sleeping in your car

[Lucky Laura]

I forgot my tent poles the other night so I slept in my Saturn sedan at the Oliverian Brook Trail (My back seat folds down and with mattress, I am pretty cozy with my legs extended in to the trunk). At midnight, I heard a car arrive and by the large spotlights, I could tell it was the forest service. I tucked myself into the trunk and grabbed my pillow. The ranger didn't see me but he spent a good 10 minutes flashing his spotlight in the woods all around the parking lot. Summer time is too hot to be in the car anyway.

 

[Andrew]

When I was down at Monadnock, it was pretty obvious from the condensation when someone had slept in their car. Being a hiker I understood what was going on and tried to be as accomodating as possible when I encountered a sleeper in the day use lot in the am. I usually just asked for them to pay for the day use fee for the day before and of if they had arrived before midnight. If no tent was set up, no fire kindled, I saw it as no impact greater than that of typical day use. Of course if folks showed up to stay overnite, I tried to sell them a campsite, and what I described is not something that I would advertise as a broadly welcomed use.

 

[Paradox]

In my truck or van I can sleep in the back and nobody would know I was back there. if you're reclining in your front seat, you might appear drunk or dead. You would certainly be visible and, at best, be considered camping at a trailhead.

Just this past weekend I had my first encounter with police on the Caribou Pond Road in Maine. I was about 500 feet from Route 27 at 8pm when a cruiser rolled by and he kept going. He came back about 10 minutes later. Clearly he had not gone very far up the road. Again he kept going. At about 10pm I was woken from a sound sleep from tapping on the window, and a cop was asking if I was alright. I mumbled that I was, and was meeting friends for hiking the next morning. He asked if I was the owner of the vehicle. I said "yes" and asked if he wanted to see it. He said "No, have a nice hike tomorrow." and left. There was no signs of alcohol visible.

I seems, it is alright to sleep in your car on the CPR.

 

[MichaelJ]

I seems, it is alright to sleep in your car on the CPR.

Last time I was on CVR, folks had a small camper (the kind that fits on the bed of a huge pickup truck) and were parked in the "lot" before the steel grate bridge. They had been there a couple days and were going to be there a couple more. No problems reported.

This truck was parked in the same area, though there was definitely nobody sleeping in it:

 

[Hikerfisher73]

I've seen the police shining their lights at cars at the Appalachia trailhead several times. Not sure if they were looking for sleepers or riff-raff. No troubles when sleeping in my pick-up, but I'm curious to see how I'll make out in the wagon.