Oregon Hikers

easier to ask forgiveness than permission?

I mostly just joke about not following the rules, although I hate following a rule that no one cares about

kirsty: Leaving the NW Forest Pass in the window worked for me - no ticket on the trail or on the car, and I did pass rangers on the trail on that Labor Day weekend a couple of years back. The website information can be confusing, and sometimes even contradictory.

Yes, a person can pack cold pop in their cooler, but after a hot day on the trail with room temperature water, with no shade, and a l lot of uphill on the return trek... given a choice of a microbrew or Dr. Pepper, I took the Dr. Pepper and actually considered a 2nd one.

Don't take Chip Down's advice on ignoring the rules. His karma is on borrowed time. Several trails have been shut down when the rules are ignored by too many. In other areas, the rangers are writing tickets and the fines have been, shall we say, "attention getting."

BigBear wrote:Don't take Chip Down's advice on ignoring the rules.

Let's take another look at my post:

Chip Down wrote:Here's the strategy I've always used...
Park wherever I want, whenever I want.
Hike wherever I want, whenever I want.
Exception: the one time I went to the crater rim on the standard route, I did it in November, when things are a bit more relaxed.

I've never been cited, and have never had an encounter with a Ranger or similar.

Of course, YMMV. And, of course, I'm not advocating lawlessness. Just saying what has worked for me.

In the interest of complete disclosure, I should acknowledge I haven't been there in years, and so my experience might not reflect current practices and conditions.

Please note I offered no explicit advice. On the contrary, I described my personal experiences, stated that individual results may vary, acknowledged my experience was from years back, and stated "I'm not advocating lawlessness. Just saying what has worked for me".

Of course, I realize when you wrote "Don't take Chip Down's advice" it may have been shorthand for the more cumbersome "don't allow Chip's post to lure you into a false sense of safety". And you may have also surmised that my post was intended as advice cleverly cloaked in the garb of non-advice, to which I protest that I would never do such a thing.

Chip, from your trip reports I doubt anyone could find you to give you a ticket, even if they tried.

Listen to Peder and Bobcat. There is no parking fee, and no pass required, at JRO! Period. Paragraph. End of story.

The wristbands are only for the visitor center and paved trail -slash- observation deck.

Your NWFP will "buy" you one wristband, or an America the Beautiful pass will "buy" you four wristbands.

kirsty wrote:Sorry for all the questions. The government website is, in typical bureaucratic fashion, "monumentally" (wamp wamp!) useless at answering a single one of these questions.

It is. Just miserable. They'd be very happy if everyone was confused enough to pay needlessly.

Webfoot wrote:Chip, from your trip reports I doubt anyone could find you to give you a ticket, even if they tried.

They found him. Totally uninformed advice.

Karl, I hope my comment was taken tongue in cheek as it was intended, since I think we can reasonably presume his car isn't invisible. Pardon me if my attempt at humor was misplaced.

Webfoot wrote:Karl, I hope my comment was taken tongue in cheek as it was intended, since I think we can reasonably presume his car isn't invisible. Pardon me if my attempt at humor was misplaced.

Heh, oh of course! And I was the one responding obliquely, as I'd just read another thread where he whined all about the consequences of not knowing parking regs.

Webfoot wrote:Chip, from your trip reports I doubt anyone could find you to give you a ticket, even if they tried.

And if they did spot me, they'd mutter "nevermind, it's not worth chasing him up there"

kepPNW wrote:...another thread where he whined all about the consequences of not knowing parking regs.

Oh dear! I was aiming for more of a rant about corruption/stupidity. I shall try harder next time.

Johnston Ridge is a fee "area". The NWFP and the Interagency Passes do provide some advantages. But since it is a fee "area", you are required to provide a pass or pay a fee. I asked a similar question as the OP at the "Help Desk" at Johnston Ridge. The response was to pay the fee at the visitors center after my hike. But when asked (around 3 pm) about hiking to Loowit Falls, I got a "no can do" response. Apparently the monument closes at a specified time and they shut off the spigots for the creeks and put the critters in cages for the night. Nothing to see after the monument "closes".