Time for Camping?

Our big trip to Alaska that we had hoped to start next month is postponed until next year. We still hope to go visit our daughters and grandchildren, but whether that will be this summer is unknown because we will have rescheduled appointments and other prior commitments to schedule around. We will get in some camping. Right now, I have no idea where or when though.

I’d love nothing better than to go camping, but we are nowhere near out of the woods on this pandemic. Unless (1) travel is approved, (2) parks are officially open, and (3) I can find an isolated dispersed campsite within a couple hours drive, we’re staying home for now. I will continue to do my part to try to control this, including following all rules in place in the states we’d be travelling in. Too much risk for my wife from this, and especially for my elderly father when we return home. Most ppl infected probably never even know they have this, but can still spread it. If all the above conditions are met though we’ll go, the risk at a boondocks campsite would be about the same as in our suburban home I think, just gas stops and groceries.

Some dispersed camping in the Appalachian national forests is open too, but none of it is really all that “secret”, and lots of those spots are being occupied, so it would be hit or miss. You’re supposed to pack out your own trash in those areas of course but unfortunately a lot of folks don’t, and the forest service has to clean up after them. They’re not doing that right now so I’m being told a lot of areas are pretty trashed up,

I personally think camping would be a safe activity. It's not an airborne transmitted disease. Anywhere I camp has more than 6 feet between sites. If I wander off site I would take the basic precautions, Mask, gloves, distance. I personally never use the campground facilities, so I could easily stay contained. 

We had reservations for Pinnacles on May 10. Yesterday they extended our shelter-in-place through the end of May, so I think we need to cancel those reservations. The park is closed through the end of April right now, but I think they will have to extend that.