Campsite Squatters

[Freep]

Have any of you noticed people leaving their trailers in great campsites on BLM and USFS land during the week and then showing up on the weekends to camp?

[ppine]

What is new is the amount of people squatting on public land. They are in FS campgrounds and all over the country side. There are a lot of displaced people in America right now. It was bad before Covid 19 and now it is setting records.

[LewBob]

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.

[Freep]

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.

[Grit_dog]

Can of worms here.

[billtex]

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.

[jimh406]

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.

[hotjag1]

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.

[valhalla360]

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.

[Geewizard]

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.

[time2roll]

Nothing new. People have been doing this for decades.

[Bumpyroad]

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

[jaycocreek]

It happens all the time in our forest,especially just prior to hunting season..Everyone takes there camper to there hunting spot and sets it up for the season..They got a new forest service leo from Missoula a few years back ticketing everyone..She didn't last long..LOL

Idaho rules for length of stay differ in each national forest with most being 14 days, period,our forest is 14 days in a campground and 18 days dispersed..

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

[cptqueeg]

Geewizard wrote:

bukhrn wrote:

tuna fisher wrote:
Seen it for years, mostly in the higher elevations of Utah.Asked rangers and they ho hum about it.When you see grass growing around the wheels it's obivious the rig hasen't been moved in months. Pisses me of but there's nothing I can do about it. A lot are for hunting camps.Some nice rigs just sitting. They usually are pulled out before the snows.

And there lies the problem, those that are paid to enforce the rules, are not willing to do so.

They are indeed paid to enforce the rules but probably know from previous experience that the citation they issue will not result in any legal action. The rangers are just like every other law enforcement officer in that they have to choose their battles.

The FS LEO's are overwhelmed w huge territories and gobs of people. They can co-ordinate the ticketing of campers that overstay the 14 or 16 day Forest limits, but that requires effort from those FS employees not working law enforcement. Once a FS LEO writes a ticket the matter will be get before a court or the ticket will be paid.

[GravelRider]

JRscooby wrote:
This, IMHO, is not right, but better than the scams used to game the res systems. At least the CG is getting the money.
It also is evidence to me that the well off are more likely to rip people off than poor.

Are you trying to be argumentative with this statement? Jealousy perhaps? Retired Occupy Wallstreeter? And how exactly is this evidence to support your position? You hardly have to be well off to afford a few extra nights at this type of CG. Find a new boogeyman. Sheesh.

[ppine]

Some camp grounds have people that have been displaced by fires living there permanently. It is a fact of modern life. Have some compassion for people that live in campgrounds.