Stashing a canoe in the YNP area.

[DanOver]

Was not sure where to put this, but I could use all of your collective experience.

The wonderful wife and I are moving to the Front Range of Colorado, and I am taking my OT Pack and the Gheenoe15.4 with. I also have my Dad's old fiberglass 16' square stern tandem which I do not paddle much lately. It actually paddles well , as it boat tails in the rear, and it takes a good load of equipment. I figure I could get $200 if I sold it locally, but I had the idea to take it to Colorado and then on a trip out to YNP/Grand Teton find a spot off the road to make a quick rack for it and stash it off the ground upside down. I have a good idea of a spot where no one would ever really bother to walk around. This would preclude having to borrow or rent a canoe any time we fly out to Jackson or YNP, or having to drive with one on the roof out there.

Have any of you had a "stashed" canoe or boat on public land before, and if so, how did it go? Did you leave an anonymous note advising people they could use it, just put it back and keep your mouth shut? If I can get away with it for 2 years or more, I would recon it was worth it. If I knew someone who had the room in Jackson, I would just leave it there, but my one buddy there has a town house with a single car garage.

Thanks,

DanO

 

[yellowcanoe]

I have run across literally dozens of cached canoes in Ontario and the Adirondacks. IMO its littering though I understand that families do use the routes traditionally for fishing hunting and ricing. and its a pain to portage several long unmaintained portages to get to their area. In most areas that are parks of some sort, there are laws against it and AFAIK the attempt is made to remove boats.

But a NP is a recreational place.. and the rules are to take nothing and leave nothing. Period. You might find a landowner nearby that has no objection to your stash on private property.

 

[Guest]

Dan, I have had zero luck leaving canoes away from home, even at a reservoir launch alongside other boats. That launch requires a yearly permit, and an affidavit that the boat will be used nowhere else (drinking water reservoir, zebra mussles,etc).

I took our beater aluminum Wards Sea King to the reservoir and left it chained up alongside dozens of other, nicer boats. Some of which were secured with decorative plant hanger chain and $2 locks. I used a #5 Master Lock and a thick chain.

The Sea King was gone the next week. WTF?

A few years later I tried again, chaining up an old beater. It was still there, alongside the other nice canoes a week later, but someone had apparently jumped up and down on it, holing the hull and breaking the gunwales.

I gave up on leaving a canoe there. YMMV.

 

[Black_Fly]

Don’t do it. Part of the purpose of a NP is preservation. It’s not just about people using the resource. Leaving a big piece of plastic in a preserved area is not only selfish, but also criminal.

 

[Steve in Idaho]

Even in the national forest and BLM lands, there are rules and time limits about caching supplies and equipment. You will have to reference the appropriate land management agency to get the details, as I don't remember the specifics, but IIRC, even in the best case, you would be limited to one season or less. Beyond that, I think the chances of finding a spot that will get zero traffic are very slim.

I would suggest looking into the possibility that a boat dealer might rent storage space. Lots of river people in the YNP- east Idaho area. Hyde drift boats are made in Idaho Falls. Maybe they can help?

 

[dogbrain]

Sell it for the $200 and rent a canoe when you visit the area. There's already a lot of trash out there in the forest and an overwintered canoe will become that when it's flattened with the winter snow load. How much weight do you think that canoe can hold?

 

[Black_Fly]

Even in the national forest and BLM lands, there are rules and time limits about caching supplies and equipment. You will have to reference the appropriate land management agency to get the details, as I don't remember the specifics, but IIRC, even in the best case, you would be limited to one season or less. Beyond that, I think the chances of finding a spot that will get zero traffic are very slim.

I would suggest looking into the possibility that a boat dealer might rent storage space. Lots of river people in the YNP- east Idaho area. Hyde drift boats are made in Idaho Falls. Maybe they can help?

From experience with wall tent camps I believe the limit is 14 days on USFS land for unattended property. Bears are likely to jump on it just for the heck of it. Are you still going to retrieve it if this happens? Far too many people leave bear ruined property behind (tents, coolers, etc.). A canoe that can't be paddled is a likely unwanted remnant.

 

[Steve in Idaho]

Bears are likely to jump on it just for the heck of it....

Stop it, bear....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3qhEIZBlX8

 

[yellowcanoe]

From experience with wall tent camps I believe the limit is 14 days on USFS land for unattended property. Bears are likely to jump on it just for the heck of it. Are you still going to retrieve it if this happens? Far too many people leave bear ruined property behind (tents, coolers, etc.). A canoe that can't be paddled is a likely unwanted remnant.

Yellowstone National Park is not run bu the USFS.. It's run by the National Park Service in the Department of the Interior, not Agriculture.. I would love to see a bear with a mouthful of fiberglass.
NPS is stricter than USFS..

 

[alsg]

Stop it, bear....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3qhEIZBlX8

That might be the most annoying voice ever. I'm surprised it didn't send the bear running.

 

[Black_Fly]

Yellowstone National Park is not run bu the USFS.. It's run by the National Park Service in the Department of the Interior, not Agriculture.. I would love to see a bear with a mouthful of fiberglass.
NPS is stricter than USFS..

He said YNP Area. That includes adjacent forests that are all run by USFS and Teton NP as well. If you stashed off a road in a park getting 1mm visitors each year, chances are it would be found. Likely hunters would find it in the forest, even in Wilderness Areas. Only way to "hide" something out there is to pack it deep into the backcountry. I've tied lots of things onto a mule but never a canoe. Wonder what hitch would be best????

YC-Why would you wish a mouth full of fiberglass on a poor bear? I wish no pain or suffering on such creatures.

That was a pretty grating screech, but I wonder if it was a lower tone if it would work better.

 

[Pringles]

I checked on how much it would be to rent a canoe in the Tetons (Dornan’s? Dorman’s?) last year. It was $65 per day for an aluminum canoe. They didn’t have other options. I’m not sure where you’d rent a canoe by the East or Northest entrances (nearest me). The west side is a crowded mystery to me, so I have no idea what they might have.

 

[DanOver]

OK...….Thanks for the responses. I guess with my limited experience in coming across stashed canoes, I always say it as quaint and harmless. I wouldn't want to be SELFISH or CRIMINAL....
I guess I will look for a place to stash it with someone who lives out that way. Thanks for those who gave thoughtful responses, I see the point.

 

[Gamma1214]

Dan, Don't feel too bad. When I first read your initial post, my thoughts were "quaint, harmless", perhaps even "generous" to allow others to freely use the canoe you were proposing to stash. Also like you, I have since changed my mind due to some of the above (very valid) objections.

 

[DanOver]

Gamma,
Thanks for the kind words. It's fine, I'm a big boy and I honestly hadn't considered a lot of the points others brought up. I will figure it out or just drag it along with my OT Pack.