If I start on the AT going north near I93, where can one legally put up a tent? I am looking at doing a 10-13 mile out and back.
Thx
If I start on the AT going north near I93, where can one legally put up a tent? I am looking at doing a 10-13 mile out and back.
Thx
There are varying restrictions depending on where you are referring to. If heading north from I93 It gets pretty regulated. Here is an official document that pertains: https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE...rdb5363715.pdf
As you can see, there a lot of confusing rules and restrictions. If you can be more specific about start and hopeful finish, we can be more specific too.
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Garfield Shelter 10 miles, Guyot Shelter 15.7
The shelter sites have caretakers and they manage the entire sites which includes the shelter and the associated tent platforms. You pay no matter what as besides managing the campers the caretaker also has to manage the outhouse which means shoveling out and composting the waste. If you do not want to pay then you need to camp 1/4 of mile away from the shelter if you can find a spot.
That being said unless you are in great shape you are probably not getting near Garfield shelter in one day from the AT parking lot on I 93. Thruhikers do it but weekend warriors at your stated age generally do not. Its steep ascent and the sag between North Lafayette and Garfield is rugged. There is no real viable camping from the top of Haystack all the way to the top of Garfield except at Garfield Pond an abandoned shelter site not that far away from Garfield Shelter. The legal camp spots south of Haystack are barely legal and on occasion closed for revegetation so that pushes you back to Liberty Springs unless you head over to Flume and find a legal spot along the way. The terrain and vegetation along the ridge line is the limiting factor. Its basically a trench cut through dense spruce/fir growing up between boulders. Yes you may be hassled as this is very popular stretch.
For all practical purposes, you are restricted to camping only at designated sites, which means an AMC run site. To do otherwise is either illegal or not practical. To simply hike in 10-13 and expect to find a place to tent is not possible in this area. There are places where you could conceivably do that, but you'd have to do some serious research to find out where.
I would suggest aiming for the Liberty Springs Tent site. Also note you can't just start from I93. Parking is restricted in this area as it's a highly congested and high traffic area with lots of regulations.
An option would be to get a camping spot at the Lafayette state campground the day you drive up, if you can get in. Then hike to Liberty springs from there.
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