Campsite Squatters

Apparently in the Moab area of the Manti-La Sal NF, boondocking campers are being notified that rigs can be left unoccupied a maximum of 72 hours. How that is being enforced, or if it is, I don't know, but it has been officially recognized as a problem.

jimh425 wrote:

Freep wrote:
Being rude is not against the law either, and yet most people have a problem with that.

If you think most people agree with you, feel free to get the rules changed.

Are you trying to be insulting or is it just my interpretation?

My point was that not all civilized behavior toward each other necessarily requires rules. Rules are generally created when people start acting in ways that abuse the trust that was given.

Obviously BLM and FS dispersed camping rules don't mean you can use recreation lands that belong to all of us to store your stuff and hog the best spots that others could be using.

Can of worms here.

jimh425 wrote:
Unless they are violating the time requirement, I don’t see the issue.

Agreed. Happens all the time. We have left the camper on site for several days and gone off backpacking in the mountains.
Can’t worry about everything.

Freep wrote:
Being rude is not against the law either, and yet most people have a problem with that.

If you think most people agree with you, feel free to get the rules changed.

ReneeG wrote:

hotjag1 wrote:
A few of the campgrounds we frequent have a rule that the site must be physically occupied each night. A camp host verifies this each night or early morning. A tow vehicle, or in the case of a tent, a car must be at the site.
I suppose a trailer and tow vehicle could occupy the site and not have anyone actually there. The camp host wouldn't be able to determine that, although it would look pretty odd that there is no activity at the site all day or evening.

Campgrounds yes, but FS land as in dispersed or BLM land, same, have different rules.

Thank-you. I missed the part about FS land. I was referring to a FS campground.

JRscooby wrote:

valhalla360 wrote:


Who said the people doing this are rich?

I know if I had a cheap hunter special camper, I'd be a lot more comfortable leaving it out in the middle of no-where unattended as opposed to a $80k 5th wheel with all the bells and whistles that could easily be stripped during the week.

I did not say "rich", but do the arithmetic. Most of my working life, I could swing a couple of nights rent per month, in a state park, and feel I got my money's worth. But if I had to pay for 4 nights and could only use 2, that doubles the cost. Maybe you have the disposable income to think it's worth it, but many do not.

We aren't talking about KOA campgrounds at $50-75/night.

Depending on the department controlling the area, you can be talking about anywhere from $7-20/night. If you had to pay $70 instead of $20 to get the guaranteed spot you want for the weekend, it doesn't imply a rich guy by any stretch when you consider the cost of gas to pull 3-4hr each way avoided by leaving the trailer in place rather than pulling it home each weekend.

Yes, they have. I worked as a USFS fire suppression aid (cleaned campgrounds, collected fees, painted stuff....no fires) right out of high school. That was 1972. People would pay the fees and leave their trailers for a week. Or not pay their fees. I ticketed one guy who said he was a veteran of WWII and he was not gonna pay no G*DDamn campground fee and he wasn't By G*D pay any ticket. The ticket went to the magistrate in Billings who promptly dismissed it. I found out later that he did so for any such citation. Not worth his time, evidently.

Nothing new. People have been doing this for decades.

jaycocreek wrote:


Then there is the Boise national forest..

? The 14 days accrue at any campsite within 5 miles of the original campsite. Example - If the
person camps for 13 days in one location and then moves 4.9 miles, they will be at the 14 day
limit after one night in the new campsite.
? Example - If the person camps for 13 days in one location and then moves at least 5.0 miles,
their days accrued toward the stay limit start over.

Yea,a tenth of a mile and you could get ticketed,but it is Boise..LOL

makes sense to me. stops the folks from moving across the road to start a new 14 days. doesn't matter if it is only one tenth of a mile. some limit must be stated. and enforced.

but it seems to me that folks have always rented a spot for several days before a holiday week end, etc., and some even park their RV on Wed just to save the spot.
bumpy