15 and 16 year old going camping alone

[Trooper]

I'm the other guy on this one...do it! Talk your parents into, and if you have to, prepare so well--come up with a good plan, check points, calls in, a detail route map, etc., that your parents will be unable to say no. And then do all that--planning and execution wise, and when you walk out of the Olympics, you will older, wiser, smarter, more capable, more experienced, and will have done things your friends don't know how to do. Plan, persuade, execute.

Again, great advice. At 16, I camped every other weekend with my friend. Sixteen years later we did the Great Smokey National Park portion of the Appalachian Trail together. Even with twice your age and experience, we still learned from our mistakes.

Like Cannibal said, if you have to ask, this is probably not a good idea. But, what would your parents agree to? I'd plan enough that my parents would be comfortable with a 3-day trip. Make sure that you can bail out easily.

[MedicineMan]

my parents were dropping me off at trailheads alone on the AT when I was 14 and picking me up 3 days later..are you confident enough without the folks being there?
I've hiked/camped in Olympic--stunning place, of all the NPs i've been in it is my second favorite because of the sheer variety--hike from beach to glacier with everything in between....actually saw a Roosevelt Elk the first day of hiking-what a gift!
If you do the beachthing watch the tide charts

[UncleMJM]

I'm seeing some great answers here.

I visited the Olympic National Park a couple of years ago and can't wait to get back so I am with you on the destination.

To me your question is almost like asking, "how much does a car cost?" It's a question that cannot be answered adequately without asking a lot of other questions.

I agree that the first answer needs to be the okay from parents.

Experience, gear and how to use it, survival skills, and planning are the next questions to be answered.

Following that we get to the logistics of the trip...

Transportation:
How will you get from AZ to Washington? Once there, how will you get to the Olympic peninsula, to the appropriate office to get permits, and to the trail head?

What will you do about food - carry it all or depend on resupply?

What is the contingency plan for when things go wrong, including a bail out plan like Trooper mentioned?

I think it's a great goal and that the planning and preparation will be an adventure in itself that if done well, may eliminate the obstacles from making it happen.

[longbow]

There are many good responses here.

I admire your courage in considering a week alone in the forest at your ages.

I would say that, if you both have solid/proven experience in camping and hiking skills that you guys should try to do it, if your parents approve. But, regardless of your experience, at your ages I would recommend that you have a parent in a back up role; camping nearby. Here is how it might work, with your parents permission/support...

You and your friend could set up at the Olympic National Park and "run your week" more or less as you see fit. Do your planning correctly and stay safe. But, your parent(s) would camp within a reasonable distance from your camp(s) so you could get help from them quickly if needed. You should check in regularly and have some radios to connect if needed. That way you could do the week more or less on your own, but help and advice would be safely nearby.

My guess is that once you are into it; you will be glad to have your parents available.

[Eron]

...do we need parents, if so, we cannot go.

I'm not sure if you are asking:

a) do you need your parents permission?

or

b) are parents required to be with you, by the park, when you go?

The answer to "a" is obviously yes.

I don't know the answer to "b".

[Shadowmoss]

How are you going to get to the park once you are up here in WA? If you are driving yourselves in your own vehicle, then some other issues are easier. If you need transportation that gets sticky, since I can pretty much guarantee you aren't going to be able to rent anything, and public transportation from the airport or train station doesn't really exist unless you hire a shuttle. Getting your permits is another thing. I know of offices where you can get permits for the National Park both at Port Angeles and down in Olympia, there are probably others. You will need to get to one of them to get the permits, a costly stop if you need to hire a shuttle to take you. They may have regulations about age limits. A call to their office in Port Angeles wouldn't be out of line to check. Do you know what part of the park you want to hike in? That may make logistics more or less of an issue, but the Olympics aren't real close to much of anything except themselves no matter what part you want. It's going to be expensive no matter how you get yourself from there to here and back again. All of this is before we even get into whether you have the gear and experience to actually handle the week of camping.

I had a car, some money, and not a lot of parental supervision when I was 16, and I still stuck to within about 100 miles of home most of the time. Also, having a 15yo with you as a 16yo brings some issues of being legally responsible, and issues for medical emergencies and who has the right to check who into hospitals and such needs to be in writing before heading out. Motels and maybe even camp grounds don't like to rent to juveniles, but if you are camping you can probably get around that on the trip up and back if you are driving. I know my senior year I went to the Chattanooga area (from the Indianapolis area where I grew up) with 3 guys who were a year younger than I on a caving trip. I was 18, but they weren't. We got some static at one motel in particular because they were afraid we were going to just 'party' and trash the room. I was just wanting to go caving and they had the trip planned and let me go along.

Edited to add: I see now that you are the 15yo. The 16yo is taking some responsibility here, taking a trip with someone under 16. Make sure all parents are clear on what is expected and who is to be contacted if anything at all goes wrong. The 16yo is the one who will be answering to any responsible parties, legal or family. I shudder now at what I did by loading up my Mustang as full as it could be to head out on trips every weekend. One snowy weekend I spun out 3 times in one day, one time across 3 lanes of traffic, with 5 others (all younger than me) in the car. We never wrecked. God does watch out over children and fools, and I was straddling the line between those for quite awhile.

[mbiraman]

I'm sitting here remembering that i was about 14 when me and three buddies went on a canoe trip. I remember it as about 4 days long. My dad drove us to the launch. We weren't in what you would call wilderness or a Nat'l Park but we were on our own with our parents permission. Its hard to know from where we sit if your ready or not. At 15/16 yrs of age it could mean anything but you might be ready, could be ready. I'm rooting for you. I want you to be ready and of course your parents permission/support is part of it , but they don't have to be there. If you have some experience in the woods and out in the world then its all possible. Being prepared means thinking ahead, everything you'll need. Let us know what happens with your decision, and your trip, if it happens.

[Hogg Tyed]

At 16 I was ready but I grew up in the mountains hunting and fishing as far back as I can remember. I now know 40 year olds who still are not ready. I am going with if you have to ask you need more exp 1st. A week is a long time if you get 1/2 way in and get in trouble. It could be a lifetime. Now there is a scary thought.

[amac]

I'm 15 and my friend is 16 and weare planning a trip to olympic national park this summer. it will be a one week camping trip by oursleves. Is this reasonable, do we need parents, if so, we cannot go.

Lots of good advice in this thread. Certainly you need your parents permission. That has been said by almost every response, and is an absolute. NO getting around it. If you don't already have multi-night trips in the wilderness without adults, then one week is too much. Start small and work up to it. Assuming your parents are supportive but simply aren't willing to join you, I'm sure you can find a young adult to come with you. Do you know any former Scouts, youth-group leader, brother, sister, cousin, uncle?

[Ramblinrev]

If you have to ask you may not have the experience... That is true. BUT.. experience can be gotten. Common sense and smarts is either something you got.. or you don't. I give you kudos for asking in the first place. I know a lot of 15/16 year olds who wouldn't have bothered to ask. Just go off and never mind. THAT is the biggest recipe for disaster I can imagine.

Show the planning and the backups. Let your folks know that you have thought this through properly. They might surprise you.