Tips for TC Boondocking
DW and I have been TCing every year, starting with a 2003 trip to Alaska. Not counting Wal-Mart, we have never boondocked. Now we are considering renting a self-contained hardside as an experiment. Af...
Forum Discussion
bka0721 wrote:
Your over statement is when you state; “camping is permitted only in designated campgrounds.” That is not entirely correct. There are many National Parks, that do allow, in the vernacular; “Dispersed Camping.” To name a few; Death Valley, Craters of the Moon, Big Bend and many more. Where your statement is right on target, visit a Backcountry (different than the person at the Visitor Center Desk) Office/Permits and ask where Dispersed Camping might be available. With this thread being brought by the Op, of where one boondocks, it is important to provide helpful information.
b
I guess I could have been clearer- I should have said "camping is permitted only in designated areas" in lands administered by NPS. In those jurisdictions, there must be a rule in place "allowing" such use, or it's forbidden.
This is exactly the opposite of Forest Service (D.of Ag.) lands, where by law, camping is permitted anywhere except those specifically excepted.
Bottom line, as you note, is to educate oneself as to the rules that govern the use of any Public lands one intends to use, most especially by inquiring locally.
