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Old 04-13-2012, 10:45 AM
 
69 posts, read 173,698 times
Reputation: 56

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I was wondering in your opinion where is the safest place to go camping. I am not talking about the places where you have to pay money either.
I was looking at places that have foothill's or mountains in more or less the southern region area like: AK, AL, GA, east OK, south of MS... Hopefully you get the idea.
Anyway I look forward to hearing your kind advice.
Thank you.
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Old 04-13-2012, 11:07 AM
 
Location: ๏̯͡๏﴿ Gwinnett-That's a Civil Matter-County
2,118 posts, read 6,344,543 times
Reputation: 3547
I have become an avid boondocker. Boondocking is when you find your own (free) campsite, typically vehicle or rv camping. And usually it refers to camping in National forests, where it is normally allowed everywhere except for private property and locations where it is posted no camping. (There are some other rules and restrictions). Although boondocking can also refer to walmart and truckstop parking lots but that's obviously not what you had in mind.

So the question is, are you looking to go backpacking (on foot) or boondocking (in a vehicle)?

You'll also have to define "safe".
The last campground I stayed overnight at was last 4th of july. It was a Forest Service campground 8 miles away from the nearest cell phone signal. Other campers were setting off fireworks at 2 in the morning. There were no rangers and no way to call the authorities. They could have robbed and shot everyone and got away with it. That's when I kinda decided to avoid campgrounds once and for all.

Campgrounds are also bear magnets.

So if you ask me, the safest locations are the ones with the fewest campers and no mounds of trash bags and overflowing trash containers. Also, not next to rivers or where there could be a flash flood. Look for dead branches overhead. Look for posted signs. If it's off a road/trail, leave room for other vehicles to get around. Tell someone your plans and give them lat/long coordinates when you find a site. Leave the site in the same condition (or better) that you found it.

I have some locations with some incredible views and reasonably good 2wd access. There's a zero percent chance that I will post them on the internet but I can recommend some forests if you're interested.
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Old 04-13-2012, 03:45 PM
 
69 posts, read 173,698 times
Reputation: 56
Quote:
Originally Posted by cittic10 View Post
I have become an avid boondocker. Boondocking is when you find your own (free) campsite, typically vehicle or rv camping. And usually it refers to camping in National forests, where it is normally allowed everywhere except for private property and locations where it is posted no camping. (There are some other rules and restrictions). Although boondocking can also refer to walmart and truckstop parking lots but that's obviously not what you had in mind.

So the question is, are you looking to go backpacking (on foot) or boondocking (in a vehicle)?

You'll also have to define "safe".
The last campground I stayed overnight at was last 4th of july. It was a Forest Service campground 8 miles away from the nearest cell phone signal. Other campers were setting off fireworks at 2 in the morning. There were no rangers and no way to call the authorities. They could have robbed and shot everyone and got away with it. That's when I kinda decided to avoid campgrounds once and for all.

Campgrounds are also bear magnets.

So if you ask me, the safest locations are the ones with the fewest campers and no mounds of trash bags and overflowing trash containers. Also, not next to rivers or where there could be a flash flood. Look for dead branches overhead. Look for posted signs. If it's off a road/trail, leave room for other vehicles to get around. Tell someone your plans and give them lat/long coordinates when you find a site. Leave the site in the same condition (or better) that you found it.

I have some locations with some incredible views and reasonably good 2wd access. There's a zero percent chance that I will post them on the internet but I can recommend some forests if you're interested.
Thank you so much my friend, I was going to go by foot and being that I am a lady I want to be sure that I will be in the safest area. I am going to print up what you said here so I can not be around too many bears I realize that there are a lot of wild and crazy animals out there but I don't want to camp in a place where I could get hurt. I ran this idea by a friend of mine and she said that there are some people that live in the woods and I don't want to run into them either as I don't want to get hurt in anyway, obvously.
Thank you again you have been a big help.
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Old 04-13-2012, 03:59 PM
 
Location: ๏̯͡๏﴿ Gwinnett-That's a Civil Matter-County
2,118 posts, read 6,344,543 times
Reputation: 3547
Quote:
Originally Posted by tulip_dove View Post
Thank you so much my friend, I was going to go by foot and being that I am a lady I want to be sure that I will be in the safest area. I am going to print up what you said here so I can not be around too many bears I realize that there are a lot of wild and crazy animals out there but I don't want to camp in a place where I could get hurt. I ran this idea by a friend of mine and she said that there are some people that live in the woods and I don't want to run into them either as I don't want to get hurt in anyway, obvously.
Thank you again you have been a big help.
If you're going to go backpacking for the first time, I would highly recommend going with a group so you can learn the basics before camping on your own.

Encountering wildlife is somewhat of a rare treat but you should familiarize yourself with the do's and don'ts before you head out.

As for people living in the woods... aside from sasquatches, private property owners and people that are growing marijuana on public lands, I am not aware of any such people. Common sense will go a long way and there are a lot of parks with designated trails for backcountry camping.

Go with a group. Tell someone your plans.
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Old 04-13-2012, 10:27 PM
 
69 posts, read 173,698 times
Reputation: 56
Quote:
Originally Posted by cittic10 View Post
If you're going to go backpacking for the first time, I would highly recommend going with a group so you can learn the basics before camping on your own.

Encountering wildlife is somewhat of a rare treat but you should familiarize yourself with the do's and don'ts before you head out.

As for people living in the woods... aside from sasquatches, private property owners and people that are growing marijuana on public lands, I am not aware of any such people. Common sense will go a long way and there are a lot of parks with designated trails for backcountry camping.

Go with a group. Tell someone your plans.
Thank you so much for all of your advice.
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