View Full Version : Choosing a camp site
johnson_sb
06-23-2009, 23:31
This seems like such a basic question, I'm almost embarrassed to ask it. But here goes...
I am sure I've seen several times that you are supposed to choose a place to setup camp 200 ft or more from the trail. Maybe that number is debatable, but you get the idea.
But quite often, especially if there's a lot of brush, you can't even see that far off the trail. So, how is it that people hike down the trail until they "come upon" or "find" a good camp site? I mean, how is this usually done? If I'm hiking down a trail where I can't see more than 100 ft off to the sides, just deciding at some point to go off looking for a place seems like a real shot in the dark. Most people talk about it like they just stumble onto a good place and setup.
I know I have a habit of making things harder than they need to be. Please help me make this simple. Thanks.
Many Walks
06-23-2009, 23:57
Welcome to WB! That really is a good question. Your maps and data book will point out official campgrounds along the way, but in reality with so many people hiking you'll see areas that have been used as campsites and most are not that far off the trail. A lot of sites are on the blue blazed side trails leading to shelters where people tend to gather at night, if for nothing else than for water, cooking, and company. Hikers will also note in registers good (or bad) sites along the way. It all becomes pretty apparent once you start hiking as your eye tends to note good campsites and water sources. The only suggestion is to avoid campsites close to road access as they tend to get risky. Be
Many Walks
06-23-2009, 23:58
Oops, an adder. Be sure to note local requirements where camping is restricted to certain areas and where camping is banned to protect vegetation.
garlic08
06-24-2009, 01:26
It often is a matter of just stumbling on a good site. Sometimes it's intuition that a rise above you has a flat spot you can't see, and it always just seems to work out.
You'll select your sites based on your immediate needs. I have camped directly ON the AT, right in the middle of it, and slept very well, thank you. The night in question I was stopped by a flash flood of the Rattle River in NH, and no man or beast was going to be moving on the trail until morning, there was an excellent water bar right above me, and the trail tread was an extremely welcome campsite. So I'm guilty of violating the 200' "rule". I did it several other times. I just try to get out of sight, not have a fire or even a meal--extremely low impact--just lay down at sunset and sleep until sunrise, get up and start hiking. It's called stealth camping, and it's done quite often.
fiddlehead
06-24-2009, 03:41
Flat land is probably the most sought after trait.
After that, a clearing is good so you don't have to kill much vegetation. (this is why i like my floorless tarp/tents best, i have set up over cactus plants, big rocks, flowers, even pot plants in Nepal)
Good idea to check the trees for widow makers.
I like my tent area to be slightly higher ground.
Another good idea is to lay down in your spot chosen for sleeping and get the feel of where you would like your head before setting up the tent.
Remember, if you made your own spot from the wilderness, best to dismantle it when finished so it can get "back to nature" .
If possible, i always try to put my tent door to take advantage of the view.
http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg201/fiddleheadpa/IMG_0075.jpg
Most AT hikers are afraid to walk 200 feet off trail to camp.
In the Whites, that rule on distance only applies in Wilderness Areas and doesn't come in to play much anyway. In most other areas the rule is non existent. Its more of a LNT suggestion, though there is a school of thought that says its better to reuse an existing gypsy campsite even if its close to the trail so as to leave untouched places alone.
But I say head into the woods a good way if you can muster up the courage.
To my way of thinking, camping that far off trail provides a sense of security and privacy that is of great value. Doing so can make a relatively crowded footpath seem rather wild.
So as not to get turned around when out of site of blazes, I like to follow a stream into the woods. Having water at a campsite is nice, and you have a natural path back to the AT.
JokerJersey
06-24-2009, 07:57
So as not to get turned around when out of site of blazes, I like to follow a stream into the woods. Having water at a campsite is nice, and you have a natural path back to the AT.
Another easy way to give you an idea of which direction to head when you wake up is to tie a string between two trees pointing in the direction of the trail and set your tent up at the opposite end. When you wake up, pack up your gear and head back in the direction the string is pointing. It at least will give you a point of reference if you decided to hike without a map or compass. That assumes that you can and did follow a straight line coming off the trail to your campsite. ;)
Like others have said, once you start hiking, you start to get the idea of what a good campsite looks like. As long as you follow simple common sense things like not camping IN a stream, directly under that shifting pile of rocks, or not checking the trees overhead for falling debris, you'll probably survive any mistakes you make with minimal damage, like getting you and your gear soaking wet or just sleeping really poorly due to bad site selection. Sure, you'll be miserable for a day, but that's all part of learning.
sherrill
06-24-2009, 08:26
Remember to look up! A dead tree branch on a windy night can be a killer. Also, try not to camp too close to a river or stream if it looks like it has a pretty good flood plain beside it. Thunderstorms miles away can cause them to rise fast.
Yah I just walk off the trail a bit unitl i cant see it anymore...then i walk a littl emore and just kinda wander around in the woods unitl i find a nice spot. A nice spot for me is flat and free of growth and someplace no one else has ever slept...
At first it takes a few trips off teh trail to find a good site, but I found quite a few GREAT sites because I had developed a "feel" for where they were.
I'm not sure I can put into words what to look for, but will (try to) describe what I found one time:
I was along a ridge, no level sites at all, then, just visible to my Left was a slight gap. with a very very faint trail leading that way. What a great site, it was on an Old AT route, In fact I slept in the middle of the trail, between 2 very old blazes. Way cool!
Hints that may help:
Look for faint wide (8" - 10"?) trails away from the main trail. Thin trails (3"-4") are likely made by deer or other critters.
If you have a topo map, you can usually find a flat spot by looking carefully.
Try to spot camp sites from above. I have found a few from trail miles away, by looking over cliffs & hills to the trail below. Be sure to note a landmark you will be able to see from the lower trail. Some of my campsites were NOT visible from ground level, so I got to spend a quiet night alone because of that.
I now can find sites with little trouble, even well hidden ones. But at first, I'm sure I walked past many good sites.
Flat spot big enough for tent not too far from good water source - that's my ideal campsite criteria!
Tennessee Viking
06-24-2009, 17:01
Gated forest roads or old logging roads are popular. You can even walk a short distance on a open forest road to find a flat turnout. Old trail routes...if you can find them.
Snowleopard
06-24-2009, 17:14
Good idea to check the trees for widow makers.
Because of the ice storm in Dec., it is a really good idea. In places around here, every tree is broken from the ice. This is true also on the AT in Mass., Vermont, and likely Conn. and parts of NY and NH.
middle to middle
06-24-2009, 19:17
Several times I just dropped and camped in an open field close to trail at dusk. Problem with that is hikers still walk by, ok but I would rather be alone. Especially in areas with local day hikers.
middle to middle
06-24-2009, 19:23
One big plus along Skyline drive is the donut truck delivery to the restaurants there literally next to trail. I recall waking up one morning to the smell of donuts. Thought my olfactory sense was nuts till i tracked them down ! Ah yes the wilderness is good sometimes.
The regulations concerning camping on SGL are liberal, but differ from what's expected elsewhere.
Through hikers only may camp more than 500 feet from a public access area and surface water within 200 feet of the AT for one night only. This by the way is the law (http://www.pacode.com/secure/data/058/chapter135/s135.42.html) in Pennsylvania and not simply a guideline. Some find out the hard way.
All the more reason to carry KTAs maps when hiking in Pennsylvania. Otherwise, most hikers will have no idea whose rules apply.
shelterbuilder
06-24-2009, 19:42
...I am sure I've seen several times that you are supposed to choose a place to setup camp 200 ft or more from the trail. Maybe that number is debatable, but you get the idea....
Since you're from Pa., I'll take the opportunity to throw the proverbial monkeywrench into the works...
On the Trail in Pa., where the footpath lies on Pa. State Game Lands, you need to find your campsite WITHIN 200 feet of the trail, but 500 feet away from trailheads, road crossings, parking lots, and water sources. (The regulations are designed to protect/conserve resources, and to discourage "weekend warrior car-camping".) One night only in any one site, please.
On the maps, the different property owners (NPS, DCNR, PGC, Pa. State Parks) are shown with different colors. On the ground, PGC property boundary lines are marked with IRREGULARLY-SHAPED white paint splotches that face the centerline of the boundary-trail (as opposed to the white 2x6 inch AT markers, which face the direction of travel).
While there are many official campsites along the AT, if you venture into "the brush" in many places, by the time you've gone 150 feet off the trail, you can't be seen unless your pack and/or tent are blaze orange!:eek: Enjoy.
I like the idea of going off the AT on an old roadbed. It usually won't take long to find a suitable place to set up a tent out of sight of the AT, it will be easy to find your way back and it reduces impacts by using an established route between the two.
Gray Blazer
06-24-2009, 21:49
This seems like such a basic question, I'm almost embarrassed to ask it. But here goes...
I am sure I've seen several times that you are supposed to choose a place to setup camp 200 ft or more from the trail. Maybe that number is debatable, but you get the idea.
But quite often, especially if there's a lot of brush, you can't even see that far off the trail. So, how is it that people hike down the trail until they "come upon" or "find" a good camp site? I mean, how is this usually done? If I'm hiking down a trail where I can't see more than 100 ft off to the sides, just deciding at some point to go off looking for a place seems like a real shot in the dark. Most people talk about it like they just stumble onto a good place and setup.
I know I have a habit of making things harder than they need to be. Please help me make this simple. Thanks.
On the AT in the south there are tentsites all over the place that are in plain view. There are usually some near the road crossings. There are usually some at the mountain gaps and usually several by shelters and mountain summits. It would be hard to walk 5 miles and not pass a few sites in plain view from the trail.
Yes, good question.
On most of the AT you will find an abundance of usable campsites, many near water sources, quite close to the AT tread. I think fiddlehead got most of the main things to look for when opting for a campsite.
Here are a few that I think many hikers miss that fiddlehead suggested: Another good idea is to lay down in your spot chosen for sleeping and get the feel of where you would like your head before setting up the tent.
Remember, if you made your own spot from the wilderness, best to dismantle it when finished so it can get "back to nature" .
If possible, i always try to put my tent door to take advantage of the view
If you like to camp off the trail a bit and are carrying topos you'll soon learn to read flat spots on the maps that have a higher % to make a good campsite. Watch out for dead trees or limbs that might fall, don't sleep in a shallow depression if rain is in the forecast, sleep under limbed up evergreens, like spruces and firs, especially when in a grove to help protect you from the elements. Observe where the winds and rain prevail from. Choose your campsite based on how protected you want to be or to capture that breathtaking view. Most AT shelters are not located near road crossings, but try to avoid camping very close to paved roads, particularly on or near the weekends when the yahoos venture into the woods. They rarely venture very far from their automobiles and beer coolers. Insects(flies, gnats, mosquitos, etc.) are typically less prevailent in windier locations near high points like mountain(hill) tops.
The Mechanical Man
06-25-2009, 03:22
This seems like such a basic question, I'm almost embarrassed to ask it. But here goes...
I am sure I've seen several times that you are supposed to choose a place to setup camp 200 ft or more from the trail. Maybe that number is debatable, but you get the idea.
But quite often, especially if there's a lot of brush, you can't even see that far off the trail. So, how is it that people hike down the trail until they "come upon" or "find" a good camp site? I mean, how is this usually done? If I'm hiking down a trail where I can't see more than 100 ft off to the sides, just deciding at some point to go off looking for a place seems like a real shot in the dark. Most people talk about it like they just stumble onto a good place and setup.
I know I have a habit of making things harder than they need to be. Please help me make this simple. Thanks.
It really doesn't take much room to spend a night along the AT in PA, you will gain confidece the more you hike.
AND Yes, there will be times you will need to "Find" your own campsites too, there is no guidebook to tell you how to find the perfect site for you, you will need to learn this skill on your own.
You really only need a flat spot the size of your tents footprint, or just two trees to hang your hammock. Put your shelter up off the trail somewhere out of sight, doing the least amount of damage posssible to the natural undergrowth, NO ROCK FIRE RINGS OR CAMPFIRES , then just cover over your small campsite spot with dead branches and leaves, in the morning. Leave No Trace.
Venture a few yards off the AT as you hike, to search for possible campsites, and in time, you can become a trail legend. :)