Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Trip Planning Forum :: Emergency Campsite Rules???
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marrowoflife |
tumblehome: "lookout!: "As a former ranger who lived on E. Bearskin......automatic ticket" +1 |
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timatkn |
tumblehome: "lookout!: "As a former ranger who lived on E. Bearskin......automatic ticket" In all fairness…the OP didn’t preface their question based on conditions…it was a straight up answer to the OP IMHO. T |
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MN_Lindsey |
Lawnchair107: "Had a crew last week pull up to LBF around 8:30 pm, not able to find a site. They actually stayed on the portage ( in Canada..) and left around 5:30 am the next morning. Pretty ballsy and piss poor scheduling on their end." Ha! That is ballsy considering they also illegally stayed in CANADA!!!! I know we can get fined for even crossing the border in the water in Voyageurs and is sometimes tricky. I wouldn't intentionally CAMP on the Canadian side, even if there weren't any spots available. Make sure to keep it in the US folks. Last summer we did E. Bearskin and had a very difficult time finding a campsite. It was PACKED! I did run into Frenchy19 at Johnson Falls that trip though. Ha. |
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x2jmorris |
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MoosilaukeJohnny |
If there were no campsites vacant and it were getting dark - I'd camp wherever it looked feasible, keeping the health and safety of my wife and myself in proper perspective! Having said this, we do intend to get very early starts each morning - with the aim of looking for sites before noon if possible. Fingers Crossed! |
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ockycamper |
Start early, and plan on getting a camp site early afternoon at the latest. If you don't reach your destination, take the site you get to, and move on the next day. It is not an "emergency" when you pass open sites, paddle into the evening and then can't find a site. |
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rayljr1 |
The plan is to get started pretty early. We will paddle east heading into Alder, then check the 6 campsites on Alder. If they are full, we will paddle to Pierz and check out those 3 sites. If that is full, we backtrack portage into Canoe and check those 2 sites. If they are full we portage into Crystal and check those 2 sites. At that point, I would guess at least 5-6 hours have passed with a lot of paddling. The only option then will be to back track completely, checking the sites we previously checked. If all full, the only option for sites would be to portage back into East Bearskin, and check Moon, then Deer, then Caribou. I honestly don't think the 2 of us are going to be able to physically do all of that before dark. So to respond to some comments, it wont be because of poor planning or laziness. My concern is if the place is going to be jam packed as there are no permits....... virtually none currently available in the entire area. I have not seen that in the last 10 years (or at least noticed it). With that said, my initial question appears to have been answered. There apparently is no such thing as "emergency campsite". If the Forrest Service finds you in an area not designated (and honestly, what is the chance of that from sundown to sunup), then you are in trouble. And to clarify, by "emergency site" I simply meant somewhere to sleep. If the weather is good, that may simply consist of a sleeping pad and sleeping bag on a rock or ground somewhere until daybreak. Thank you all again for the info! |
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tumblehome |
ockycamper: "It is a lot like driving late into the evening, then not finding a hotel room. ^^ That is probably the best advice I've read. Don't put yourself in a situation where you will fail. There will be open campsites after 10 or 11 in the morning. Not every single site is a base camper. Sites will start filling again after noon. Nobody should be paddling looking for a camp near dark. This means you started to late in the day or passed up open sites. |
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schweady |
ockycamper: "It is not an "emergency" when you pass open sites, paddle into the evening and then can't find a site." This. |
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rayljr1 |
What is the rule, if you are paddling around, and darkness is coming, for setting up some type of temporary emergency campsite for the night? Has anyone ever found themselves in that situation? Am I being over-concerned, or is the BWCA very crowded this season? |
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cyclones30 |
But....by the rules you're not supposed to camp anywhere else. Do people in a pinch? Yes. Leave no trace to the extreme, no fires (can't have any now anyway) etc. I also know of people asking or offering their site to share if it's obvious there isn't room. But that's quite a few sites...you're right to be wondering but I don't think it's worth the worry. You won't know till you get there...don't stress about it for days ahead of time. |
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Me2012 |
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egknuti |
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AmarilloJim |
No fire and break camp at sun up. |
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sedges |
That said, there are no rules for emergency campsites. They would be illegal and if caught you would likely be fined. You certainly can get away with it. Camp well away from shore. Pull your canoe up out of sight. Set up your tent after dark and have it down before light and move on. Best option, don't pass up open sites in your situation. |
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Speckled |
On our second ever trip as a group, we paddled from East Bearskin to the far end of Crystal and every single site was taken. We got an early start and the day was still young...not looking forward to back tracking and heading up towards pine, we decided to do a bit of fishing and even take a nap while floating in the canoes on Crystal. I woke to the sound a aluminum clunking on the rocks, paddled back towards that last sight on Crystal to find the group shoving off to move up towards pine. We snagged the site and it all worked out. The second time - same route, went in on Thurs instead of Friday and had the same experiance, every site taken, except the site on Crystal was open. |
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lookout! |
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rayljr1 |
This will be my 7th trip to the BWCA in the last 10 years. I cannot recall ever seeing this few permits available, so I speculate it is very crowded. AND.... I know not everyone follows the rules, so I would bet with all the permits on popular lakes already gone, there will be people camping without permits. I have had a couple of instances where we found a camp very late in the day, when it looked like we might not find one, and we had never asked about the rules before. When I posted about "emergency campsite" I meant somewhere just to stay for the night. Just the basics of shelter set up and of course leave asap in the morning. Reading the reviews, a few of those campsites on Alder, Canoe, Pierz are not very good. While I am not super picky, I do need a site to accommodate a tent and a hammock setup. So if the first site we come to, is pretty bad, I am certainly going to take a chance and look for a better one. After all, I am staying in 1 site the entire week. |
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Lawnchair107 |
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MikeinMpls |
Mike |
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mjmkjun |
Nice, that farthest east campsite on Crystal. |
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jillpine |
Emergency is not: all campsites taken. Paddle on. |
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tumblehome |
lookout!: "As a former ranger who lived on E. Bearskin......automatic ticket" :( No need to talk about the many situations where it might be unavoidable. Severe winds and or storms. Injured or sick camper. Still a ticket. I abhor LE with that sort of attitude. Lazy camper, poor planning, Yup ticket. |