El Portal Morning Honker

I've never honked in el portal but I must admit I've done some early morning honking driving into work through the Truckee River Canyon around 6am this summer seeing gapers camped illegally in unimaginably ridiculous spots...  

Sometimes, at sunrise, it just feels good to honk at tourists who are literally crapping all over your neighborhood.

Ryan Kellywrote:

Yeah, you are right Kevin DeWeese...

In all honesty, I think the solution is a Yosemite Climber's Ranch. If there was a place in El Portal, Yosemite West, or somewhere else that charged an absolute minimum ($1 / night?) would people use it?

Good idea but who would pay for this? Taxpayers? Or is land reasonable enough to buy and make money at $1 a pop? Unlikely.

Reasonable price is what is already being charged on the market. 

Broke ass climbers are so last decade. 

Ryan Kellywrote:

Yeah, you are right Kevin DeWeese...

In all honesty, I think the solution is a Yosemite Climber's Ranch. If there was a place in El Portal, Yosemite West, or somewhere else that charged an absolute minimum ($1 / night?) would people use it?

I was actually thinking of investing in a property like this. Not an investment really as I doubt you’d stand to make a dime off the thing. So long as you were able to break even, I think it might be worth it. I don’t know all the legalities, but I would think it’s possible so long as you’re willing to jump through some hoops. Finding the right bit of land which is close enough to the park looks to be the first challenge. I think you could do it on as little as 10 acres, but the more the merrier. It would also have to be a fair distance from any other properties with an inhabited dwelling. There is a nice 31 acre plot with a well for a cool 1,750,000 bucks in Yosemite West. A bit out of my price range. Further away, there is a 16 acre lot for 99,000. I could do that, but it’s about 40 minutes from the park entrance. A little far to be viable. Perhaps it could be purchased by a non profit with fundraising and donations, then operated like a co-op? I don’t know, just thinking. Sure would be nice to have a patch of dirt to throw a bag down on a whim outside Yosemite. 

Salamanizer Skiwrote:

I was actually thinking of investing in a property like this. Not an investment really as I doubt you’d stand to make a dime off the thing. So long as you were able to break even, I think it might be worth it. I don’t know all the legalities, but I would think it’s possible so long as you’re willing to jump through some hoops. Finding the right bit of land which is close enough to the park looks to be the first challenge. I think you could do it on as little as 10 acres, but the more the merrier. It would also have to be a fair distance from any other properties with an inhabited dwelling. There is a nice 31 acre plot with a well for a cool 1,750,000 bucks in Yosemite West. A bit out of my price range. Further away, there is a 16 acre lot for 99,000. I could do that, but it’s about 40 minutes from the park entrance. A little far to be viable. Perhaps it could be purchased by a non profit with fundraising and donations, then operated like a co-op? I don’t know, just thinking. Sure would be nice to have a patch of dirt to throw a bag down on a whim outside Yosemite. 

I believe that Yosemite West land is deeded to Dean Potter/Jenn Rapp. Converting it to a climber's camp would be a fitting evolution. 

The early morning honking has been going on for decades at most all of the entrances of the park. It goes on damn near anywhere there are people (illegally?) camping in popular places.

As for solutions, folks need to realize there is a carrying capacity for places and the lack of parking, camping, etc. is a way of controlling that. The old cliche of loving the land to death is true.

One thing to consider about a "Climbers Ranch" such as the one in Grand Teton, which is slightly different because the ranch is actually a concession contract with the NPS, is that how does one make it for climbers only and not the general public? Housing is so scarce in Jackson that guides were renting out a bunk for the summer at the Teton Ranch. The view point of those managing the ranch is that they did not care if they were a climber, guide or other the goal was to fill beds and cover costs. Even the AAC discount did not make much of difference for some. I think it would be similar at El Portal. This is not discourage folks from thinking about a solution but some of the practical issues.

The pictures of the signs make me think they are not legit National Forest signs.   They look like someone bought them online.    There is usually a forest service code sited at the bottom of the sign.  

abandon moderation wrote:

Everyone keeps calling this an illegal place to camp, but it's not (please prove me wrong if I'm wrong). 

You may well be correct about that particular area. Here are the rules: https://www.fs.usda.gov/activity/stanislaus/recreation/camping-cabins/?recid=14833&actid=34

Also one does have to remember that it is along a state hwy which may have laws about (overnight) parking in those cases it is usually signed.

abandon moderation wrote:

That's why it's a problem, because no one can legally kick the campers/climbers out from the spot. 

Actually, a signature from a supervisor is all that is needed to eliminate the camping.  If signs are going up, it may already have happened.

I got booted for camping along 120 back in the mid 80’s.   I was driving my Baja Bug along the 120 well after midnight on a full moon with the English Beat cranking full blast to try and stay awake when suddenly I felt a thud and the back end of the bug dropped and sparks started flying behind the car.  As the car started to slow I saw the right rear wheel pass the car and launch off the side of the road.  I was just barely able to get the car off the road and we threw our bags down and went to sleep.  About 5am a ranger pulls up and says no camping.  I point to the broke dick Baja Bug and he just nods.   He gave us a ride into the valley and we get to talking and it turns out he was good friends with one of the river guides I worked with and we ended up staying at his place in the valley for the remainder of our trip and he even had my car towed to the service station in the valley for free.  
If you are going to illegally camp by the side of the road at least put your hood up and fake car trouble.  

The pullouts just outside the park boundary are not part of the Yosemite administrative boundary. El Portal proper IS. 

So the camping in the pullouts is a Mariposa County issue. Unfortunately the NPS can't do anything about it.

What's the current situation with the pull out on 140 in El Portal?  Ok to crash the night if you are chill or are people getting rousted out of there?

Nico Wrightwrote:

What's the current situation with the pull out on 140 in El Portal?  Ok to crash the night if you are chill or are people getting rousted out of there?

It’s chill as long as you don’t treat it like a campsite. Be low key. If you need to take a dump, walk down the road to the hotel. 

abandon moderation wrote:

Maybe I'm missing something, but going to the hotel to take a dump sounds like a really bad idea unless you're planning to pay for a room... Isn't the hotel already fed up enough with climbers shit? (pun intended)

There's bathrooms with running water on the right just after going through the park entrance, drive there and take yer shit.

Probably better to use the bathroom at the gas station. Though it's pretty common for people to use the bathroom in the hotel reception area for people driving in to the park so they don't really have a way of knowing if the person using their bathroom is a 140 bivy person or a tourist stopping on their drive into the valley. 

Personally I just use a wag bag when I'm bivying there if the gas station bathroom isn't available (or my business is coming too fast to make the drive lol)

This thread reminds me of an old favorite movie:

Clueless

But seriously, I get it. Everybody just wants to climb in the Valley. In that way we are all the same. And the Insta-likes, also everyone's fave

So is the spot to the west or east of the hotel? Confusing cause to the west seems to be Stanislaus NF land, but there is the suspect no camping sign, and to the east is Yosemite land where the fence is.  Asking for a friend.

I wouldn’t be asking but it’s such a known and obvious spot, and keeping the community relations good seems important.

Nico - if you want to keep good community relations don't sleep on the side of the highway. Telling you for a friend.

Nico Wrightwrote:

So is the spot to the west or east of the hotel? Confusing cause to the west seems to be Stanislaus NF land, but there is the suspect no camping sign, and to the east is Yosemite land where the fence is.  Asking for a friend.

East and before the Yosemite Sign. West of the hotel is a no go. 

Ryan Kellywrote:

Nico - if you want to keep good community relations don't sleep on the side of the highway. Telling you for a friend.

Better or worse than sleeping between some boulders under El Cap?  Pretty tricky these days when there are only some 100 campsites available in the whole valley.  If we are respectful, quite, and leave nothing behind it can be forgivable sin.

Hey Nico my friend, don't sleep under El Cap cause we don't want you to die cuz of rock fall!

Yeah I know the Valley campsites are tough due to Covid. And you all watched Valley Uprising, saw Honnold's van camped at Parkline and now everyone knows how to stick it to the Man and bivy there. Climbers are so counter culture these days its awesome.

Personally, I'm just sick of my neighbors complaining to me about all the rigs camped at the Parkline and being lumped in the same category of "climber" as a bunch of unimaginative folks sleeping on the side of a highway who live in the Big City and have Grown Up Jobs but are too cheap to get a campground for two weekend nights or find some place more low key.

But like I said, I honestly do empathize with the drive to climb in the Valley. Its the one thing that makes us all the same. Climbers deserve a better spot to lay their heads after surfing the granite seas all day long.

You got my number!  Except I would happily pay for a campsite were one available, my problem is not planning far enough ahead of time!  Very in favor of some kind of climbers ranch outside the park.  I think one would find plenty of investors and customers amongst us Big City living, Grown Up Job having weekend warrior dirtbag dreamers!  If you got any leads on properties I'd go in on that venture.  Another thought would be if Yose reserved some campsites for a week of reservation instead of everything 6 months in advance.