A Handy Guide to Camping on Forbidden Turf: New at Reason

In his column from Reason‘s July issue, J.D. Tuccille offers a handy guide to camping on forbidden turf:

Grand Canyon National Park is a common destination for stealth trips, since backpacking there requires permits that are restrictive as to time and location. Inspiration sometimes moves you at odd moments, especially when you’re already camping on the north rim of the canyon on relatively unregulated Forest Service land. Since you generally have to apply for permits months ahead of time, a sudden yen for an overnight trip into the canyon itself is hard to satisfy on the spur of the moment—if you do things by the book.

Which we don’t.

The key to getting away with stealth camping, especially when rangers are on the lookout for the likes of you, is keeping a low profile. When possible, my hiking partners and I limit ourselves to daypacks and what we can fit in them. That means little more than water, some cold food, and a very compact sleeping bag. It’s actually excellent practice for shedding unnecessary junk and keeping the load light. And we’re good at it: We’ve never gotten caught, and as far as I know none of our friends have either.

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