camping spot near Zealand Hut

[cathyf]

I'd like to camp near Zealand hut - too expensive to stay there - and it looks like somewhere near the junction of the A-Z trail and the Zealand trail would work - advice anyone? I'll be going up Zealand trail after work and I won't have time to make it to Guyot, my destination on Saturday.

 

[Peaks]

Yes, there is a bootleg site before the climb up to the trail. If you can't find it, the hut crew should be able to direct you to it.

 

[TJsName]

Follow the AT northbound from the Zealand/Ethan Pond Junction and there is a monster site right after the FPA. Impossible to miss.

 

[JustJoe]

There's also a couple large site on the Ethan Pond Tr. within .25 miles of the junction. Basically in the area I circled.

 

[cathyf]

Thanks all for the good beta!

 

[JoshandBaron]

There are also sites just north of the AZ trail along the west shore of the pond on Zealand Trail.

 

[TJsName]

There's also a couple large site on the Ethan Pond Tr. within .25 miles of the junction. Basically in the area I circled.

Joe and I are talking about the same spot.

 

[dug]

There's a smaller, quieter, harder to find spot before you get to the Ethan Pond Trail. Very hard to see from the trail, but cut into the woods just before the intersection and it's there. The other spot mentioned is good, but I always see people in it.

 

[David Metsky]

Keep in mind that posting stuff like this has led to the FS closing down sites for revegitation in the past. I'm sure they're already aware of the sites but they tend to frown on too much attention being directed to them.

 

[TJsName]

Keep in mind that posting stuff like this has led to the FS closing down sites for revegitation in the past. I'm sure they're already aware of the sites but they tend to frown on too much attention being directed to them.

I do consider that, but the site I've referenced is on the AT and receives significant use. I'm surprised AMC hasn't tried to turn it into a tent site. The nice part about it is that it's close enough to still use the hut's bathrooms (mitigating some of the impact). FS might prefer to leave it open since it reduces the 'demand' for camping at Thoreau Falls.

 

[cathyf]

Keep in mind that posting stuff like this has led to the FS closing down sites for revegitation in the past. I'm sure they're already aware of the sites but they tend to frown on too much attention being directed to them.

I appreciate your concern and warning; I was hoping to find a site that has had some use so as to avoid new impact.

 

[JoshandBaron]

That Ethan Pond Trail site is very well known and publicized. The hut croo will direct people there and it's been on a list of AT stealth sites that's been floating around forever. I've seen literally dozens of people there on some nights. I'd avoid it just based on probably having company.

 

[cathyf]

Would I head toward the pond or on the other side of the trail, away from the pond?

 

[JoshandBaron]

The site I stayed at in August was across the trail from the pond. Pretty obvious herd path up the slope to a descent sized clearing.

 

[Will]

I don't believe real backpackers are abusing these sites, and so publicizing them is no big deal. My understanding is that the FS's petty revenge "revegetation" strategy has pretty much been abandoned.

The problem is that as the paths beaten into them are becoming more obvious, less experienced/educated/civilized hikers are taking advantage of the privacy afforded and using the sites as toilets. Instead of just crapping right off the trails as usual, they're going into the sites and depositing right in the middle, always that perfect flat spot where you wanted to set down your sleeping bag. I'm particularly noticing it on the old logging/tote roads; you take about 20-30 steps in and there it is, neatly centered, with white decoration.

I've always thought that brushing in the paths to these sites was kind of silly but I've come to appreciate the wisdom

 

[peakbagger]

I don't believe real backpackers are abusing these sites, and so publicizing them is no big deal. My understanding is that the FS's petty revenge "revegetation" strategy has pretty much been abandoned.

The problem is that as the paths beaten into them are becoming more obvious, less experienced/educated/civilized hikers are taking advantage of the privacy afforded and using the sites as toilets. Instead of just crapping right off the trails as usual, they're going into the sites and depositing right in the middle, always that perfect flat spot where you wanted to set down your sleeping bag. I'm particularly noticing it on the old logging/tote roads; you take about 20-30 steps in and there it is, neatly centered, with white decoration.

I've always thought that brushing in the paths to these sites was kind of silly but I've come to appreciate the wisdom

Years ago I ran into some trail maintainers who claimed they intentionally left "deposits" in areas that were being rehabilitated and posted no camping. They would intentionally plant rocks in the middle of the flat spaces and over nighters would move them it them if they could, so the "deposit" method was done out of frustration. We happened to be near Ethan Pond Shelter so maybe the tradition continues.

Then again nothing is as disgusting as the the "designated toilet areas" in the smokies at some of the AT shelters. Think acres of "lilies"

 

[Will]

Years ago I ran into some trail maintainers who claimed they intentionally left "deposits" in areas that were being rehabilitated and posted no camping

Could be. But I doubt they'd leave the white flourish. My most recent experience was coming down on Bondcliff about three weeks or so ago. Two old roads within a few hundred yards of each other; the higher was not signed in any way and had a prodigious pile obviously from a well-fed barbarian, coincidentally about 200 feet in from the trail at a perfect flat spot. The lower road WAS signed no camping and was crapless. Just a random data point.

 

[TJsName]

Years ago I ran into some trail maintainers who claimed they intentionally left "deposits" in areas that were being rehabilitated and posted no camping. They would intentionally plant rocks in the middle of the flat spaces and over nighters would move them it them if they could, so the "deposit" method was done out of frustration.

I'd be curious how those trail maintainers rationalized their purported act. This feels like stories of people poisoning dogs. To be clear, the main parallel is that those are both really stupid ideas. In my years of back country camping I've never run into a pile of pooh in a good campsite, but I rarely camp along popular day hike routes.

Given the site in question's proximity to the Zealand Falls hut (and it's free, clean toilets), I suspect is receives less illegal dumping. As for the general risk of posting sites online, I suspect that if someone is thoughtful enough to plan ahead and read through forums to try and find stealth sites, they are more likely to poop properly than someone who does no planning. I'm with Will in thinking that a good chunk of the bad poopers are day hikers, perhaps ones that thought they could hold it, then scurried off trail when the situation became critically urgent. Of course, those are guesses based on assumptions.

 

[JoshandBaron]

I don't believe real backpackers are abusing these sites, and so publicizing them is no big deal. My understanding is that the FS's petty revenge "revegetation" strategy has pretty much been abandoned.

Last year I had rangers post the site I was staying at in the Wild River as I was packing up camp.

 

[cathyf]

Last year I had rangers post the site I was staying at in the Wild River as I was packing up camp.

Wow - I'm surprised at the discussion that my request for backcountry site info generated. I want to report that I ended up staying off the Ethan Pond trail because it sounded easier to find and it was getting dark by the time I got to the A-Z trail. I'm happy to report that I did find the other site on the way out. Both sites were in pretty good shape, only a couple of other campers at Ethan Pond... I was especially concerned because it was not poo that was the problem, but fires. NOAA had issued a special hazardous weather alert because of high winds and dry conditions for Friday, with fires being the main concern. I took it upon myself to make sure that the guys nearest me knew about the alert(they didn't) and inform them of the Dilly fire. They weren't from around here and I told how dry it's been and that having a fire was risky. They didn't put it out right away but didn't let it get much bigger...and promised to make sure it was out at the end of evening. I still didn't sleep that well that night knowing that these yahoos had fires at all given the wind. I was glad I was there to at least warn them. Maybe that site is too obvious if it attracts people with such disregard for safety.