BLM access about to be lost
There is a fantastic BLM dispersed camping site in Colorado on the Arkansas River that is in danger of being converted from free BLM camping to an expensive, reservation only campground run by the sta...
Forum Discussion
For those who don't have the time, or ability for geographic location reasons to attend any of the land use proposal meetings in the western states, as someone who has been to several it's just a matter of time until dispersed camping, or boondocking on federal lands as RVers like to refer to it is a thing of the past. Whether that's good or bad is up for debate as you can easily see just from reading the different views expressed in this post.
If you've been in the area and are observant, you've probably noticed the folks taking pictures of boondockers. They're documenting folks with vehicles more than 150 feet from a designated road, or camped within 150 of a road in a non designated camp site, both of which violate the land use designations for that area (Rules vary with various regions and which land use agency controls it so those distances are just an example) Unfortunately, most folks don't know what rules apply for the specific area they are in, and it's hard to find out what the rules are as even the BLM/Forest Service rangers in the area aren't fully aware of what the rules are for any specific area. Difficult or not if you can get a land use map and verify what you're doing is within those mandates it will go a long way towards keeping areas open.
Rather than complaining on forums about conditions at certain designated camping areas, try contracting and working directly with the folks managing it, provide constructive inputs, and see what if anything can be done to improve the situation. Unfortunately, funds are tight, RVers are a small percentage of the population, and expecting continued financial support from the general tax funds is probably not realistic. Unfortunately, we're going to have to expect to pay to play much more in the future than we do now.
Personally I think most of the state parks in the Utah area are a little nicer to camp in than most of the federal campgrounds, but of course the cost a little more to stay in. I've even gone so far as doing volunteer support in a nearby state park to try and help do my park to keep it viable. If enough other do the same, support where possible, and realize it is going to take money to keep it going then we might just have RVing as an option for a few more year to come.
If you've been in the area and are observant, you've probably noticed the folks taking pictures of boondockers. They're documenting folks with vehicles more than 150 feet from a designated road, or camped within 150 of a road in a non designated camp site, both of which violate the land use designations for that area (Rules vary with various regions and which land use agency controls it so those distances are just an example) Unfortunately, most folks don't know what rules apply for the specific area they are in, and it's hard to find out what the rules are as even the BLM/Forest Service rangers in the area aren't fully aware of what the rules are for any specific area. Difficult or not if you can get a land use map and verify what you're doing is within those mandates it will go a long way towards keeping areas open.
Rather than complaining on forums about conditions at certain designated camping areas, try contracting and working directly with the folks managing it, provide constructive inputs, and see what if anything can be done to improve the situation. Unfortunately, funds are tight, RVers are a small percentage of the population, and expecting continued financial support from the general tax funds is probably not realistic. Unfortunately, we're going to have to expect to pay to play much more in the future than we do now.
Personally I think most of the state parks in the Utah area are a little nicer to camp in than most of the federal campgrounds, but of course the cost a little more to stay in. I've even gone so far as doing volunteer support in a nearby state park to try and help do my park to keep it viable. If enough other do the same, support where possible, and realize it is going to take money to keep it going then we might just have RVing as an option for a few more year to come.
