Opinion: Idaho ‘Camp Stagers’ Are Scum And Asking For Bad Karma

A recent trip two hours north of Twin Falls exposed what is arguably the worst camping habit someone could do, and the outcome was incredibly fitting.

I spent three nights camping recently near Alturas Lake, which is 125 miles northwest of Twin Falls just outside of the community of Stanley. We arrived on a Thursday evening and grabbed the last riverside spot thanks to a former military veteran who waved us down.

There was a time when heading up to one of the lakes within the Sawtooth Mountain Recreation Area on a Thursday meant your chances of locking in a river campsite were pretty good. Those days are over.

'Camp staging' Is Screwing Over Idaho Families

I was surprised when I Googled 'What do you call people who set up campsites and leave them unattended for days' and didn't get back a single complaint on the Internet. So, I just created the term 'camp staging' for this. Another term could be 'absent campers'.

READ MORE: Get There Early To Grab Spot At South Idaho's Best Lake Beach

I understand finding a spot and setting up some stuff to claim it if you're planning on returning the next morning, but when you're screwing over families by taking the best campsites and you're gone for more than 72 hours, you sort of are asking for trouble.

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This just happened while we were at Alturas Lake. Two campsites near the river were taken by a group of five people who had their stuff out when we got there on Thursday, and they didn't return until noon on Sunday. One of the women who took part in the camp staging informed me some of their belongings had been stolen and asked if I'd seen anything.

It took everything in my power to hold back my laughter. Don't be one of these people. Think about families enjoying themselves and connecting with nature, otherwise bad karma might find you.