Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board online california fire permit

I knew if I monitored various forums I'd finally run across something unique!

When we are in various wildernesses in Ca, we are required to have a fire permit to have a fire, or even use a stove. It used to be that if you had a permit for a trip, the permit doubled as your fire permit. I don't know about every area, but that is no longer the case in many. I was only aware of the option of picking one up in person, from a federal office (NPS, USFS, BLM, others), which required you to go to such an office when they are open, and interact with a person. But now you can do it online, and print it out on your home computer:

http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/sequoia/passespermits/campfire_permit/campfire-index.html

These are required if you are using ANY kind of backpacking stove, outside of a developed campground.

Ken,
Your right on target here. Went into the
Mill Creek Ranger Station at the entrance
into the San Bernardino/San Gorgonio
Wilderness and was given this permit by them
(yellow, small, almost looks like a ticket)
and told of the need to always carry it.
NEW RULES always take a while to get out
and about for all of us wilderness users.

I think this regulation change occurred starting last year, due to the PCT through-hikers who started a forest fire the year before.

So many of these regulations seem to be "reactive".

Thanks for the info Ken; I did not know this was possible. I have had a ranger write me up a permit on the spot but this is a little less embarrasing.

In 2005, prior to a week long trip, I read on the Inyo National Forest web-site that backcountry fire permits were required. I stopped in the Bishop office only to be told that my Wilderness permit implied a fire permit since very similar questions and instructions are posed upon issuance of the wilderness permit.

I'm not sure if Ken's observation is the same that I saw in 2005 or if a new rule applies but I don't believe this is all that new.

thanks, ken!!

looks like the usfs is making baby steps into the 21st century. just last year they allowed you to receive a faxed permit.. but online... whoa.. forward thinking

Memory, I became aware of this two years ago, because it had become a requirement for PCT thru-hikers, and I was involved in issuing them.

It appears that the current Inyo website now reflects this requirement

Thanks Ken, at least the permit is good for a full calendar year from the date of issuance and it appears that these may be obtained at wilderness permit locations as well.

I am curious if offices issuing wilderness permits are checking to see if the person has a fire permit with them?

Sarah, in terms of s l o w ly moving forward, the "agencies" allow the Pacific Crest Trail Association to issue permits for trips on the trail of a minimum of 500 miles, which is great, and takes some burden off the "agencies", but doesn't allow them, apparently, to issue these campfire permits. Doh!

I see the logic of wilderness camping permits but not of wilderness campfire permits.

The wilderness camping permit (usually just called a wilderness permit) regulates how many people can be in an area at once. It's something like a theater ticket.

Only so many theater tickets are sold for each day's performance because there are only so many seats in the theater. We wouldn't want to see 500 people trying to cram into a theater that has only 200 seats, and we wouldn't want to see 50 people on a segment of trail that can sustain only 20 at a time.

The wilderness permit, then, has a direct correlation with the goal it is trying to achieve: to limit use in order to preserve the environment.

But what about the campfire permit? It is intended to reduce the incidence of wildfires through educating the backpacker. It is a piece of paper that, when in one's possession, means, "I have read and understand these rules."

But why this separate piece of paper, without which you presumably could be fined?

If you pick up your permit at a ranger station, the ranger could give you a sheet with the same information or could go over the rules with you, just as he goes over the MMWT rules when you pick up your permit in Lone Pine.

Or, if you apply for a wilderness permit online, there could be a page with the rules and you would have to check a box indicating that you read them, just as you check a box and accept the publisher's terms when installing software.

If a separate campfire permit is needed, then the new system, allowing you to get one online, is an improvement over the show-up-in-person system. But I don't see where a separate campfire permit increases safety over what could be accomplished in some other way.

Campfires are used outside of wildernesses. Different records for different recordkeepers.

Dale B. Dalrymple
http://dbdimages.com