Sequoia Nat Forest areas closed to dispersed camping

[drysailor]

Parts of Sequoia National Forest closed to dispersed camping, due to trash, human feces, damage to vegetation. This was a really pretty area, near Mountain Home State Forest.  https://kernvalleysun.com/dispersed-camping-limited/

 

[lenny flank]

 trash, human feces

This is always what we see. Always. Every time.

It's a self-inflicted wound in the foot. And it's just a small minority of shitheads who wreck it for the rest of us. 

 

[Moxadox]

That is really sad. I've camped there myself, in a very pretty spot with one other extremely clean and polite van dweller.

I'm getting ready to purpose that we don our own uniforms and spread out over the country cleaning campsites and calling for "Leave No Trace" laws, which would target slobs and leave those of us who actually do leave no trace, alone. Forest Stewardship 101!

Maybe before we call out the vigilantes we should start some conversations with the Forest Service. A lot of the campsites in the Coconino National Forest (AZ) have been traditionally used by hunters, who leave deer bones/hides around, and they make their latrines on top on the ground instead of burying their sh*t. Those are not homeless people! Yet they crap up the forest for everyone.

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[DLTooley]

River rafters have the same issues. Portable toilet requirements, like around Moab, were a big part of the solution.

Rafters also are required to have permits in the most popular areas. This would work for dispersed camping. I think it would be a good idea for atv use as well.

 

[bigsallysmom]

People are so used to having toilets anywhere they go that its easy to forget to plan for pottying when on public lands. I wish the park service would start an educational campaign reminding people to pack trash bags and some sort of potty setup before they hit public lands. And remind them to take their trash back home with them instead of expecting trash facilities where they are going.

 

[Moxadox]

There is so much human waste in the dispersed campsites (my dog is very good at finding it---ugh!), I'm concerned about hepatitis getting transmitted. With the numbers of people migrating to mobile living, this is a real possibility. I'm a retired physician, so these things stand out as I think of the urban hepatitis problem. When I'm camping in the forest, making dinner outdoors, and suddenly I spy a pile of filthy toilet paper nearby....excuse me while I retch...well, I can't help but think that it won't be long before this becomes a real health threat to those of us who spend a lot of time in the forest.

I think there is an element of the population who just don't give a $h*t about sanitation (none of US, clearly). So all of us need to protect ourselves by being very careful to wash our hands and use sanitizer before doing food prep and of course before eating.

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[QinReno]

River rafters have the same issues. Portable toilet requirements, like around Moab, were a big part of the solution.

River administrators in the west have been dealing with this for many decades. Back in 1990, I canoed from Mineral Bottom to Spanish Bottom on the Green River outside of Moab with an organized group of 30 people, and we pooped in plastic bags which were kept in a cooler packed in ice in the 100-deg heat.

All of my life I've mostly stayed in organized campgrounds, which all had garbage cans and toilets of some sort, and big poopy messes were never a problem. It would seem that the problem is largely in dispersed sites and unorganized camping, and squatters too lazy to do the proper thing. Eg, go to Slab City, and you'll see the entire s.e. area is nothing but garbage thrown straight on the ground. Too damn lazy to even put their garbage in plastic bags. 

In Bob's video today, he didn't say the world is coming to an end, he said that popular sites near several places like Flagstaff and Sedona are being overly used and overly-abused, so local authorities are restricting access (for good reason). However, he also said that there are millions of acres on public land a little farther out, albeit less convenient, and that's where we need to go. In the past 2 months he's been camping in the eastern Sierra and parts of Oregon, and he didn't mention any big problems in those areas. Just leave no trace you were ever there.

 

[tripper]

Bummer I used to camp in those areas a lot. I really had never seen them abused, they always looked nice to me, but I have not been in that area for many years now. Actually some of my all time favorite camp spots.

I would think the forest service could come up with a more creative way to keep the areas nice without banning all of us from our own lands, maybe have a camp host for the dispersed areas or local volunteer groups to police the trash/area.

 

[Florida boondocker]

Here is Florida where i boondock it's free but you need a permit to get gate code, stays locked 24 -7
Makes it easy to enforce the 14 day rule, better safety as they know who's camping and if they trash the place
they know who was back there

 

[QinReno]

Bummer I used to camp in those areas a lot. I really had never seen them abused, they always looked nice to me, but I have not been in that area for many years now.  Actually some of my all time favorite camp spots. 

The High Sierra are blue sky and gorgeous today. Fire season is not too bad here as yet, although in other areas July is tinder box month,
https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/

I have boondocked, but having a minimalist-conversion van, I prefer to stay in organized campgrounds in the NF, having toilets, dumpsters, water (usually), and specified campsites. I have found this book to be of immense help. Covers 12,000 campgrounds in both eastern and western US:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0937877557

 

[LathrenJames]

That is really sad.  I've camped there myself, in a very pretty spot with one other extremely clean and polite van dweller.  

I'm getting ready to purpose that we don our own uniforms and spread out over the country cleaning campsites and calling for "Leave No Trace" laws, which would target slobs and leave those of us who actually do leave no trace, alone.  Forest Stewardship 101!  

Maybe before we call out the vigilantes we should start some conversations with the Forest Service.  A lot of the campsites in the Coconino National Forest (AZ) have been traditionally used by hunters, who leave deer bones/hides around, and they make their latrines on top on the ground instead of burying their sh*t.  Those are not homeless people!  Yet they crap up the forest for everyone.

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I actually like this idea. Who knows, maybe there's a Grant for this. Probably not but I have met some great young people who travel via Subaru and teach LNT principles. One more principle might ought to be added - Leave No Shite...please... :-/

 

[DebraOak]

Parts of Sequoia National Forest closed to dispersed camping, due to trash, human feces, damage to vegetation. This was a really pretty area, near Mountain Home State Forest.  https://kernvalleysun.com/dispersed-camping-limited/

That is sad. This is one of my favorite places, though, so I won't mind reserving and paying.

 

[Moxadox]

I actually like this idea. Who knows, maybe there's a Grant for this. Probably not but I have met some great young people who travel via Subaru and teach LNT principles. One more principle might ought to be added - Leave No Shite...please... :-/

"Leave no shite." I love that!!! We need signs, bumper stickers, t-shirts and ball caps with that and a graphic (pile of shite with the circle-slash icon?)!

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