Camping on private land

[Sailariel]

Met a fellow riding from Anacortes WA to Bar Harbor ME. He said that Maine was the Hilliest terrain on his whole trip and also had the worst roads. I agree. What did distress me, however was the exorbinant rate he paid to pitch a tent in a campground. He was charged the same rate as if he had a motorhome. Is there some way we members of Adventure Cycling could come up with a list of people who would allow cyclists to camp on their property? My wife and I have spent the past 14 years cruising 80,000 plus miles in a sailboat, Fortunantly we were able to anchor for free on most ocassions. My reading is that this does not apply to cyclists. I live very near Rte 1,3,and 52 in Maine and would certainly not mind if a cyclist wanted to pitch a tent in my yard. Maybe there are others across the country who feel the same way.     Alex

[FredHiltz]

Having ridden the same route, I would say that he was having a bad day. He must have forgotten the Cascades, the Rockies, the Adirondacks, and the White Mountains that he just rode through. He may be right about the roads, though.

I found rip-off accommodations and decent alternatives all along the way. Prices do average higher in the East.

I doubt we need yet another listing service for people willing to host cyclists. A Google search for "list bicycle host homes" without the quotation marks returns several.

Fred

[JayH]

Your wish is my command:

http://www.warmshowers.org/welcome?PHPSESSID=d3f19761fb5d715ec9be22cd8cf74016

It's the Warm Shower's List.. I'm on it but haven't been for long and no takers yet.

I didn't find Maine too particularly hilly. I thought Dutchess County in NY going east west fairly hilly. ME has logging trucks that go at all hours of the morning which is good and bad, bad that they fly, good that they kind of suck you along.

Jay

[Sailariel]

World Traveler: You are right. We probably don`t need another list. I just felt bad for the guy and hoped he had a better impression of Maine.  Alex

[John Nettles]

I have always thought it would be great if AC could do a campground development program with communities and locals on the route.

For instance, people could offer to allow cyclists to pitch a tent in their backyard.  Churches, city parks, police/fire stations, etc. could have an actual camp pad on their property.

I would be happy to pay a reasonable amount for this per night plus it helps the local communities that may not have a local campground.  Ideally, these would be spread out every 15-20 miles so almost anyone could find a camp.  It would cost $200 max for a picnic table, some railroad ties and dirt (to create a raised pad), and a tree or two.

I know it is a dream but I can always dream .

Happy trails and may the wind be at your back!

TulsaJohn

[Sailariel]

Tulsa, I also  have a dream. My wife and I spent 14 years cruising in our sailboat logging over 80,000 miles. We encountered some incredible hospitality and saw some blatant abuses--such as leaving mounds of garbage and overstaying one`s welcome. Am not so familiar with the bike touring scene since I am a newbie. I still believe in the inherent goodness of people and am willing to take a chance. I`ve got a great soft lawn, outside faucet, and If I`m home a decent shower and washing machine. Beats paying through the nose for a campground. I think I`ll go for it.                  Regards, Alex

[Peaks]

Having ridden the Northern Tier, I'll add a few comments.

I think that Maine has some of the steepest ups and downs anywhere along the route.  The only saving grace is that these steep sections are short, not like climbing a mountain.  

And, along the coast of Maine were some of the highest camping fees on the whole route.  The only exception might be the Yogi Bear Jellystone Park near North Hudson NY.  

I did note that elsewhere we frequently found community parks that allowed us to tent for free or a modest fee.  Unfortunately, not so in New England.  Like others have suggested, maybe something could be arranged.