Do you treat national parks the same as anywhere when stealth camping?

[wanderbusk]

I'm guessing all parks are different. I will be walking along highway 41 in southern Florida through the Big Cypress National Preserve. Haven't got my feet wet with stealth camping yet (but have some coming in the near future but not in national parks) and I'm sure it won't be my last national park to pass.

 

[sevedemanos]

stealth camping as in.. ?

break camp every day and move to a new spot at least once every few days.

ive never bothered w national parks, mostly because ive never been set up to spend that length of time away from a grocery store. just wondering if you might elaborate. i imagine some parks have vigilant rangers that take their jobs a bit too seriously, and that others probably dont.

coywolf used to be one of those guys iirc. i mean, a ranger period. would likely have something legit to add

 

[wanderbusk]

stealth camping as in.. ?

break camp every day and move to a new spot at least once every few days.

As in staying hidden. Out of ignorance, I wondered if there might be a good reason to be more cautious with potential DNR, if that is even anything to worry about anymore than what I have read on stealth camping in general. I plan to move on everyday so each spot would just be for a night. Thanks for the input.

 

[ali]

I mostly camped legally when i was traveling, but it's definitely tempting to set up camp "off piste" in a national park, state park or other public land where no-permit camping is technically not allowed. The reasoning for this is that if everyone passing through pitched their tent on that land then it wouldn't continue to be a nature preserve, it would just become a campsite, and that hurts both the ecosystem and the visitors who come to enjoy it. On the other hand, as a solo camper it's much more appealing to be surrounded by preserved nature than 37 other douchebags in tents playing music and cracking beers, so the temptation is strong.

One thing you can do to relieve the stress of camping illegally is looking into if there are free backcountry camping permits available. Notably in certain parts of Florida there is, with 24 hours notice. Bit annoying if you're cycle touring and you don't know where you'll end up 24 hours from now, but if you're traveling on foot should be fine. In other parts of the US there are also places where you can camp for free during hunting season, as long as you don't mind hearing gunshots at the crack of dawn and running into drunk Rambo cosplayers. Public fishing lakes are also places where they don't expect you to overnight but it's usually not illegal either. Just keep it low key.

Or you just set up and either hope no ranger comes by, or if they do come by you can sweet-talk them into letting you stay. Or you find the ranger in the first place and give them a sob story about not having anywhere to camp and you'll be gone tomorrow and they'll usually point you out a spot. Of these three the least stressful in my experience is just being up-front about it. If you're legit traveling solo and without an internal combustion vehicle through parts of America that are far away from a grocery store, people do understand that you're out an a limb anyway, and they tend to not be such gigantic assholes that they'll saw it off just for bureaucratic reasons. Especially public servants whose job description is literally to serve the public.

Usual rules apply when dealing with authorities, of course. Be respectful, be humble and apologize if you're technically in the wrong. For me i'd rather get the groveling out of the way before i set up camp than potentially get woken up in the middle of the night and have to do it then, or try break camp before sunrise, or some damn guerilla shit. But that's my calculus which takes into account my own anxiety issues. Lots of stealth campers don't give a shit and just do it anyway. The odds are probably in your favor that if you picked a remote enough spot and only spent 8 hours there, more nights than not you won't have a problem, especially if it's off-season.

 

[wanderbusk]

I mostly camped legally when i was traveling, but it's definitely tempting to set up camp "off piste" in a national park, state park or other public land where no-permit camping is technically not allowed. The reasoning for this is that if everyone passing through pitched their tent on that land then it wouldn't continue to be a nature preserve, it would just become a campsite, and that hurts both the ecosystem and the visitors who come to enjoy it. On the other hand, as a solo camper it's much more appealing to be surrounded by preserved nature than 37 other douchebags in tents playing music and cracking beers, so the temptation is strong.

One thing you can do to relieve the stress of camping illegally is looking into if there are free backcountry camping permits available. Notably in certain parts of Florida there is, with 24 hours notice. Bit annoying if you're cycle touring and you don't know where you'll end up 24 hours from now, but if you're traveling on foot should be fine. In other parts of the US there are also places where you can camp for free during hunting season, as long as you don't mind hearing gunshots at the crack of dawn and running into drunk Rambo cosplayers. Public fishing lakes are also places where they don't expect you to overnight but it's usually not illegal either. Just keep it low key.

Or you just set up and either hope no ranger comes by, or if they do come by you can sweet-talk them into letting you stay. Or you find the ranger in the first place and give them a sob story about not having anywhere to camp and you'll be gone tomorrow and they'll usually point you out a spot. Of these three the least stressful in my experience is just being up-front about it. If you're legit traveling solo and without an internal combustion vehicle through parts of America that are far away from a grocery store, people do understand that you're out an a limb anyway, and they tend to not be such gigantic assholes that they'll saw it off just for bureaucratic reasons. Especially public servants whose job description is literally to serve the public.

Usual rules apply when dealing with authorities, of course. Be respectful, be humble and apologize if you're technically in the wrong. For me i'd rather get the groveling out of the way before i set up camp than potentially get woken up in the middle of the night and have to do it then, or try break camp before sunrise, or some damn guerilla shit. But that's my calculus which takes into account my own anxiety issues. Lots of stealth campers don't give a shit and just do it anyway. The odds are probably in your favor that if you picked a remote enough spot and only spent 8 hours there, more nights than not you won't have a problem, especially if it's off-season.

This is very helpful. Thank you!

 

[bote]

Be aware of the unique hazards/realities of the place. National parks and wildlife preserves often have geographic features and animal life that you don't find elsewhere, or animals that have been desensitized to humans and so will approach much closer than usual. Some years ago I went bushwacking in Yellowstone and got into some hot water, literally. In retrospect I was lucky I didn't wind up with bad burns or worse. Definitely look up the info and warnings concerning the areas you'll be passing through.

 

[wanderbusk]

Be aware of the unique hazards/realities of the place. National parks and wildlife preserves often have geographic features and animal life that you don't find elsewhere, or animals that have been desensitized to humans and so will approach much closer than usual. Some years ago I went bushwacking in Yellowstone and got into some hot water, literally. In retrospect I was lucky I didn't wind up with bad burns or worse. Definitely look up the info and warnings concerning the areas you'll be passing through.

Thanks. I was wondering about the alligators and water moccasins. So far, I haven't read much about people having issues with them but I will still be worried about it.

 

[Colinleath]

Yeah it's the same as other places for me though I tend to try to avoid it especially if bears used to humans are involved. If a ranger catches me not following the food containment rules there will likely be a fine or other issue. Not to mention I have no desire to camp anywhere near where bears see my gear as a source of food (Yosemite).

But many through hikers I expect stealth camp in NPs from time to time.


I do find it less relaxing than in legal areas of course and make more effort to be off the beaten track and not likely to be found. Which can be more difficult in a national park than in other areas.

 

[wanderbusk]

Yeah it's the same as other places for me though I tend to try to avoid it especially if bears used to humans are involved. If a ranger catches me not following the food containment rules there will likely be a fine or other issue. Not to mention I have no desire to camp anywhere near where bears see my gear as a source of food (Yosemite).

But many through hikers I expect stealth camp in NPs from time to time.


I do find it less relaxing than in legal areas of course and make more effort to be off the beaten track and not likely to be found. Which can be more difficult in a national park than in other areas.

Thank you

 

[AyeAaron]

Usually no issue legally camping in NF, but I rotate spots every few days, especially when I'm back home.

 

[MetalBryan]

While it's not a National Park, I want to add to the scope of the search by including US regional parks. For example, I know a park ranger who works for the state but one of their parks is operated by a small municipality in a suburb of KCMO. While they are closed for public camping during the winter AND have a family that lives on the property year round for security, they also allow 24hr/365day fishing at the lake.

If you have a cheap fishing pole with a bobber on the line but no hook, there might be a story you could use to justify some sleeping. You'd be in the company of overnight & quiet fishing folks so there's relative safety but probably not a story you can repeat too often.

 

[wanderbusk]

While it's not a National Park, I want to add to the scope of the search by including US regional parks. For example, I know a park ranger who works for the state but one of their parks is operated by a small municipality in a suburb of KCMO. While they are closed for public camping during the winter AND have a family that lives on the property year round for security, they also allow 24hr/365day fishing at the lake.

If you have a cheap fishing pole with a bobber on the line but no hook, there might be a story you could use to justify some sleeping. You'd be in the company of overnight & quiet fishing folks so there's relative safety but probably not a story you can repeat too often.

Interesting thought. I will keep this in mind. Thank you

 

[BlackJack]

There are some National Parks, like Death Valley, where you can legally camp anywhere for free as long as you're at least 1 mile from any road. The rangers advise you let them know where you'll be and for how long, so they can make sure you're doing alright and are alive. I believe there are other National Parks with the same rules.

Lastly, here's a site worth visiting: Free Camping Near You | Go Camping for Free! - https://freecampsites.net/

 

[wanderbusk]

There are some National Parks, like Death Valley, where you can legally camp anywhere for free as long as you're at least 1 mile from any road. The rangers advise you let them know where you'll be and for how long, so they can make sure you're doing alright and are alive. I believe there are other National Parks with the same rules.

Lastly, here's a site worth visiting: Free Camping Near You | Go Camping for Free! - https://freecampsites.net/

Great! Thank you

 

[BlackJack]

One thing I want to mention about where you're planning to camp. I've lived in SW Florida for years and Big Cypress can be brutal depending on the time of year you visit. During the summer it gets extremely hot and it floods. I've trekked through trails waist deep in water, whereas it's usually dry during the winter. There's a good chance you'll be getting wet when trying to access Higher elevations to camp. I highly recommend water shoes for hiking and dress accordingly.

Also, the mosquitoes are no joke and they are monster sized. Going through Cypress domes will be a miserable experience in the summer. Even with bug spray. Get a mosquito net for sleeping and I find those bug candles work good at night.

Don't let my words deter you from your adventure. Just be prepared and stay safe.

 

[wanderbusk]

One thing I want to mention about where you're planning to camp. I've lived in SW Florida for years and Big Cypress can be brutal depending on the time of year you visit. During the summer it gets extremely hot and it floods. I've trekked through trails waist deep in water, whereas it's usually dry during the winter. There's a good chance you'll be getting wet when trying to access Higher elevations to camp. I highly recommend water shoes for hiking and dress accordingly.

Also, the mosquitoes are no joke and they are monster sized. Going through Cypress domes will be a miserable experience in the summer. Even with bug spray. Get a mosquito net for sleeping and I find those bug candles work good at night.

Don't let my words deter you from your adventure. Just be prepared and stay safe.

This is much appreciated information. I'm planning for go through there sometime between late fall or early winter.

 

[BlackJack]

This is much appreciated information. I'm planning for go through there sometime between late fall or early winter.

It's no trouble at all. Safe travels.

That's a good time. It may still be wet, but the mosquitoes won't be nearly as bad.

 

[crabtrap]

My only experience with national park stealth camping was in Canada, so I can't quite speak to specifics in Florida, but I've done plenty of stealth camping in US state parks and other spots. My biggest recommendation would be to go in the less busy season, if possible. I was at Gaspésie Park in Quebec a few years ago in May, and I was able to camp with my buddy in a turnout next to the river right below the main access road for two days without anybody bothering us. Of course we were packing up during the day to go do stuff, but if it were peak season (summer), our spot would've been full of fishermen and rangers asking us to leave. In the off season there will also be fewer rangers on duty to worry about folks sleeping where they shouldn't. I've had good luck in state parks with the classic "arrive late leave early" technique, and of course leaving no trace. From a quick Google it looks like the park you're looking at is busiest from December-March, so outside of those times you'll be more likely to be left alone. Like others said, keep the bugs off of ya and watch out for venomous things – those can be spooky. In all my stealth camping in all seasons I've never been bothered, which I chalk up to using earth tones for my gear and staying hidden, and keeping a pretty tidy campsite so if someone does see me, they're less likely to make it a problem. It sounds like you'll be out in some harder to reach spots though, so it might not be an issue as much. Good luck!