Isle Royale Forums

I'm considering doing a Mon-Fri backpacking hike from Rock Harbor Sept 17-21. What are the rules/regs concerning where I can hang my hammock ... does it have to be in designated camping areas, or can I do it anywhere in the backcountry?

Information on Backcountry Camping Zones and Backcountry Camping Permits from the Isle Royale National Park Service....
http://isleroyaleforums.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=1057

If you want to "backcountry" camp, you need to get a backcountry approval on your permit. There are specific areas that you can do this in and regs to go along with it.
One of the regs is you may only camp backcountry on the particular night you put on your permit with in the area you request.

I've looked and haven't been able to find anything saying hammocks aren't allowed. I've personally seen hammocks used at 1 campground and pictures of others in trip reports. I would think as long as you're using straps, you're good to go.

I took a trip a month ago where myself and my two companions had hammocks. We used tree straps.

We found that not all sites were good for hammocks, though for us the group sites were the best.

Technically it's up to each park to allow hammocks or not, but I work for the NPS and I know a lot of Rangers that camp in hammocks. My advice is don't ask, just do you best to be a respectful camper and have fun:)

I had planned to use a hammock on a previous trip. I made the mistake of calling and asking. The lady I talked with said hammocks are not allowed.
The first night at 3 Mile the young guy in the next site was using a hammock.

johnhens wrote: One of the regs is you may only camp backcountry on the particular night you put on your permit with in the area you request.

I know there are cross-country regs that apply to all national parks. I'm not sure if these regs have been tweaked for IR, such as the limit for a one-nite stay at any particular spot, as I'm pretty sure North Cascades allows multiple nites, mostly geared for mountaineers.

Since your registered itinerary is a tentative plan upon which you are free to improvise, sometimes by necessity as dictated by the weather or minor injury, i expect that the rangers at IR would allow a tiny bit of deviation as to the date(s) on which u cross-country camp in a zone.

Can u tweak the zone u actually stay in? Only if there is some type of emergency or dire safety predicament, probably akin to the need to set up camp off-trail when u haven't been approved for cross-country camping at all. No discretion exercised there.

When i did "zone" camping, I also would refer to it as "backcountry" camping; park staff told me 3mile camp is "backcountry" camping. Folks staying at the Rock Harbor Lodge are visitors. The rest of us are "going into the backcountry" (the park being designated 99% wilderness), which requires that we be issued a backcountry permIt that identifies our planned camping itinerary. So the zone camping is "cross-country".

I've heard of cow moose (sometimes with their calf) sleeping up against the back of shelters in a really bad storm, especially at 3Mile camp, the back wall of the shelter being the only thing separating your head from theirs. I wonder if they've been issued a "backcountry" permit for that particular nite? Just as long as they don't snore any louder than my cousin, my vote would be to skip the paperwork.

bergman wrote:i expect that the rangers at IR would allow a tiny bit of deviation as to the date(s) on which u cross-country camp in a zone

Only if the potential date deviation is pre-arranged, ranger approved, and written on your permit.

Thanks for clearing that up. I'd hate to lead someone into a $125+ citation, which can really put a damper on an enjoyable trip.

For the unwary:

The "special rules" for cross-country camping at IsleRoyale do NOT specify that u can only do it on the particular date on which u are approved. Those regulations, specifically rule #2, reads:

"Camping is permitted only in zones identified on your camping permit and the attached cross-country zone map."

However, Regulation #4 on the Backcountry Camping Permit reads:

"Cross-country camping is permitted only if pre-registered with a park ranger for the zone and date on the permit. Special rules apply."

IncaRoads wrote:

bergman wrote:i expect that the rangers at IR would allow a tiny bit of deviation as to the date(s) on which u cross-country camp in a zone

Only if the potential date deviation is pre-arranged, ranger approved, and written on your permit.

When you are camping off-trail consider yourself on a railroad time table. You have to have written approval for each specific night in each specific zone. No deviation is allowed without written approval. Don't get sick, break a leg, change your mind or run into any other problems that would cause a change in schedule. They are actually more lenient about on-trail, in-campground variations.

slosteppin wrote:I had planned to use a hammock on a previous trip. I made the mistake of calling and asking. The lady I talked with said hammocks are not allowed.
The first night at 3 Mile the young guy in the next site was using a hammock.

It must depend on who you get on the other end of the phone. I called last year with the same question and was told it was allowed as long as you remained on the impact area of the designated camp site. The ranger did however try to dissuade me from using it...somthing about the heavy dew in the mornings...not understanding the purpose of a rainfly, I guess.