Campfire and Stove Regulations

Concord · Post by **Concord** » Sat Aug 08, 2009 4:15 pm

Just wondering what the restrictions/regulations are for building a campfire and using a camp stove while backpacking in the San Gabriels... Particularly if I'm not in an established campground or trail camp.

mattmaxon · Post by **mattmaxon** » Sun Aug 09, 2009 5:54 am

Concord wrote:Just wondering what the restrictions/regulations are for building a campfire and using a camp stove while backpacking in the San Gabriels... Particularly if I'm not in an established campground or trail camp.

The only place Campfires are permitted are in campgrounds in provided rings

NO GROUND FIRES are permitted anywhere in the San Gabriel or San Bernardino Mtns

You must possess a valid "California Campfire Permit" which I think is a worthless piece of paper unless you run out of TP...But....Rules..Is...Rules

You gotta have one for a stove, or any other type of fire outside of a developed campground, this includes trail camps

Especially now a fire would be nuts as the mountains are tinder dry, literally one spark could start a conflagration of biblical proportions

Even a stove might be reconsidered if the conditions are windy... Please be careful

I was camping at ta trailhead over near San Gorgonio Pass a few years back. It was very windy.... A fire engine came up to the trailhead looking for a fire that was reported by aircraft flying over the area.

I hadn't seen a thing...This was about 9:30pm

About 11:30pm I was awoke by 2 hikers who just came out of the mission creek area to report a fire... they had started accidentally when their stove got knocked over

It was impossible for them to stop the fire with the wind they said, they where 2 PCT thru hikers from Illinois, they didn't have a clue how dangerous it was

They lost all their gear and where prosecuted for starting the fire, but eventually where only fined for not having a valid permit....

My section hike of mission creek was off the table

Please...Please...Please be careful

Matt

Concord · Post by **Concord** » Sun Aug 09, 2009 12:49 pm

Thanks for all the info and for the words of caution! I usually just heat some water with my PocketRocket and given the fire conditions (and the fact that they'll probably only get worse in the fall), i'll just leave it at that.

I normally enter the forest up Hwy 2 out of La Canada Flintridge so i'll give Clear Creek Info Station a call and see if I can get the permit from them.

Thanks again.

Post by **Hikin_Jim** » Mon Aug 10, 2009 6:04 pm

Concord wrote:I normally enter the forest up Hwy 2 out of La Canada Flintridge so i'll give Clear Creek Info Station a call and see if I can get the permit from them.

If they can't help you, the main office in Arcadia can.

mattmaxon wrote:The only place Campfires are permitted are in campgrounds in provided rings

Really? Even under "low" conditions? I thought at official trail camps you could have a fire so long as you scraped down to bare earth and cleared an area around the fire. The only thing the ranger lady said to me was that I shouldn't make fire rings out of rock because "the rocks might explode*."

HJ

*By the way, that's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. Yes, wet porous rocks can explode when H2O gets super heated inside them, but the rocks in the SG's are neither porous nor (usually) wet. Exploding rocks in the SG's, particularly if you're careful to use dry rocks, is a million to one shot. I realize they make this stuff up to try to get people to comply, but I really resent being lied to. Honestly, it makes me just want to go and char up some rocks just to piss 'em off. I won't do it, but it does make me feel that way. If you don't want me to blacken the rocks, just say so, but don't make up some bogus story that there's a material danger of the rocks exploding. Don't treat me like I'm an idiot. Respect me as a person, and just tell me staight.

Phew. There. I feel better now.

edenooch · Post by **edenooch** » Mon Aug 10, 2009 8:29 pm

easy just dont burn the forest down

Post by **Hikin_Jim** » Mon Aug 10, 2009 9:16 pm

Rangers are so weird. You bring a little campfire starter to the forest and they totally freak out. What's up with that?

Post by **HikeUp** » Mon Aug 10, 2009 9:19 pm

How many times do you have to hear it HJ - Leave No Trace!!!

AlanK · Post by **AlanK** » Mon Aug 10, 2009 9:35 pm

HikeUp wrote:How many times do you have to hear it HJ - Leave No Trace!!!

Didn't look to me as if there'd be much trace when Jim finished with the napalm dispenser.

cougarmagic · Post by **cougarmagic** » Mon Aug 10, 2009 9:46 pm

He does appear to have cleared 10' of the ground of flammable material, as per regulation.

Rumpled · Post by **Rumpled** » Wed Aug 12, 2009 10:51 am

Don't have time to get to a Ranger station when they are open to get your fire permit?
I think Los Padres NF has a fax form, but this is better.
http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/sequoia/passesp ... index.html
Take a little quiz at the Sequoia NF website and print it out at home.
Good statewide.

calicokid · Post by **calicokid** » Wed Aug 12, 2009 1:17 pm

Thanks very much for the link.

Save me a trip to the Ranger station every year

Post by **Hikin_Jim** » Wed Aug 12, 2009 1:54 pm

Rumpled wrote:Don't have time to get to a Ranger station when they are open to get your fire permit?
I think Los Padres NF has a fax form, but this is better.
http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/sequoia/passesp ... index.html
Take a little quiz at the Sequoia NF website and print it out at home.
Good statewide.

Statewide? Sweet. Thanks, man.

Post by **Hikin_Jim** » Wed Aug 12, 2009 2:53 pm

Rumpled wrote:Don't have time to get to a Ranger station when they are open to get your fire permit?
I think Los Padres NF has a fax form, but this is better.
http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/sequoia/passesp ... index.html
Take a little quiz at the Sequoia NF website and print it out at home.
Good statewide.

Done.

Wow, that was easy. Interestingly, when I was in Sequoia National Park a few weeks ago, they laid out campfire restrictions but said nothing about a campfire permit.

This caught my attention:

When FIRE RESTRICTIONS are in effect, you may use ONLY a portable stove using gas, jellied petroleum, or pressurized liquid fuel, outside of designated recreation sites or designated fire use areas.

In other words, no alcohol stoves unless you're in an official USFS trail camp or campground.

Hope none of you are Ultralighters.

Post by **HikeUp** » Wed Aug 12, 2009 3:07 pm

no alcohol , no exploding rocks, no flame throwers. fascists!!!

Concord · Post by **Concord** » Wed Aug 12, 2009 4:02 pm

Unfortunately, Jim heard "leave no trace... of life!" lol

From the campfire permit page (great link, btw) it seems that unless the fire conditions are "extreme" or "critical" then ground fires are permited...

Allow me to take this opportunity to wish you all the best of luck against those exploding rocks. lol

Dan

Post by **Hikin_Jim** » Thu Aug 13, 2009 8:54 am

Campfire explosion. Rocks kill. Do not let it happen to you!