This is why we can’t have nice things.

Thanks to a whole lot of bad behavior, the National Forest Service has put their foot down on all camping along US 260 between Cottonwood and past Camp Verde, Arizona. Beginning January 7th, 2019 and lasting until January 6, 2021, no camping will be permitted unless specific permits have been issued (so, basically no camping for any of us). Affecting a wide swath of land (see image below of restriction), Prescott National Forest stated “Unrestricted camping in the area lead to occupancy exceeding the land’s capacity to remain healthy, campers ignoring the 14-day stay limit, excessive quantities of trash and feces left behind, illegal dump sites, and criminal activity.”

CRIMINAL ACTIVITY

What are people doing out along this stretch of road?? Shame on people for acting a fool and ruining this for many, many others.

This is a popular area for free dry camping, particularly given close proximity to excellent outdoor activities and neighboring towns. I hope this is not a sign of things to come for other national forests.

Besides this closure, does anyone know of other federal areas (BLM, National Forest, etc) which have been closed recently to dispersed camping?