4 ms·

In my experience many of the best camp sites I have been to have been in federal forest land on forest roads. The tougher the road the better (limits traffic).

In my experience many of the best camp sites I have been to have been in federal forest land on forest roads. The tougher the road the better (limits traffic). I have found some amazing places in Colorado that you could never reserve and they don’t exist as official camp sites. You find a good spot and you camp. Camp grounds with packed in sites are... good for some things. I acknowledge this is a problem for some high traffic areas, but how natural and interesting is that kind of camping. It’s a shade below glamping. This does make camping accessible and of course there are edge cases, but in general I just find it pretty uninteresting. Anyway, I acknowledge the problem, but it’s also not really a problem for me and many people I know.

peller 7y ago
I've had this experience out west too. But anecdotally at least, these spots can be harder to find on the east coast.
- bluntfang 7y ago
  there's a network of national forests that sprawl the east coast where I've never had an issue finding a mostly secluded campsites close to water and beautiful terrain.
  - wil421 7y ago
    I second this. It’s been very easy to find National Forest and WMA campsites in North Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Chattahoochee and Nantahala National forests and my favorite.
neurobashing 7y ago
Around here in the East it’s often called “dispersed camping”.
- 24gttghh 7y ago
  Yup. For example, one can camp > 1/4 mile from shelters/huts and more than 200ft away from of a body of water/trails/trailheads just about anywhere in the White Mountain National Forest in NH and Maine. Below alpine zone of course, except for winter (where you camp on greater than 2 feet of snow, but not many folks are that adventurous :) https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5363715.pdf https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb53637...
wil421 7y ago
I have this experience in North Georgia as well. WMAs and National Forests with roadside camping. Preferably roads without RV access. They call them dispersed campsites. State parks are terrible from the fees, crowds, and rules. It’s more like camping in a grass parking lot than anything else.
- Mountain_Skies 7y ago
  The Dawson WMA has added a $7/night camping fee in addition to the land access fee (or a fishing/hunting license). Hopefully that doesn't spread to other WMAs.
  - wil421 7y ago
    The internet says it’s the City of Atlanta owned tract of the WMA. It was the proposed site of the second Atlanta airport and a former nuclear testing area for Lockheed. It’s much closer than my other spots. I’ll check it out soon, maybe even Friday. Looks like they just stocked Amicola creek with trout.
sealthedeal 7y ago
Ya, I agree, I don’t think I’ve ever actually camped in an official camping lot/spot. I’ve always trecked in and got away from the noise. Never knew this was a problem.
allovernow 7y ago
How do you find these spots? That sounds like a great excuse to bring out the 4x4.
- jwives 7y ago
  You look at a map of interesting roads, maybe look at satellite imagery of the area if you're not at all familiar with it, and take your 4x4 out for a drive. Go slow, keep your eyes open, and you'll probably see a spot which looks perfect to camp at in no time.
- leggomylibro 7y ago
  These days, forest roads and primitive roads are often marked on Google / Apple maps and OpenStreetMaps. So asking your phone for directions to a national forest usually works well, as long as you check the camping rules and conditions ahead of time. You'll usually just see a series of pull-outs with fire pits and cleared areas along the unpaved roads. Lands managed by the BLM or USFS usually allow dispersed camping in at least some areas, but it's still a good idea to double-check before you leave, and you should be aware that the same lands are often used for other activities like hunting, logging, horse-riding, grazing, offroad vehicles, etc. You can also get more specialized outdoors mapping apps which can download data like USGS topographical maps and quad sheets for offline use. If you think you might like the backcountry, a satellite messenger is a good investment and those often have companion phone apps. Don't forget to bring a big battery if you rely on electronics for mapping, though. And you can usually get decent paper maps from local NPS/USFS/etc visitor centers once you get to the area. The people in those visitor centers will also tell you where good sites / hikes / drives / views are, but then you have to actually talk to someone. Also, read about pack-in/pack-out policies, what a cathole is, and how to keep your food from attracting animals.
- bitexploder 7y ago
  You just look up the regulations in your area, Federal Forest and Wildlife Management land have uniform rules as far as I can tell. Then you explore. I just spent a few weekends off riding and cruising the mountains this summer, visiting places and taking notes of good camp sites. That’s part of the fun. You can find sporadic information online, but generally I think people keep their favorite spots to themselves? Great reason to bang around, bring food. I set up the back of my truck to sleep in. Poor mans Tepui tent.

peller 7y ago

I've had this experience out west too. But anecdotally at least, these spots can be harder to find on the east coast.

bluntfang 7y ago
there's a network of national forests that sprawl the east coast where I've never had an issue finding a mostly secluded campsites close to water and beautiful terrain.
- wil421 7y ago
  I second this. It’s been very easy to find National Forest and WMA campsites in North Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Chattahoochee and Nantahala National forests and my favorite.

neurobashing 7y ago

Around here in the East it’s often called “dispersed camping”.

24gttghh 7y ago
Yup. For example, one can camp > 1/4 mile from shelters/huts and more than 200ft away from of a body of water/trails/trailheads just about anywhere in the White Mountain National Forest in NH and Maine. Below alpine zone of course, except for winter (where you camp on greater than 2 feet of snow, but not many folks are that adventurous :) https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5363715.pdf https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb53637...

wil421 7y ago

I have this experience in North Georgia as well. WMAs and National Forests with roadside camping. Preferably roads without RV access. They call them dispersed campsites. State parks are terrible from the fees, crowds, and rules. It’s more like camping in a grass parking lot than anything else.

Mountain_Skies 7y ago
The Dawson WMA has added a $7/night camping fee in addition to the land access fee (or a fishing/hunting license). Hopefully that doesn't spread to other WMAs.
- wil421 7y ago
  The internet says it’s the City of Atlanta owned tract of the WMA. It was the proposed site of the second Atlanta airport and a former nuclear testing area for Lockheed. It’s much closer than my other spots. I’ll check it out soon, maybe even Friday. Looks like they just stocked Amicola creek with trout.

sealthedeal 7y ago

Ya, I agree, I don’t think I’ve ever actually camped in an official camping lot/spot. I’ve always trecked in and got away from the noise. Never knew this was a problem.

allovernow 7y ago

How do you find these spots? That sounds like a great excuse to bring out the 4x4.

jwives 7y ago
You look at a map of interesting roads, maybe look at satellite imagery of the area if you're not at all familiar with it, and take your 4x4 out for a drive. Go slow, keep your eyes open, and you'll probably see a spot which looks perfect to camp at in no time.
leggomylibro 7y ago
These days, forest roads and primitive roads are often marked on Google / Apple maps and OpenStreetMaps. So asking your phone for directions to a national forest usually works well, as long as you check the camping rules and conditions ahead of time. You'll usually just see a series of pull-outs with fire pits and cleared areas along the unpaved roads. Lands managed by the BLM or USFS usually allow dispersed camping in at least some areas, but it's still a good idea to double-check before you leave, and you should be aware that the same lands are often used for other activities like hunting, logging, horse-riding, grazing, offroad vehicles, etc. You can also get more specialized outdoors mapping apps which can download data like USGS topographical maps and quad sheets for offline use. If you think you might like the backcountry, a satellite messenger is a good investment and those often have companion phone apps. Don't forget to bring a big battery if you rely on electronics for mapping, though. And you can usually get decent paper maps from local NPS/USFS/etc visitor centers once you get to the area. The people in those visitor centers will also tell you where good sites / hikes / drives / views are, but then you have to actually talk to someone. Also, read about pack-in/pack-out policies, what a cathole is, and how to keep your food from attracting animals.
bitexploder 7y ago
You just look up the regulations in your area, Federal Forest and Wildlife Management land have uniform rules as far as I can tell. Then you explore. I just spent a few weekends off riding and cruising the mountains this summer, visiting places and taking notes of good camp sites. That’s part of the fun. You can find sporadic information online, but generally I think people keep their favorite spots to themselves? Great reason to bang around, bring food. I set up the back of my truck to sleep in. Poor mans Tepui tent.