AboutWounded Knee Expertise I can advise on anything having to do with hiking and backpacking skills and equipment, including map and compass and orienteering skills. I cannot advise on the use of GPS devices. I cannot advise on car camping or group camping (10 or more people). My primary geographic expertise is in the US Northeast, but I know how to find information on hiking and backpacking just about anywhere.
Experience I've been hiking and backpacking for about 40 years, including ongoing section hiking of the Appalachian Trail (almost 1300 miles so far). I have hiked extensively in the New York Metropolitan Area, as well as various other areas from Virginia north, including upstate New York, New England, and Eastern Canada.
Publications New York Walk Book, 7th Ed. New Jersey Walk Book, 2nd Ed.
Education/Credentials Not applicable to this area of expertise.
I've seen some of your (very helpful) posts about Harriman, and had some questions I was hoping you could help with. In many cases, you reference stealth camping off-trail. As one of the biggest things I like about being in the woods is the solitude, I'm considering doing a bit of this. I would be practicing strict Leave No Trace, and have no intentions of partying around a bonfire or any such thing. However, I do have a couple of questions I was hoping you could answer for me:
1) What is the penalty for stealth camping if one were to be caught?
2) How likely is one to be caught? I haven't seen any rangers in the park before, that certainly doesn't mean that they aren't out there patrolling. I'd be in the vicinity of Pine Meadow Lake. Clearly there are any number of variables that go into this, but any help is appreciated.
Thank you much for your continued valuable information about the area.
Answer I have stealth camped at Pine Meadow Lake -- lot's of folks do it and there are a lot of places that you can use. BUT -- the only place that I can recall having met a park official in the Harriman back country was at Pine Meadow Lake, where I had ticked him off by swimming (again, lots of folks do it). Most likely you'd be told to move on, but I've never heard of this or anything similar happening to anyone, so I do not know what the penalty actually is. This is no guarantee that it has never happened, or more to the point, that it won't happen to you.
I think that that more important issue is your desire for solitude. Pine Meadow Lake is very popular -- on any reasonably pleasant weekend day, you will be very likely to meet lots of folks on the trail, particularly if you approach from the Reeves Meadow Visitor Center. You may want to consider camping someplace like Lake Skenonte or Turkey Hill Pond, both of which are very pleasant but less popular. Also, keep in mind that some of the formal camping areas are used less that others, so you can get a modicum of solitude even at a shelter. For example, the Big Hill and Stone Memorial shelters are worth visiting for a more solitary camping experience. If you've read my previous answers on camping in Harriman, you're probably aware of the lack of water at most designated camping areas, which is one of the reasons why many folks stealth camp in the first place.
