NEWS RELEASES
Wyoming National Forest To Restrict Dispersed Camping
Editor's Note: This news item was retrieved and first published through Buckrail - Jackson Wyoming News' website.
JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. – Buckrail, a local news outlet in the Jackson Hole/Teton region, reports that the Bridger-Teton National Forest is implementing new restrictions on dispersed camping in order to reduce overcrowding at popular sites as well as the risk of wildfires. The new regulations will require camping vehicles to park in designated sites in several areas of the forest, including the Spread Creek/Toppings Lake drainages, Shadow Mountain, lower Gros Ventre drainage, and the Curtis Canyon/lower Flat Creek drainage. Camping stays will be limited to five days in the Spread Creek/Toppings drainages next year between May 1st and Labor Day. Overnight camping will be eliminated in the area around the Curtis Canyon campground and the Gros Ventre Wedding Tree which will now be managed for day use only. Most campsites in the forest are first come, first served.
Rangers say overcrowded camping sites in the national forest, which is close to Jackson Hole and the Grand Teton National Park, has had several undesirable impacts, notably unattended campfires, food storage and litter violations, public safety concerns, improper human sanitation, and damage to soil and vegetation from off-route motor vehicle use. The large number of abandoned campfires is of particular concern, as they are associated with wildfires. New signing, maps, website information, site work, and a corps of forest ambassadors will be in place for 2019.
Blackrock District Ranger Todd Stiles told Buckrail that the aim is not to reduce the public’s camping opportunities but to improve overall resource conditions and the visitor experience. “We are committed to being able to adapt how camping is managed over time to accommodate people to the maximum extent possible while sustaining the land and experiences that make people want to return,” he said.