New Designated Deer Season Campsites On LSHT

**sargevining** · 09-17-2014, 09:43

This just in from the LSHT Yahoo page:

Camping Restrictions for Hunting Season (September 26, 2014 to January 5, 2015)
Camping is restricted to Developed Campgrounds (Stubblefield, Double Lake, Huntsville State Park), Designated Hunter Camps, and Designated Primitive Camps only from one day prior to the start of the Archery Season until one day after the General Gun Season.

The new Designated Primitive Camps have been marked on all of the "USGS Topo" maps on our map page:

http://lonestartrail.org/maps.html

The locations are also noted in the Hiker's Guide:
A HIKER'S GUIDE FOR THE LONE STAR TRAIL http://lonestartrail.org/docs/hikersguide.html

A HIKER'S GUIDE FOR THE LONE STAR TRAIL http://lonestartrail.org/docs/hikersguide.html Unmarked, unofficial detour if East Fork San Jacinto Crossing is flooded and unsafe...

These show up as "Hunter's Camps" on the maps. I don't know if this means that hikers will share these camps with hunters as its illegal to hunt within 150 yards of the trail.

**Phippsness** · 11-06-2014, 12:24

I talked to the ranger and they are open to anyone. Im heading out there this weekend and will scout the conditions

**Porch Hanger** · 11-06-2014, 22:37

Yes, please report back on your findings. I've heard the "hunters camps" leave quite a bit to be desired.

**Phippsness** · 11-07-2014, 10:32

Wife put a kabosh on my trip when my buddy flaked out. I will be out there in 3 weeks now. Sad panda

**sargevining** · 11-07-2014, 10:54

A couple of friends and I took a trip to the Section 1 a couple weekends ago to scout out two of the new designated sites in the Wilderness. We were all camping in hammocks.

On Friday night, we hiked a mile to the one west of Parking Lot #4. The site there is somewhat "hammock friendly", although only in the areas immediately adjacent to the "officially" designated site. That area is relatively free from understory and low growth and there are good trees.

Unfortunately, the same can't be said of the one on the Sand Branch that we hiked to the next day. While perfectly adequate for two to three tents (albeit more than one tent would make things crowded and use of the fire ring inadvisable), the understory and low growth prohibits the use of any more than one hammock inside the campsite proper---and then you wouldn't want to build a fire in the fire ring if hanging from those two trees. The four of us ended up moving down to a nice spot near the pond at the intersection of Sand Branch with LLCL and hoping that any Ranger that came by would understand our predicament. I do hope that the Rangers are that understanding when it comes to hammock hangers and their needs, as well as tent campers who find these sites already occupied, as well as groups of friends who wish to camp together but can't fit in the designated sites.