r/vandwellers • u/User5790 • 1d ago
Question Pushing the map boundaries of the National Forest
I’m currently in Oregon and I’ve been on a quest to find a nice forest spot within 30 minutes of the coast AND has cell service. Sounds crazy, but I’ve found a couple of spots. I found one that was perfect and had an amazing view, except I wandered out of the NF boundary and was on what I assume is timber company land. It was a clear cut that looks to have been replanted in the last 5-10 years. No one bothered me, but I only stayed one night. The road I came in on also had several pullouts before you hit NF. I didn’t see any signs of activity beyond recreation in either spot. So wondering what others experience is with this. I can’t see why anyone would care as long as you leave no trace, but who knows.
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u/Vidco91 1d ago
A few things, 1. timber land owners don't appreciate trespassing. 2. Be careful during hunting season. 3. clearcut re-plants might have been sprayed with a ton of herbicide/pesticides evaluate yourself if the risk of consistent exposure is worth it.
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u/redundant78 1d ago
The herbicide point is super important - timber companies often use glyphosate and other chemicals that can remain active for months and you definetly don't want to be breathing that or tracking it into your living space.
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u/User5790 1d ago
I was pretty close to the NF boundary and there was a fair amount of traffic from people going into the forest, so I don’t think the road was private. And the trees look like they were planted at least 5 years ago, so any spraying would have happened long ago. There was a ton of other growth there, grasses, salal, blackberries. I wouldn’t have wanted to be there if it was a more recent cut, too bleak.
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u/Enginerdiest 1d ago
I’ve never had a bad run in with timber companies, but I’ve also heard horror stories about absolute intolerance from them. So, you’re gambling.
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u/User5790 1d ago
My plan was to play dumb. I’m an older woman, and there’s plenty of people that would buy it. It was maybe 1/4 mile outside the NF, so not too hard to have it be an innocent mistake.
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u/Enginerdiest 1d ago
Yeah, seems fine. I've stayed barely inside the border of some timber land a handful of times, and never had an issue. Saw one pickup truck once, but no one said anything. Just realize that if they decide to be rude about it, you really don't have any defense.
That said, if you're kind, contained, and don't cause a scene then I think you've got good odds of having no trouble.
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u/Kind_Interview_2366 1d ago
Do you have a weboost? Game changer.
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u/mkmckinley 1d ago
What is that?
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u/ultradip 1d ago
Boosts a cell phone signal.
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u/mkmckinley 1d ago
Thanks, I just googled it myself, looks great. Do they work well?
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u/Kind_Interview_2366 1d ago
Yep. If you have a signal that's just strong enough for text, but not data, it'll usually get you a data signal. Well worth the money, imo.
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u/Sodpoodle 18h ago
A lot of the timber company land here that they really want you to stay off of is gated and/or marked. Especially during fire season folks are touchy about land..
I found between like Coos Bay and Gold Beach to be some of the less populated/hammered by tourist coast line. Plenty of little off shoot logging roads as well.
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u/bl0rq 1d ago
Starlink fixes the connection issue.
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u/User5790 1d ago
I’m in a minivan and on a tight budget. Doesn’t seem practical for me. It’s also not ideal in forested areas.
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u/mountainwocky 2018 Sprinter 4x4 Sportsmobile 1d ago
You could have been on NF land that was leased for timber harvesting.
Best thing is to have a mapping app like GaiaGPS, onX, Goat Maps, or similar which let you download maps to use when offline. Then you’ll be able to tell if you are on public lands even when you don’t have cell service.