Stealth camping: From YouTube to your local park
Beautiful parks, rivers, forests, and trails cover much of Duluth, Minnesota, which leads some residents, like me, to ask “why even leave the city to camp?” With this question, we’ve waded into the legally murky waters of stealth camping.
The definition of stealth camping varies from practitioner to practitioner, but it generally involves camping where camping isn’t allowed, like beaches, parks, or even the side of the road.
In recent years, stealth camping has seen a major popularity increase. Steve Wallis, from the YouTube channel Camping with Steve, was many people’s first introduction to “stealthing” as he calls it. His life motto is ABC or Always Be Camping. Steve’s channel has 1.5 million subscribers.
Steve inspired me to try stealthing, and because Duluth only has three campgrounds (2 over by Spirit Mountain and a small one on UMD Campus), it was a necessity if I wanted to stay within city limits.
People might stealth because of a cool spot, to save money, or just to say they did it. Climbing, skateboarding, or skiing where you shouldn’t be feels more exciting than sticking to the beaten path, and the same goes for camping.
Who says you can’t combine a punk-rock attitude with the serenity of nature?
So, join me as we journey through history, stories, philosophy, and more to understand how and why individuals might decide to camp in their local park.
I have reservations about condoning illegal activities. There’s no way around it: camping on city property is against the law. Do I suggest changing laws in Duluth and other cities? No. But on the other hand, I’ve enjoyed stealth camping and if you, dear reader, feel so inclined to try it out, I want to at least give some advice on how to do it responsibly.
Noise from speakers, trash from foods, and even the smell of certain smokable plants might give you up. Those who attempt it should take more care of their footprint than if they were just at a normal campsite.
Let’s take a step back and talk about a legal alternative: dispersed camping. This method is allowed in most national forests and many state forests across the U.S. Basically, you can stay for up to two weeks by promising not to make a mess or start any wildfires.
The Superior National Forest defines it here:
I like to think of stealthing as a subset of dispersed camping, while also adhering to all its ethics.
The seven principles of Leave No Trace are a great starting point, but they look a little different when stealth camping in an urban setting. Let’s go through them and add notes that pertain to our situation.
- Plan Ahead and Prepare: Survey the area you want to camp in and find the exact spot you want to set up a hammock or small tent. Use neutral colored gear and only bring what’s necessary.
- Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces: Don’t alter the environment at all! Find a spot already suited for camping and avoid fragile soil around lakes and streams.
- Dispose of Waste Properly: Pack out all the trash you produce. Don’t go number 2 in your city park. Please go before you leave or use a porta potty if available.
- Leave What You Find: Don’t remove signs, rocks, or other cool things. Leave those for other people to see as well. If you find something that isn’t supposed to be there like litter, pack it out and leave the site better than you found it.
- Minimize Campfire Impacts: In very rare circumstances, a campfire might be permitted, but usually they are a bad idea.
- Respect Wildlife: Leaving food out might be the biggest cause of harm to wildlife, so make sure everything is sealed up good. Don’t set up a hammock on thin trees or break branches just to fit.
- Be Considerate of Other Visitors: The most important thing about stealthing it to be respectful. This area might be a common place for people to walk dogs in the morning and seeing someone’s tent might make them uneasy. Stay far away from trails and leave if someone asks you to.
Holden Robins, a UMD student and friend of mine, has been stealthing for the past couple of years. He and I have stealthed together at Brighton Beach and the Lester golf course.
“I initially learned about it from Steve Wallis,” Robins said. “At first, you think he’s kind of a nut who doesn’t really know anything and wants to get caught, but then you realize Steve’s a genius and just has his own nonchalant, Canadian style.”
Robins views stealthing as a more challenging, but often more rewarding alternative to staying at a designated campsite.
“It’s not for everyone. You gotta be careful and know your stuff because the last thing you want to do is leave a negative footprint, but waking up with a view of Lake Superior makes it worth the risk,” he said. “It’s like walking on cross country ski trails. There are rules against it, but if you stick to the side and don’t mess up the actual groomed tracks, no one can really get mad at you.”
Robins also sees it as a way for people to connect to the same nature they see every day.
“I believe everyone has a right to nature, but if you’re going to use that land, you better take care of it,” he said.
Steve Wallis might be responsible for the recent surge in stealthing, but the idea of land belonging to everyone is as old as society itself. Numerous countries either have laws protecting rights to recreation on all natural land or don’t see the need to create laws because the idea is so engrained in their culture.
I first learned about this concept from Matti Erpestad, an Environmental and Outdoor Education professor at UMD. Matti grew up in Duluth but spent many years in Finland, where he has citizenship, serving in the army, learning the language, and camping all over the Lapland.
“Finns believe in a thing called Everyman’s Right,” he said. “Nature is for everyone. People wouldn’t like it if you pitched a tent in their yard, but as long as you’re respectful, you could hike and camp in just about any forest.”
The actual law of Everyman’s Right, or Jokaisenoikeudet, is similar to dispersed camping where large sections of nature are open to recreation and low impact camping, but it ultimately comes from the Finnish ideas of land ownership and greater culture.
“Finns have always had a strong culture of foraging and Everyman’s Right protects your ability to collect berries, mushrooms, and Vihta for sauna,” Matti explained.
Although not commonly known, many Finnish immigrants created strong bonds with Ojibwe people all around the Great Lakes. Their shared view on land ownership as well as a long tradition and importance of sweat lodges/saunas and birch in their respective cultures were just some of the things they had in common.
The common theme behind Camping with Steve, Holden’s stealth trips, and Everyman’s Right is that people should be allowed to recreate as they wish, as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone or compromise someone else’s ability to enjoy nature.
And so, with that, I’m inclined to share some spots around Duluth, as long as you, dear reader, promise to avoid a negative impact when you can and make a positive impact wherever possible:
- Lester golf course is a city owned park that was mostly shut down after covid. Most of its 250 acres are overgrown and completely separated from paths, houses, and roads. I think most people would be hard pressed to find a reason why stealthing here would hurt anyone.
- Park Point has an annual beach cleanup and camp night in the summer. Don’t walk on the dune grass because it’s the only thing keeping the sand from blowing away. Cowboy camp on the beach and bring extra layers for the morning breeze off Superior.
- Hartley Nature Area has a section called The Pines. Set up a hammock away from the bike trails and wrap towels around the trees to avoid peeling bark.
- Chester Bowl is a great place in the summer, although busy with walkers. Stay closer to Kenwood Ave than Skyline and set up after the park has closed.
- UMD hosts Bagley Nature Area (which isn’t as good as Hartley), actual campgrounds, (which run a couple dollars a night), and a bunch of weird courtyards most students never stumble upon. I’ve also heard rumors of a student who slept on top of the dining center for a couple months.
- And finally, for a real challenge: Your friend’s backyard. See how long you can go without being noticed, bonus points for eating their food.
Laws against camping in public parks probably shouldn’t change, and for one, they make stealthing more fun. They also force people to minimize their impact. I’d argue most stealthers practice Leave No Trace better than the average camper.
Ultimately, stealth camping is just a fun way to get outside and enjoy natural areas. Plan your next adventure and ABC, always be camping.
