questions about NP camping/requirements

Hey everyone! I'm new to this so i hope this is the right place to post this...anyways i am planning a road trip in the summer and i was wondering about limitations, since i am a minor (16-turning 17 during the 2/3 month trip). For example, i know i *probably* wont be able to get a hotel room or rent anything (canoe, raft, horse, etc.) or anything like that, but what about camping in a national park? would i have a problem with that? i was planning on sleeping in the car for alot of it, but i think 2-3 months of that might get to be way too much of that...so i am going to bring camping stuff. what do you think? what other things do i have to consider since i'm a minor?

by the way, if anyone was wondering my route is from the MI upper peninsula through WI, MN, and ND, then to SD, through WY, then north through western MT, south through ID, west through OR, north to WA, south on the coast highway to san francisco, then through eastern california, then through NV, UT, AZ,and CO, south through NM to TX and from there im undecided on the route home, but the parks i will be to are theodore roosevelt, wind cave, badlands, thunder basin ntl grassland, grand teton, yellowstone, glacier, crater lake, north cascades, olympia, redwood, yosemite, kings canyon, death valley, great basin, zion, bryce canyon, capitol reef, canyonlands, arches, mesa verde, grand canyon, blk canyon of the gunnison, rocky mtns(?), great sand dunes, carlsbad, guadalope mtns, and big bend. i may be forgetting one or two but thats the gist of it.

Welcome to the RoadTrip America Forum!

I'm going to overlook the minor thing for a moment and ask a few questions:
Will this be your first roadtrip?
Have you ever traveled long distances for extended periods of time before?
What is your budget?

Now, on to the "minor" stuff:
You will likely have a very difficult to impossible time finding a place to stay being a minor. Most if not all places have a minimum age limit of 18 years old. There may be additional questions about the validity of your driver's license and/or restrictions on under-18 drivers in some of the states you will be traveling to.

A 2 or 3 month trip is a huge undertaking for most people, and even more so for those inexperienced.

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

I did a little poking around and surprisingly, though the details vary just a bit, almost all state and national parks will have absolutely no problem with you camping solo. The adult/child cutoff for such purposes seams to be around 14-15. I guess if you can drive in, you qualify. It might be worth a call in to the National Park Service (NPS) to make sure, but I think you'll be OK.

What will definitely NOT be worthwhile is sleeping in the car at random locations, especially rest areas, side roads, random spots on 'vacant' land. Those are all high risk locations and you would simply be asking for trouble. Seriously, you need to be in a designated camping area every night, preferably one with routine patrols through the night.

You're right. At 16/17 NO reputable motel is going to rent you a room. The other major thing you're going to have to think about is medical care. You will NOT be able to give consent for ANY medical treatment and even a hospital emergency room will be unable to give you any care except in a truly life threatening situation. I would suggest that you ask your own local hospital or doctor what forms they have that your parents can fill out and get notarized that authorize in their behalf should you need it. And make sure that you have an insurance card and a cell phone.

AZBuck

hey thanks for the response!

i go on road trips fairly often, but not alone. The most i have ever travelled in a day is maybe 12 hours (the most ive ever driven in a day maybe being 6 or 7 hours)...so i dont think thats a big problem (im going to budget for 15000 miles (yes i know thats a little crazy)), so ill have to drive maybe 3 hours a day, which i dont think is bad at all and it gives me plenty of time to see what i want to see. Im thinking i can get by on about $1500 besides gas (which will be a good 2500). I plan on spending little to nothing for lodging and eating very cheaply.

What kind of restrictions on my license would there be?

and yeah i looked a bit on their website and anyone over 15 needs a pass to get in the park, but i didnt know if that meant that they were considered an adult or what....would a signed note from my parents change things if i have any trouble?

are rest areas really that bad as people say? i've slept overnight at rest areas several times and never had any problems...do you think any populated place would be ok? like a truck stop or gas station with someone working there 24/7.

i didnt think about medical stuff...i guess being away for that long and being 2000 miles away makes it an issue....ill have to look into that. thank you!!

I have to ask - are your parents OK with your plans? Please, no offense, but if I were your dad I sure wouldn't be for something of this grand a scope solo. I *WOULD* allow you to go WITH a friend who is at least 18 and I'd give him/her a power of attorney for emergencies.

Thanks for the concern but If my parents weren't ok with it, I obviously would not be going...it's still up for discussion though I think it can be worked out. And yes, going with someone would be more practical, safer, maybe more fun at times, and cheaper. But then I have to worry about more than just what I want to do. Besides, not alot of people can just take off for an entire summer (which is why I don't want to wait any longer than I need to) and I would never have complete solitude, which would be very nice to have every now and then. I guess I just prefer doing things alone too.

I'm sure there is some other way to get around the medical stuff so I can take care of an emergency, i'd have to talk to my parents about that though.

Nearly every state has some sort of "graduated" license program, where you don't get a full license to drive until you are 18 and/or have 2 years of experience behind the wheel. Those typically include restrictions on what hours you can drive, how many people can be in the car, no cell phone use, etc. Limits on driving after dark would be the most likely to affect you.

Yes, staying in rest areas is every bit as dangerous as has been stated. Frankly, you've been lucky not to have problems thus far. Rest areas are typically located in remote locations, where its easy to quickly get away - basically making someone sleeping in a car a sitting duck for a criminal. People have been seriously injured and killed, and they are hard cases to ever be solved. Truck stops, that are well lit, have frequent traffic, and are typically patroled by security are a much safer alternative.

I'll be honest, IMHO, when you consider the serious handicaps of things like never being able to rent a motel room and having many things you simply can't do, not to mention the complications if the worst happens, I think you would be much better off waiting until you are 18 to do a trip of this size and scope. You sound like you have the maturity needed to do a trip like this, I just think you'll find the whole thing to be much easier and more enjoyable a year later.

Thanks for the response! yeah the hours vary but typically you cant drive alone from midnight to 5 or 6 AM under 18, that might be annoying every now and then but im not really concerned about that (or any other restrictions...i wont have anyone with me and being in the car for only a few hours a day, i'll have plenty of time to use my cell other than when driving) at all.

Come to think of it....most of the rest areas i've been to are right by the woods in a somehwat remote area....so i'll take note to not choose those spots to sleep in. So i basically want to find somehwere where it's going to be lit/patroled all the time.

I agree with you about waiting, if it wasnt for probably being crazy busy the following years...with more school/job comittments it's going to be nearly imbossible to be gone for so long. Besides, this is part of the fun, right? yeah yeah i know i won't think that when i cant find a place to stop and all that but It just makes sense to me to do it as early as possible, while still being able to do most of what i want to do. Other than renting anything i really dont know what else there is to consider...i purposely plan to bypass all the major towns because of my age there won't be much i want to do (LA, vegas, most of san fransisco, denver, etc...) and besides, im trying to do this as cheaply as possible and my main attraction is the wilderness....not the people.

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Originally Posted by mckentie

So i basically want to find somehwere where it's going to be lit/patroled all the time.

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And that would be truckstops. But these typically will not be near wilderness areas. They are mainly, but not exclusively, along the interstates.

Here is a great resource to check which truck stops make RVs welcome. Be sure to park in the RV overnight area. Tucked in between two large RVs usually blocks out a lot of the bright lights. And let someone at reception know that you will be staying overnight.

Lifey

ok thank you!! One more question if anyone knows the answer, what is the NPS's definition of a 'backcountry campsite'? (which you need a special permit for) does this mean you're allowed to set up camp anywhere you want in the park?

It depends upon the location.

Many times national parks will have designated campsites in the backcountry, for those who want to go on significant hikes and camp. Typically, within a national park you are quite restricted on where you can camp.

National forests are far more open to what is called dispersed camping. Many forests allow you to set up camp, for free, almost anywhere in the forest. The big thing you need to do, however, is to check with the rangers to find out the restrictions. Typically, you need to be a significant distance away from any roads and waterways. There can also be restrictions on fires, and of course, there are no services and everything is pack in/pack out.

Ohk cool..that's the impression i got but i just wanted to make sure. thank you!

If you are going to be hiking and/or camping in remote areas and/or away from organized campgrounds, make sure you check in and out with the rangers. This is ESPECIALLY important if you are solo. Cell phone coverage is very unlikely. I may be overly cautious, but I personally wouldn't do it without a GPS and a satphone or EPIRB/GPIRB/PLB.

Bravo being so brave and doing this so young!! Im impressed!! And good on your parents for giving you the OK!! Have you considered couchsurfing for some of this trip? You should have no problem finding places since you are a party of 1!! This is with people in their homes so age shouldn't come into it. Good luck on this trip of a lifetime!! (check that you can use the couchsurfing site at under 18 - otherwise your parents may need to make bookings for you)

Whereas a solo roadtrip is mostly a wonderful experience, all good courses and literature on hiking will caution, and many will actively discourage solo backcountry hiking. Especially for the inexperienced. A party of four is recommended for safety, and two is the absolute minimum.

If you have significant hiking experience (doubtful at your age), and / or have done advanced hiking training and bush survival skills, you may be OK. Without those, I would urge you not to go off the beaten track. If the main purpose is to find free camping spots, you may find yourself paying a very high price.

Glc's suggestion of getting an EPIRB or similar, though good advice, is really no substitute for the experience needed to tackle backcountry hiking on your own. And no experienced hiker would set out without good topographical maps, and the ability to read them.

Lifey

I don't plan on doing too much hiking outside the main trails (which usually have plenty of people on them, right?), but i will at least get a gps and make sure i have maps, compass, things like that. I don't have alot of training but i have some experience and with some common sense i think i'll be fine. thank you for the suggestions...but i'll admit i have no idea what a EPIRB is and what i would use one for. I will definitely look into that though. And the couchsurfing thing! i've never heard of that either but ill give it a look. thank you all!!! i appreciate it

An EPIRB is an emergency locator beacon usually found on boats and aircraft, a GPIRB also has a GPS in it (A PLB is the least expensive of those devices - it stands for "personal locator beacon"). It's invaluable if something happens and you need help. If you are solo, you won't have a buddy with you to go find help. If you stay on the marked trails, check in and out with the rangers, and stick to established campsites, you should be fine. If you want to go camp back in the woods, be SURE to check with the rangers. Their job revolves around visitor safety.

If you are planning to stick to the main trails within a national park, then you should be fine.

The concern would be if you are thinking about doing any backcountry hiking - which is pretty much required if you are hoping to do any (free) dispersed camping. That pretty much requires you to get well off the beaten path, and that's where you can really run into danger. Frankly, common sense would pretty much say you shouldn't do it at all unless you have a lot of experience, but if you are, then a beacon device is a bare minimum to at least help you get help if you have an accident. Its a lot better than having to cut off your own arm, 127 hours style!

Couchsurfing is something to look into, but you might run into a problem, as it really is supposed to be a two way street - where you both get rooms on the road, but also host people at your own place. At the very least, you'll need to build a relationship with your host and its fairly common courtesy to take them out to dinner or otherwise provide a gift of thanks which its an affordable lodging option, but certainly not free.

OK thank you guys! i appreciate the advice. I'll see about a locator and maybe that's what i'll end up getting. By the way, free camping is not the reason i'd want to do any backcountry hiking, so it isn't like i'll be dependant on going off and doing something that could be stupid...camping at the main campsites is pretty cheap anyways and if i can get electricity and a shower out of the deal too then it would be worthwhile, at least for a good bit of the time.
And yeah, i'm not really sure about the couchsurfing thing, especially being a minor-staying at someone's house might feel weird... no offense to anyone who does this haha. I'm not really too concerned about going the absolute cheapest route. I WOULD like to make it as cheap as i practically can, but im not expecting to do everything for free.

I think you have the right idea, but I would be a bit concerned about your budget then. You mentioned wanting to keep your budget to about $1500 - if you do this for 2 months, that's just $25 a day. If you did it for 3 months, that's only $17 a day.

Its getting very hard to find campgrounds that charge less than $20 a night, and that's practically your whole budget not including food, supplies and entertainment. Again, not something that can't be overcome, but it is something you'll have to keep a close eye on.