I love the Red River Gorge. It's a beautiful area with lots of interesting trails and scenery, and backcountry camping is basically unlimited, outside a few simple rules (No camping in rock shelter's, no fire's with-in 100ft of a cliff wall, no camping with-in 300ft of a cliff wall). Every time I go I pack out a bunch of other peoples trash, and see signs of people ignoring these rules. Just because you use a hammock, doesn't mean you leave no trace - and there's no way to prove that you didn't at the end of your trip.
It's because people in general don't respect the land, that restrictions get put in place to begin with. And that's a hard fix. The true solution, outside of restriction, would be to charge a high price for back-country camping, to discourage those who wont respect the land. Sucks for those of us who do, though.
hang your own hang
Bayou Serenity
hang your own hang
Bayou Serenity
Check into where the admission money goes in your state. In some it may go to the parks and recreation people for upkeep and such. If I understand correctly, here in PA it goes straight into the General Fund cofferrs and rarely, if ever gets sent to theparks from which it came. It's "found money" that can be used to offset deficits in any number of departments that couldn't care less about the parks or natural resources.
I may be slow... But I sure am gimpy.
"Bless you child, when you set out to thread a needle don't hold the thread still and fetch the needle up to it; hold the needle still and poke the thread at it; that's the way a woman most always does, but a man always does t'other way."
Mrs. Loftus to Huck Finn
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Except for a few state parks in NC that do not allow camping, I have not had any problems hanging at any of the NC parks. Same for the camp grounds along the Blue Ridge Parkway which comes under the National Park Service ( they always put me down as a "Tent" camper ).
I am still 18 but with 52 years of experience !
Check into the VA parks that specifically offer 'primitive' camping (New River Trail, James River, Sky Meadows, Shenandoah, and False Cape all come to mind)...the worst you'd deal with at those sites would be horses, though they're usually pretty far away, and the rates are lower (between $12-15 a night).
Just from Oregon;
Several State Park campgrounds charge at least the following;
$5-7 Hiker/Biker site (parking permit and then you hike everything in)
$21+ a night for a "Tent site" (OR; a truck spot with a fire pit and a picnic table and possibly a tent pad; NO electrical hook up
$29 a night for a "Tent site" with hook ups (In other words, RV spots)
$42 a night for a Yurt (must make reservations 48 hours before)
this is considered "low end/cheap" compared to some other campgrounds; such as Willamette Mission Park; which charges an exorbitant amount for a Group Tent; at $71 per night for first 25 and then $3 extra per person; OR $5 hiker/biker
Personally; somewhere in between Hiker/Biker and "Tent" site would make sense for hammock campers....
now Federally.....as in National Forests and such, rates are MUCH cheaper, with some sites being FREE! As long as you practice LNT or pack in/pack out (some sites have already built fire pits and such, but are free, as long as you pack in and pack out trash)
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