you refer to would have a tough time shutting down a business or a State Park "they" have absolutely no control over. For your information, there are volunteer clean-up operations every year on the summit which I've joined, and if you are as concerned about the mountain as you claim, I can give you a contact so you can actually do more than just complain.:rolleyes:
Ya think? I tried this at one of the USFS campsites along the Kanc, many years ago. I arrived late... around 2 AM. But I failed to depart before Mr. Ranger showed up, at around 8 AM. I was hit with the regular daily camping fee for my six-hour stay, even though my "camp" consisted of a sleeping bag on a mat on bare ground. I was pissed.That's terrible! You mean they charge you for using the site, and don't take into consideration whether you use a tent or not? And you don't get a discount if you stay less than a full 24 hour day?
They need to have some kind of pro-rated system for those who spend less than a 24 hour day in camp, who don't use a tent, and take into consideration things like whether you walked in or drove, and if you drove, the weight of the vehicle in the parking area. Stuff like that.
Once at Guyot Campsite, I was charged the same amount as the hiker next to me, and his tent was twice as big as mine! Plus he got there earlier than I did, and lounged in his big-assed tent long after I had left. It's not fair.
Okay, I'm joking, but try going into a Holdiay Inn and saying, "Look, I only stayed in the room six hours, and didn't use the shower or turn on the TV. Why should I have to pay?"
It's the Nanny state and the forest gestapos.
Yes and no. I have mixed feelings. On the plus side, you can climb up one of the most heavily traveled trails in the Whites -- the "Tuckermans Highway" -- and not see a scrap of litter. By the caretakers hut at Hermit Lake is a privy with flush toilets (I kid you not.) Considering the traffic on this trail (and many others heading up Mt. Washington) I'd say the AMC/USFS has done a good job of preserving the wilderness feel of the place. It's really hard comparing this to the rest of the A.T. The one valid comparison might be the Smokies. And from what I've seen of the trashy shelters in the Smokies, I guess in the end I'd have to say the AMC approach is the better one.
That's terrible! You mean they charge you for using the site, and don't take into consideration whether you use a tent or not? And you don't get a discount if you stay less than a full 24 hour day?
Ya, pretty much. I used zero resources except for the square footage occupied by my sleeping bag and mat.
Once at Guyot Campsite, I was charged the same amount as the hiker next to me, and his tent was twice as big as mine! Plus he got there earlier than I did, and lounged in his big-assed tent long after I had left. It's not fair.
Thing is, you can hike the other 2000 miles of A.T. and not spend a penny for a shelter or campsite. Having done that, it feels strange to pay $15 for a few square feet at an overcrowed AMC campsite like Guyot. Stay at Guyot on a major holiday weekend and it's not uncommon to see 75 or 100 campers in the area.
pipesmoke
06-04-2007, 11:24
If camping is the only issue there are lots of stealth sites out of the way. You wouldn't sleep at the "Mall" would you? Tucks Trail is busier than I 93. 19 mile brook, lost pond both have spots that work.
If camping is the only issue there are lots of stealth sites out of the way. You wouldn't sleep at the "Mall" would you? Tucks Trail is busier than I 93. 19 mile brook, lost pond both have spots that work.
I can vouch for 19 mile brook. Very mellow trail.
Ya think? I tried this at one of the USFS campsites along the Kanc, many years ago. I arrived late... around 2 AM. But I failed to depart before Mr. Ranger showed up, at around 8 AM. I was hit with the regular daily camping fee for my six-hour stay, even though my "camp" consisted of a sleeping bag on a mat on bare ground. I was pissed.
Rangers are scarce at Dolly Copp in my experience. The rules are mostly enforced by elderly volunteers, some of whom have difficulty sleeping so they get up early.
But regardless. The daily fees are not outrageous. I had the same problem in Shenendoah in 1993. I was harassed for hours while I waited for someone to show up to sell me a Golden Age Passport. I almost gave up and paid the full fee, but being brave I stuck it out as teams of people circled my tent, ready to pounce -- or call the rangers.
The pass was the best $15 investment I ever made. I've been camping for half price or free at federal campgrounds ever since.
Weary
jgop_151
06-04-2007, 20:54
Thanks for all the responses folks. I'm going to try to get out early and make it to Hermit Lake. If that fails, I'll stay at Dolly Copp. Good discussion.
Thanks for all the responses folks. I'm going to try to get out early and make it to Hermit Lake. If that fails, I'll stay at Dolly Copp. Good discussion.
Don't think of Dolly Copp as a second choice. It's one of my favorite places in this world. I spent every summer there between the ages of two months and my first job at age 14. Even then I quit early and pedaled 250 miles round trip on my bike for a two week, late summer visit.
A year later I drove there in an ancient 1921 Model T Ford, using WW II rationed gasoline saved for most of the previous winter. There I met my first brief, but still fond girl friend. I'm ashamed to say I've forgotten her name. But I still think of those few days from time to time.
After my folks died 20 years ago, Dolly Copp was the home I needed to go to think quietly for a few days.
Dolly Copp has changed over the decades -- but by much less than almost anything I can think of. It's a shame that more families don't visit to generate their own memories.
Weary
jgop_151
06-04-2007, 22:49
Anyone know if there is a place to throw up a tent at the Wildcat Ski Area parking lot?
pipesmoke
06-05-2007, 02:56
There are all kinds of places to throw up at Wildcat, happens all the time. As far as a tent, stick to the woods, much nicer. Rte 16 south of the three lane on the west side if it's only overnight.
do the same at the huts. when the lights go out, grabb your bag and pad, walk in the hut and lay down under a table
With your charm I bet the croo just looks the other way. I know on more than one occassion I have gotten away with the same thing and once they even let me have an unused bunk. The trick was to blend in, in the morning. Of course there is sometimes work for stay at the huts.
With your charm I bet the croo just looks the other way. I know on more than one occassion I have gotten away with the same thing and once they even let me have an unused bunk. The trick was to blend in, in the morning. Of course there is sometimes work for stay at the huts.
If you spend the night and then skip out in the morning without offering to do some work, it is noticed. Thru-hikers do not blend in with the others staying at the hut. And it all contibutes to the crappy reputation that some people have of thru-hikers being free loaders.
If you spend the night and then skip out in the morning without offering to do some work, it is noticed. Thru-hikers do not blend in with the others staying at the hut. And it all contibutes to the crappy reputation that some people have of thru-hikers being free loaders.If you want to blend in, instead of packing Crocs as camp shoes, bring along a pair of tasseled loafers. In the morning, put 'em on, throw a sweater over your back, and stick one of those phone thingies in your ear. You'll fit right in with the breakfast crowd.