How to know if i can camp

[pacwar]

Hello all, im new here and new to the world of hiking/backpacking. I have a quick question that im having a trouble finding an answer to. How do i know if i can camp in the trail that im in? There is a local hiking trail (Berea ky forest trail, 6.5mi) and me and a few friends are wanting to test out our gear and see some sights, along with staying the night. But i dont know if we can stay in the forest or not. Trying to find information on the trail and not much luck. So what do you all do if you don't know if you can stay the night?

[pacwar]

After some more poking around, I found my answer to my own question. Had to figure out who owned the land then see what restrictions that have. still had a hard time finding it but now i know you cannot camp in berea forest trail. Oh well back to the drawing board for a new location.

[Gary M]

After some more poking around, I found my answer to my own question. Had to figure out who owned the land then see what restrictions that have. still had a hard time finding it but now i know you cannot camp in berea forest trail. Oh well back to the drawing board for a new location.

Glad to hear you are not going to give up! Certainly there should be some local parks that you camp in and test both your gear and your ability.

Have patience, and don't give up. I can tell you the first time I took my wife camping 34 plus years ago it was a disaster. We got to the location late, and I put up her old tent in the dark. It was a monster of a tent, very heavy with the old Coleman tube style supports. After trying about an hour I was exhausted, and just wanted to give up. I finally got the tent up and avoided a premature divorce. But we had a great time and I still think about that crazy first trip together.

Gary M

Olathe, Kansas

[Shaun Squid]

Yes, finding out who owns the land is a good starter. It is often complicated to find out if you can camp somewhere. I have found that the two sites below are great resources. You can run a search for trails based on your location with whatever features you want (camping, fishing, bird watching, waterfalls, etc.) Also do a quick amazon search for backpacking in your state (and others if you are near a border). I live in California and was able to pick up 3-4 books for $20 that cover just about every trail I could hope to tackle. Hope this helps.

http://www.everytrail.com/

http://alltrails.com/

Edited February 26, 2015 by Shaun Squid