got in trouble for discussing "secret" spots?

[msnyder1112]

Went on my very first overlanding trip last week and I had a blast!!! I loved it and I can't wait until the next....
but....
I'm pretty active on other platforms and when someone asked about suggestions in RRG, I gave my suggestions from experience, only to be met with extreme hostility from what I assume are locals that do not like tourists.
I'm genuinely curious if this is the norm... if I find a good spot/trail, do I keep it hush and hoard it so no one else goes out there?

 

[grubworm]

do what YOU want to do. if you ask, you will more than likely get just the negative comments because negative people seem to be the most active and the most vocal on social media...and in life. the negative folk are not the majority, but they post the majority of the posts and seem to be a bigger group than they are, so you probably wont get an accurate read, anyway. there have already been posts on here with people whining about keeping spots "secret" and justifications that if you tell people, then they will come and ruin it. that can be argued either way...

yeah, if YOU feel like sharing, share. there are folk that will appreciate it and respect it and folk who will chastise you for it.
with all the crap going on in the world...I think sharing a camp spot is the LEAST harmful thing you can do

 

[MidOH]

Spot hoarding is the most selfish and asinine thing an overlander can do.

You dont have to give out your exact spot, but FFS, give some decent route advice.

People have to enjoy the outdoors, to give a damn about saving the outdoors.

If overlanding is bland and boring, because every decent campsite is top secret, then I dont care if they clear cut your forest and put in a HOA housing development.

 

[ThundahBeagle]

I don't disagree with the above, HOWEVER.

Maybe be careful who you give it out to. Yes, everyone here wants to enjoy the outdoors, but some follow Leave No Trace more closely than others. I like the idea of "FFS, give some decent route advice" but maybe in somewhat broad strokes like state, Fire Service Road Number. And if there's someone you feel better about, or trust more, then get more specific like lat/long or some other way to note very specific spots. So, not top secret but a little bit selective. Unless you are on a road more traveled.

I came across someone on one of these boards a while back who was absolutely lambasting someone for giving out specific locations. I got his point but he was very harsh about it. That didn't make sense to me. Then again, some regard these places like fishing holes.

Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park in Maine is rugged and gorgeous. It's also the place where the sun first touches the US in the morning. You see a lot of sensational pictures of couples at the top as the sun rises. Those pictures I tell you are closely cropped to give an air of intimacy. In reality, the amount of people sitting up top during any given sunrise makes it look like a movie theater when the show is over. It's just the way it is now.

 

[msnyder1112]

Thanks all.
I actually found this route based on searching for a hiking trip on Alltrails. It was a short 2.5 mile unpaved, gravel and dirt route with the occasional mud puddle. One section had some ruts but by no means was it destroyed.. it was actually fun.
At the end of the route, there is a trailhead and some campsites.
We hiked the trail, but did not camp there. A user on another outlet asked for suggestions on hiking and camping areas that were remote so I suggested this one but let him know about the wet spots and awd/4x4 might be a good idea if it's rainy. That's when I got "attacked"... so I just wanted to be sure I wasn't in the wrong here as I'm brand new to overlanding/ land exploration and wasn't sure if there is some unwritten.. land hoarding rule. I always ensure I don't cross private property and I always leave places better than I found it and of course I expect the same. If I enjoyed it, I will surely recommend it for others with the assumption that they also are considerate.

It seems that area has more recently become globally recognized which is drawing in more traffic and I'm sure that is hard on locals.

 

[MidOH]

It would be a shame if someone started posting the hoarders location every weekend.

It gets worse. Hunters keep parking in the "park and pack spots", without registering first.

 

[ThundahBeagle]

Thanks all.
I actually found this route based on searching for a hiking trip on Alltrails. It was a short 2.5 mile unpaved, gravel and dirt route with the occasional mud puddle. One section had some ruts but by no means was it destroyed.. it was actually fun.
At the end of the route, there is a trailhead and some campsites.
We hiked the trail, but did not camp there. A user on another outlet asked for suggestions on hiking and camping areas that were remote so I suggested this one but let him know about the wet spots and awd/4x4 might be a good idea if it's rainy. That's when I got "attacked"... so I just wanted to be sure I wasn't in the wrong here as I'm brand new to overlanding/ land exploration and wasn't sure if there is some unwritten.. land hoarding rule. I always ensure I don't cross private property and I always leave places better than I found it and of course I expect the same. If I enjoyed it, I will surely recommend it for others with the assumption that they also are considerate.

It seems that area has more recently become globally recognized which is drawing in more traffic and I'm sure that is hard on locals.

Dude, if it's on AllTrails, then whoever attacked you about it is all wet

 

[msnyder1112]

I guess it got posted on OnX recently....
Guy was saying locals are getting mad and complaining and risk shutting the road down from the public... I call BS.

I guess some other roads out on the DBBB has a guy that actually believes is his and meets people with a shotgun.... Crazy stuff. I just want to enjoy the outdoors without the drama lol

 

[MidOH]

Post his roads GPS location.

Crazy guy with a shotgun sounds like a cool side quest.

 

[Psfracer]

How dare the public be outside where I am….. . That being said I do prefer spots that see very little traffic so I understand. But gatekeeping is a slippery slope if you ask me.

 

[grubworm]

But gatekeeping is a slippery slope if you ask me.

yeah, that's true...
it is ironic that usually the gatekeeper got his information by someone telling him about the "secret" spot and he was fine when he benefited from it, but doesn't want anyone else to get any joy from it.

I once heard a person rave about how good the food and service was at this unknown hole-in-the-wall pizza place and said how they weren't going to tell anyone because then there would be more people and they might have to start waiting in line to eat. lots of folk have that mentality...

when my wife and I find something good, our first thought is "who can we share this with?" we want others to get the same enjoyment we got from something AND I figure that the more people that know about something, the more support it now has and the better chance it has of surviving. guess it can go either way...

 

[MOAK]

5:47 AM? Aren’t you retired yet? It took me 10 years to learn how to sleep in till 7:00. We are currently at site #10 at the South Leyva campsites in Big Bend Ranch State Park- haven’t seen anyone in 3 days. And this is supposed to be busy season. It’s great to be back at it again after spending the last six months with our daughter in South Carolina, but we weren’t leaving until she was declared cancer free!! When we started camping like this back in 98, I shared openly with friends, family and other travelers. Then the internet came along and I stopped with the natural fear that the places would soon be over run. After a few years of not sharing I began sharing again,. No harm will come of it because the folks that would be here and other places we have discovered would be few and far between anyway.

 

[Jim SoG]

I say share away, maybe vis PM and not just a post. That being said, we all share locations via the app.......

Somebody meet me with a shotgun will be met by my 10mm 100% and lets see who walks away!

Jim

 

[msnyder1112]

Post his roads GPS location.

Crazy guy with a shotgun sounds like a cool side quest.

Doesn't it!?
As a responsible and trained firearm owner, I would never go seeking out this character (hence why I don't want to know the exact spot!)... but if I ever come across anyone being hostile towards me/my party, I will absolutely use my right to defend myself.

 

[msnyder1112]

5:47 AM? Aren’t you retired yet? It took me 10 years to learn how to sleep in till 7:00. We are currently at site #10 at the South Leyva campsites in Big Bend Ranch State Park- haven’t seen anyone in 3 days. And this is supposed to be busy season. It’s great to be back at it again after spending the last six months with our daughter in South Carolina, but we weren’t leaving until she was declared cancer free!! When we started camping like this back in 98, I shared openly with friends, family and other travelers. Then the internet came along and I stopped with the natural fear that the places would soon be over run. After a few years of not sharing I began sharing again,. No harm will come of it because the folks that would be here and other places we have discovered would be few and far between anyway. View attachment 302872View attachment 302873View attachment 302873View attachment 302874

So glad to hear your daughter is cancer free! That's a huge win! Congrats!!!!

Pictures are BEAUTIFUL! Right now, with work and other obligations, heading out west is only a dream.
Coincidentally enough, this road I am speaking of is called Big Bend Road near Red River Gorge.

I think I understand now and as being a newbie, I just wanted to make sure I wasn't breaking some unwritten rule.
Thanks all!

 

[ThundahBeagle]

I say share away, maybe vis PM and not just a post. That being said, we all share locations via the app.......

Somebody meet me with a shotgun will be met by my 10mm 100% and lets see who walks away!

Jim

I'm not sure that particular person's claim, so I can not speak to that. But taking the case, for example, of one Mr. Lenny Caron in Andover NH, the property is in his family deed, the railroad was granted access (by easement?), and the railroad now no longer exists. His argument is the property does belong to him and the state had no right to build a new "rail trail" on it, as he has been using it to access his gravel quarry for a long time. He has agreed temporarily to remove jersey barriers he put up but is suing NHDOT in a jury trial. I don't know that he has been wandering around with a shotgun in this case, but sounds like someone is confident in their chances in NH. I'd be interested in seeing how the issue at this other place you mention plays out.

Just because the state or feds say something belongs to them, doesn't mean it belongs to them.

Chances are if someone was walking around their own property with a shotgun already out, and some stranger brandished a handgun still holstered, or "went for it", he would probably already have the drop on you, no matter what you are carrying. I mean, being a long gun he probably has it cradled, and I doubt you are walking around with your pistol in your hand everywhere you hike. He might even be alternating buckshot and 1 oz slugs, if you are particularly unfortunate...

Discretion being the better part of valor, It'd be just as well to say "hey, sorry, it's on the map or I wouldn't have come this way. Which way would you prefer me to go?" And then report him when you are beyond his view.

 

[ThundahBeagle]

@MOAK

Glad your daughter has been given a clean bill of health! May she live a long, healthy, happy life.

Also glad that as a result you are back in the saddle

 

[MOAK]

Thanks- my wife and I have both been quiet about it on any of our social media outlets. Family hardship is just that, Family. She’s doing and has been doing outstanding through it all. She is as damn tough as her mom.