Overnight Float Camping Question

[Jcolin]

From what I understood, any navigable river, that can be accessed from a public entrance, is fair game to stop and fish as long as you stay below the high water mark, unless there is a mining claim in that particular spot. How does it work with overnight camping though? I realize that landowners don't see it that away and have come across this when stopping at different runs to fish when floating the Russian river where I live, of course I wouldn't stop and camp in such spots even if it was legal below the high water mark as that seems like I would be asking for trouble.

I'm interested in doing some overnight floats on coastal rivers north of the Russian this winter, one in particular would mostly be on state park land. Even if state park is designated campground fee camping only, as long as stay below the high water mark I should be OK, right? Reached out to state parks and haven't heard back yet ��. Would appreciate any input on this, I'm assuming if people stop and camp on overnight trips on the lower Sac I should be able to, out here, as long as it's not in someone's backyard?

[Ralph]

It is legal to camp on public lands as long as there isn't a reasonable alternative nearby. It's a law the homeless use every day. Try it and see what happens.

[DLJeff]

Don't you just love laws that rely on such well-defined, quantifiable terms such as "reasonable" and "nearby"?

[Andy]

I do not know the "rules" on this but a friend I commonly fish with has opened me up to the overnight option. Mostly we have done this on bodies of still water but he has done it also on rivers. It generally involves pulling over in a secluded spot and camping on the boat. In a drift boat you need plywood planks to bivy on. Minimalist standards for the camp necessities. I would not hesitate to do it on a river bar though likely would blow off a tent, chairs or any of the camp luxuries to minimize the footprint/maximize stealth. We just spent 4 nights in the delta on a 17' boat and camp each night was either an empty dock, tied off to a snag or whatever viable spot we ended the night fishing near.

[John H]

I have done some overnight river floats. They are an adventure. Enjoying your float is the most important thing. If you get hassled about your camp site it will be a bummer of a trip regardless of who was in the right. I think you want to have a pretty good idea of where you will camp before launching. I would not camp within sight of a house. They will see your tents and fire and get nervous and if they are uncomfortable I am uncomfortable. Gravel bars and islands are great because you are clearly in the river. The State Park people won’t want you camping in the park but you will likely come and go before they even know you are there.

I would like to float the Trinity from Lewiston to Pigeon Point. It is a three or four day float with good camping options and there are a couple of stores along the way for cold beer if you run out. My goal at one time was to do a float where the shuttle was $100. I have broken that barrier few times.

When I was about 8 (1972) we did an overnight canoe trip on the Russian. I remember seeing a lot of turtles.

[PV_Premier]

sometimes it's easier to ask forgiveness than permission. if you are floating through Navarro state park, as John mentioned above, you'll probably be in and out of camp before anyone knows you are there especially if you choose a place out of sight of the highway and don't make a big production of it.

[Jcolin]

Thanks very much for the responses guys. Yes im thinking keeping it subtle is the key.

[Ralph]

I spent three weeks kayaking from Lake Shastina to the Bay. Camped every night on the shore, but tried to use islands as much as possible. Met some interesting people living on the water, but never felt a hint of hostility or animosity. Just be discrete and clean up behind you.

[John H]

That is quite a trip. If I remember right Tom Stienstra of the SF Chronicle did that and wrote a couple of articles about it. My brother in law wants to do that on the Yellowstone in a canoe. Hopefully he will get motivated next year and invite me to go with him.

[DLJeff]

That'd be one heckuva trip..Yellowstone River to SF Bay

[Ralph]

That is quite a trip. If I remember right Tom Stienstra of the SF Chronicle did that and wrote a couple of articles about it. My brother in law wants to do that on the Yellowstone in a canoe. Hopefully he will get motivated next year and invite me to go with him.
That sounds epic. Where would be your start and end points be? No boats allowed in the Park (plus those dang waterfalls). I'm guessing you would put in at Gardiner?

[avidangler]

I was considering doing a float from Weitchpec to the lower Klamath in pontoons but I couldn't get anyone to get fired up enough to go with me. It would be an epic adventure,not sure what the deal would be camping up there.

[hwchubb]

I was considering doing a float from Weitchpec to the lower Klamath in pontoons but I couldn't get anyone to get fired up enough to go with me. It would be an epic adventure,not sure what the deal would be camping up there.

I believe you would be on tribal lands on that trip. Epic adventure for sure, but probably not in a good way.

[avidangler]

I believe you would be on tribal lands on that trip. Epic adventure for sure, but probably not in a good way.

LOL I will pass

[TahoeJoe]

I don't think that anyone cares if you camp on the Klamath below Weichpec on a gravel bar. I've done it without any trouble. If you do go, keep a clean camp, there are more than a few bears in the area. I was told by one of the locals that they relocate the Yosemite trouble makers to the lower Klamath area. Might be true, we had one try to break into our truck at Pecwan. The other thing is, once you get past Johnson's there is a lot of flat water. A jet boat makes short work of it, a pontoon or drift boat not so much.

[avidangler]

Tahoe Joe is there any hairy water down there I should know about?

[John H]

Ralph -

Park boundary to the Missouri I think. I read a short report from someone who did it. 550 miles or something like that. You need a raft at the top but after that a canoe is the way to go. There are towns close to the river for resupply. Fly fishing for catfish is supposed to be good.

[TahoeJoe]

Tahoe Joe is there any hairy water down there I should know about?

There's one class III drop at Coon Creek between Weichpec and Johnson's. It's pretty much a straight shot and runnable in a driftboat. You should portage it with a pontoon boat.

[Ritsuko]

Dude, that is not so simple, just like Ralph told you above, you are allowed to camp on any public land, for as long as you want. As soon as it is a private land, the situation is totally different. I have had a problem a couple of years ago, when I was camping with my sons, and we actually entered some private area, however we did not even know that it is a private area, as there was no sign of it. I got a pretty hefty fine after that, besides all that I lost my head light (https://www.amazon.com/Vont-Headlamp-Flashlight-Headlight-Headlamps/dp/B07ZWK5QKM) and my older son broke his hand. Freaking great weekend.