National Park campgrounds and trails

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thesmiths

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Hi there - bit of an odd question, but do the majority of the NP campgrounds have trails that lead straight off it/very close by? 

Also, as a side question, if you boondock in a NP (with the ranger's consent) are the places where they direct you near to trails etc too?

My reason for asking, in case it makes any difference, is that we would have an RV but no toad, so would ideally want to be able to get to trails without having to pack up and drive each day.

Oh, and as a side question, are you able to cycle on trails or are they just for walking?

Thank you.
 
I doubt if one could generalize an answer to that question. While nearly all National Parks have trails, the location of the campground is determined by terrain, roads, water electric and sewer lines, etc. They may or may not be near any trail and certainly not near all the trails the park may have to offer.  I would say it is common to have at least a short walking trail adjacent to a campground, but the more major trailheads are probably NOT located there.

I don't know if there is a general NPS policy on hiking vs riding a trail, but I'd be willing to bet that most of them are designated for foot traffic only, for safety reasons. Walkers and cyclists on the same trail sounds to me like a recipe for problems. Some parks have trails designated for horseback riding or ATVs or snowmobiles and the ones I have noticed usually do not allow hikers.
 
If you go to the websites for the particular national parks you are interested in (via nps.gov), for most you will find relatively detailed maps that show the locations of hiking trails and campgrounds.  That is probably your best bet. 

Regarding "boondocking" in NPs, I assume you mean staying somewhere other than designated campsites (as opposed to staying in a designated campsite without electrical/water).  I'm no expert, but I don't believe many national parks would allow you to stay somewhere other than designated campgrounds.  National forests or BLM land is another story, but national parks are pretty tightly regulated.  Others may weigh in on that subject.

-Scott
 
thesmiths said:
Hi there - bit of an odd question, but do the majority of the NP campgrounds have trails that lead straight off it/very close by? 
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I have spent a great deal of time in the 46 National Parks located in the lower 48 states during the past 9 years. Yes, a majority of the NP campgrounds have trails leading to and from them. I live in my class A full time and I don't have a toad with me so I do a lot of hiking and walking, especially in the National Parks. Most all of the NPs are covered with trails. Several of the western NPs also have very nice free shuttle systems, parks like Glacier, Grand Canyon, Zion, Yosemite and Bryce Canyon to name a few.
Also, as a side question, if you boondock in a NP (with the ranger's consent) are the places where they direct you near to trails etc too?
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You won't be boondocking in any NP I can think of. You can boondock in National Forests that are near National Parks, but I can't think of any NP that allows boondocking. Here is a web site of National Forest campgrounds:

http://www.forestcamping.com/

My reason for asking, in case it makes any difference, is that we would have an RV but no toad, so would ideally want to be able to get to trails without having to pack up and drive each day.
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I have never really had problems getting to the trails. Sometimes I do take the RV since I have no toad, but most of the time I can walk or take a shuttle to the trails.
Oh, and as a side question, are you able to cycle on trails or are they just for walking?
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Very few NP trails allow either cycles or pets on the trails. The Rim Trail at the Grand Canyon is one exception that I can think of.
 
Hi - thanks everyone!  By "boondocking" I meant "dispersed camping" (possibly the same thing?!) but its good to know that for NPs we would need to possibly book something.
 
In most National Parks you can only camp in campgrounds except for back country hikers.
 
thesmiths said:
Hi - thanks everyone!  By "boondocking" I meant "dispersed camping" (possibly the same thing?!) but its good to know that for NPs we would need to possibly book something.
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As noted above, I'm no expert, but I've heard "boondocking" used to mean "dispersed camping" (which is what I assumed you meant) and also to refer generically to any time you stay somewhere without elec/water/sewer hookups (which could include in a campground without hookups).

Regarding booking something, I recommend checking the websites of the parks at which you want to stay and booking early as some fill up fast.
 
Are there certain national parks you're interested in? Lots of us here have spent a lot of time in many of the parks and some of us have even worked in the national parks and might be able to help you with a specific park.

A few parks do allow boondocking (camping outside of a campground) in specified areas but they are few (Death Valley comes to mind). If by boondocking, you mean camping with no hookups (usually referred to as dry camping), that's what you'll find in most of the national parks. A few do have campgrounds with hookups.

Some of the national parks are huge and there's no way you'll be close to most of the hiking trails when staying in a campground. And many trailheads have limited parking where you can not overnight. Cycling on trails is going to vary by park. Check the nps.gov site for the park you're interested in. If it's a paved trail, bicycles are typically allowed.

Wendy
 
As a matter of fact, I just spent this past weekend in Gulpha Gorge NP campground in Hot Springs, AR. The campground had trails leading to the tower on top of the "mountain" and further on to bathhouse row downtown. The trail was easily accessible in the campground. Gulpha Gorge has full hook-up sites as well as "tent" sites with no W/E. Of course this is only one NP of many, but is an example. I know not all parks are the same, so as others have posted, you would be well served to visit the park via the web to download maps and gather other info as needed.
 
Just in case any of you should go looking for "Gulpha Gorge NP," it's actually Gulpha Gorge campground in Hot Springs National Park. And it's a great place to visit.

Wendy
 
Thank you so much everyone.  I guess NP-wise we are looking at visiting most of the popular ones as we are hoping to be doing a year's travelling (in the Western States).
 
Be sure to pick up the America the Beautiful pass, cost is $80, gets you entrance into all the NPS sites for free. You can pick it up at the first park you stop at or you can order it ahead of time online here. If you're a U.S. citizen 62+ you can get the Senior Pass for $10 and it gets you entrance plus half-price camping. There is also a free Access Pass for U.S. citizens with certain permanent disabilities.

Enjoy your trip. There is some spectacular scenery in the western part of the U.S.
Wendy
 
Wendy said:
Just in case any of you should go looking for "Gulpha Gorge NP," it's actually Gulpha Gorge campground in Hot Springs National Park. And it's a great place to visit.

Wendy
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You are correct Wendy. I should have made that clear, but failed to do so.
 
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