Northern California No Reservations Camping List

[borabora]

I am wondering if there is enough interest in building a NorCal list of places to camp that do not take or require reservations. I am thinking of basic information such as location, services, cost, cell coverage, and if available a link. I am imagining that people cut and paste the growing list into their latest post and then append their new campgrounds/BLM locations to the list. And, of course, people can add comments to already listed locations.
Is this the place (assuming there is sufficient interest) or does such a list belong in "about that Adventure?"

 

[lickwid]

I'd be interested in this. Free or low cost places. I usually check The Dyrt, Campendium, or freecampsites.net for finding places. I think part of the problem is that people who have places, don't want to share it publicly, to keep it secret to themselves. Totally fair though. We were up in Truckee/North Lake Tahoe and had a hell of a time finding a good spot to boondock. With the limited camping spots available right now b/c of Covid, and with many fire roads closed, it's been a challenge to say the least.

 

[avanti]

Wouldn't it make more sense to contribute to one of the many existing projects that accumulate such data nationwide? Easy enough to filter geographically. Lots of them have regressive data-sharing policies ("give is your stuff and we own it"), but some of them must be acceptable on this dimension.

 

[borabora]

That people don't want to share is definitely real and I don't blame them. I think this subforum is so low volume that I am not too worried about sharing my favorites but I don't have a long list.
Free is great but I don't want to focus on it. Legal and free is pretty much only BLM land and is listed by BLM. People also are less likely to contribute their favorite free place because there are so few.
I haven't found any places on the internet that specialize in no-reservation and van-centric camping. If you have the time to plan for reservations then there are plenty of resources. If you are looking for a place to spend a night or two then it seems slim pickings. I think it's a lot easier to work off a list and then do more research based on the location than to start the search by defining constraints. Maybe that's just me.

 

[autostaretx]

I think this subforum is so low volume that I am not too worried about sharing my favorites but I don't have a long list.

Since this forum is visible to Google, "the whole world is watching".

"Security by obscurity" might work if we phrased "finds" as "watch out for bad fuel on Forest Road 782 near Tahoe"
(or "Rocks in a ring at MP 8 on FR 782") ((that's a fictitious example))

--dick (who depends upon his DeLorme Gazetteer for obscure locations)

 

[sprint2freedom]

Sharing both helps and hurts. Since 2020, the existing trend has accelerated- there are many more people searching for free camping, and many free camp areas are overrun even on weekdays. While I appreciate the public service these sites provide, their exploding popularity has drastically changed the landscape and what used to be serene spots with one or two other parties have become crowded with amateurs who don't know the etiquette, don't follow the rules, and in many cases don't even know whose land they're on.

Learn to do your own research, then find the free sites yourself. In many cases you still won't be alone, but at least it won't be such a circus. I usually check the existing sites to make sure my planned camp spot is not on it.

You can bet that any places discussed here will be "helpfully" added to those aggregator sites by some promoter and turned into a trash pile and open sewer in no time.

 

[avanti]

I haven't found any places on the internet that specialize in no-reservation and van-centric camping.

One random example (there are several others):

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My only problem with these guys is that they attempt to claim ownership of contributed data. This is B.S. in the US, though, since it is merely a database of facts, not a "creative work".

 

[VanGoSki]

You can bet that any places discussed here will be "helpfully" added to those aggregator sites by some promoter and turned into a trash pile and open sewer in no time.

Or just shut-down.

 

[mve]

I was thinking that putting this type of info behind a paywall could limit the exposure and encourage responsible use, but then again, it'll leak eventually. Personally, I just want to get away from the crowds and have some level of certainty that my short time off will be spent doing fun stuff instead of driving in circles looking at topo maps.

 

[borabora]

Well, I sense general push back on the idea for perfectly understandable reasons. So I won't start the list. Too bad.
I was tempted to also propose a "camping while driving to Alaska" thread but I think everyone who plans on driving to the far North should just invest in the "Milepost" publication.
Back to your regularly scheduled program...

 

[lickwid]

I think even a single post like this allows for someone to post something like, "I'm heading out to Yosemite this weekend, anyone have any good safe boondocking spots near the South or West entrance? Please send me a private message if you're willing to share." This would cut down on the clutter of a separate thread for each such request.

BTW, we took a quick weekend getaway to Yosemite this past weekend and boondocked at a PG&E parking lot right on Bass Lake. Awesome experience. Clean bathrooms w/ running water, lighted parking lot, and literally 50 yards from the lake. There were some people fishing, but most left by midnight. And it was only a short 40 min. drive into the south gate.