Hitchhiking

[kphoger]

I've heard hitchhiking is discouraged, if not outright illegal, so for this purpose, I've never done it, nor picked up a passenger.

In Illinois (as in many states that follow the UVC), hitchhiking is illegal from within the roadway itself, which is defined as being exclusive of berm or shoulder.  This means that hitchhiking from the shoulder, or from off the pavement, is legal.  At the on-ramp to an Interstate, which prohibits pedestrians entirely (and therefore also hitchhiking), I always figured that the prohibitions sign at the beginning of the on-ramp was the beginning of the "no hitchhiking zone"—and I think there may be a court case or two out there to back up that idea.

Note that some states have traffic laws with more restrictive wording, and any given municipality could have a more restrictive city code on the books.  Typically, such more-restrictive language involves something like "on or near" the road, which would basically limit a hitchhiker to private property options (gas stations etc).

Based on traffic laws I've read, I'd say it's very rare for there to be any law on the books prohibiting you as a driver from picking up a hitchhiker.  The only thing you'd need to worry about from a legal perspective is whether stopping your car in that location is permitted or not.

[kphoger]

This is kind of a unique case, but the only times I've personally picked up a "hitchhiker" has been when climbing mountains. Often times there's a parking lot down below for normal cars and then a lot for 4WD vehicles above. Several times I've seen someone hiking up the road between them and asked if they wanted a ride up to the trailhead.

I always wondered about hikes that aren't out-and-back, but rather go from parking lot to parking lot.

For example, at Arches National Park, I could easily see parking my car at the southern end of the Park Avenue Trail, hike north up the mile-long trail, and then hitch a quick ride back to my car.

Or, when my family went to Guadalupe Mountains National Park a few years ago, we stayed at Dog Canyon Campground.  There were several people camped there who left their tents behind to go on an overnight hike up and over to the other side of the park.  What do you do then?  Hike all the way back again?  Or try and hitchhike up to Carlsbad and back?

[Max Rockatansky]

This is kind of a unique case, but the only times I've personally picked up a "hitchhiker" has been when climbing mountains. Often times there's a parking lot down below for normal cars and then a lot for 4WD vehicles above. Several times I've seen someone hiking up the road between them and asked if they wanted a ride up to the trailhead.

I always wondered about hikes that aren't out-and-back, but rather go from parking lot to parking lot.

For example, at Arches National Park, I could easily see parking my car at the southern end of the Park Avenue Trail, hike north up the mile-long trail, and then hitch a quick ride back to my car.

Or, when my family went to Guadalupe Mountains National Park a few years ago, we stayed at Dog Canyon Campground.  There were several people camped there who left their tents behind to go on an overnight hike up and over to the other side of the park.  What do you do then?  Hike all the way back again?  Or try and hitchhike up to Carlsbad and back?

A couple years back I hiked the Four Mile Trail from Yosemite Valley up to Glacier Point.  Yosemite National Park has a bus service that makes the rounds from Yosemite Valley south to Glacier Point.  I knew when the bus was going to arrive and tried to make sure my hike was over before it showed up.  My back up plan was hike/run back down the trail.

When I was recently out hiking the OHV segment of Hites Cove Road I encountered a couple in an SXS on the hike back up.  The driver said he would take me and two of my friends back to my Forester if we wanted to spend the day down at the Hites Cove town site.  It was a tempting offer given the South Fork Merced River was raging but we kept going the final 1.5 miles uphill instead. 

[JayhawkCO]

This is kind of a unique case, but the only times I've personally picked up a "hitchhiker" has been when climbing mountains. Often times there's a parking lot down below for normal cars and then a lot for 4WD vehicles above. Several times I've seen someone hiking up the road between them and asked if they wanted a ride up to the trailhead.

I always wondered about hikes that aren't out-and-back, but rather go from parking lot to parking lot.

For example, at Arches National Park, I could easily see parking my car at the southern end of the Park Avenue Trail, hike north up the mile-long trail, and then hitch a quick ride back to my car.

Or, when my family went to Guadalupe Mountains National Park a few years ago, we stayed at Dog Canyon Campground.  There were several people camped there who left their tents behind to go on an overnight hike up and over to the other side of the park.  What do you do then?  Hike all the way back again?  Or try and hitchhike up to Carlsbad and back?

You either coordinate with someone to be your shuttle, or with common "out and not back" hikes like Rim to Rim in the Grand Canyon, there are companies with shuttle buses that pick people up and bring them back to their car.

[webny99]

You either coordinate with someone to be your shuttle, or with common "out and not back" hikes like Rim to Rim in the Grand Canyon, there are companies with shuttle buses that pick people up and bring them back to their car.

You don't even have to do that if you're in a big group with more than one car. This is a common option for several NY State Parks with waterfall/gorge trails: Watkins Glen, Robert Treman, and Buttermilk Falls, among others. Watkins Glen also has a $6 shuttle service that comes with a clinch of NY 409.

[Max Rockatansky]

Some of you must have better friends than I do.  I only know one person who would be willing to assist me with a pick up from a trailhead.

[kphoger]

In the case of Guadalupe Mountains National Park, starting at the Dog Canyon trailhead...

The hike up and over to the McKittrick Canyon trailhead on the other side is a strenuous 15-mile hike that includes a climb of 2380 feet in two miles—estimated to take between eight and twelve hours total.  The driving distance back to the campground at Dog Canyon is 99 miles and takes more than two hours.

The Tejas Thru Hike, up and over to the Pine Springs trailhead on the other side is a strenuous 12-mile hike—estimated to take between seven and nine hours total.  The driving distance back to the campground at Dog Canyon is 103 miles.

There is no shuttle service between the two sides of the park.

[Max Rockatansky]

In that particular case it sounds like you're SOL if you want anything other than a double back on the trail.  I'd probably bring my camping gear and overnight it.

[kphoger]

In that particular case it sounds like you're SOL if you want anything other than a double back on the trail.  I'd probably bring my camping gear and overnight it.

The couple we were talking with did an overnight hike—but they only went about halfway or two-thirds of the way and then came back the same route.  They wanted to do the whole hike through to the other side, but they couldn't because they had no way back to camp.

[JayhawkCO]

You either coordinate with someone to be your shuttle, or with common "out and not back" hikes like Rim to Rim in the Grand Canyon, there are companies with shuttle buses that pick people up and bring them back to their car.

You don't even have to do that if you're in a big group with more than one car. This is a common option for several NY State Parks with waterfall/gorge trails: Watkins Glen, Robert Treman, and Buttermilk Falls, among others. Watkins Glen also has a $6 shuttle service that comes with a clinch of NY 409.

Hiking in a large group sounds terrible.  But point taken. A group of four could leave one car on either end. But in the case of something like Rim to Rim, the driving time between the two endpoints is four hours. So, if you wanted to leave one car at either end, it would be eight hours of additional driving instead of just taking the shuttle once.

[webny99]

... NY State Parks with waterfall/gorge trails: Watkins Glen, Robert Treman, and Buttermilk Falls ...

I should clarify that these are hardly even "hikes" compared to some of the others mentioned. They're all a couple miles or less between endpoints and heavily tourist/family oriented.

[Scott5114]

I always figured that the prohibitions sign at the beginning of the on-ramp was the beginning of the "no hitchhiking zone"—and I think there may be a court case or two out there to back up that idea.

Would that mean in California, the no-hitchhiking zone starts at the "Freeway Entrance ↘" sign? Since those are posted at the very beginning of the ramp, that would more or less prohibit hitching from the ramp at all.

(Nevada also has "Freeway Entrance ↘" signs, but I doubt any laws about hitchhiking are enforced here.)

[elsmere241]

(Nevada also has "Freeway Entrance ↘" signs, but I doubt any laws about hitchhiking are enforced here.)

Considering that every so often on I-80, they post signs along the lines of "Prison Area: Do not pick up hitchhikers", I think it's safe to say that.

[kphoger]

Would that mean in California, the no-hitchhiking zone starts at the "Freeway Entrance ↘" sign? Since those are posted at the very beginning of the ramp, that would more or less prohibit hitching from the ramp at all.

I'm talking about ...

* kphoger finds a random interchange in California

... signs like these.  The "Freeway Entrance ↘" signs are not regulatory.  California state law prohibits hitchhiking "in a roadway", and a roadway is defined as "that portion of a highway improved, designed, or ordinarily used for vehicular travel".  Because the shoulder is not explicitly excluded in that verbiage, I'd personally stand in the grass beside the road before the white sign in order consider myself obedient to the law.

(Nevada also has "Freeway Entrance ↘" signs, but I doubt any laws about hitchhiking are enforced here.)

Nevada does not have a blanket prohibition against pedestrians on Interstates at all unless there's a sidewalk nearby for them to use instead.  However, hitchhiking is prohibited "in a highway", and a highway is defined as "the entire width between the boundary lines of every way dedicated to a public authority when any part of the way is open to the use of the public for purposes of vehicular traffic".  That language is reportedly vague enough that people have been ticketed for hitchhiking off in the dirt next to the pavement—because it was still within the r/o/w of the highway.