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I saw an old hike description I wrote where I reference a trailhead sign-in sheet and box. I don't think I have seen any in the Coronado, or the Lincoln, but I remember them a lot around Flagstaff. I can't recall either way in other National Forests. Do people sign those things? and Why? I know I did when I first moved to Flag, but stopped long ago.

For that matter, are the sign-in boxes still around? I guess the Humphrey Trail still has one, but what about Elden, and many other trailheads?

Widowmaker wrote:I have never been a third choice

Oh, you're coming up in the world, are you?

Well, sign the boxes if you want, but the boxes are EVIL I tells ya, EVIL! EVILLLLLLL!

I generally sign in when there's a Box simply because I'm Hiking so much alone....Sometimes, I can't even leave specifics at Home because I tend to not make up my mind what I'm Hiking until I get there so I tend to just leave a generalization of my location at Home...The Superstitions, the Mogollon Rim, etc, etc....The only thing about signing in when I'm alone is that sometimes I wonder if some Creep reads those Sheets and is looking for an opportunity....But, whatever, I've not had any problems to this Point with anyone on a Trail and if I do in the Future, well, let's just say that I won't make it easy for them....

Outdoor Lover wrote:I generally sign in when there's a Box simply because I'm Hiking so much alone....Sometimes, I can't even leave specifics at Home because I tend to not make up my mind what I'm Hiking until I get there so I tend to just leave a generalization of my location at Home...The Superstitions, the Mogollon Rim, etc, etc....The only thing about signing in when I'm alone is that sometimes I wonder if some Creep reads those Sheets and is looking for an opportunity....But, whatever, I've not had any problems to this Point with anyone on a Trail and if I do in the Future, well, let's just say that I won't make it easy for them....

Pam, I just put my first initial and last name. That way if there is a SAR issue they can figure out who it is, but no random creep would know if male or female.

Jim_H wrote:but the boxes are EVIL I tells ya, EVIL! EVILLLLLLL!

I don't know about that... I haven't been bitten by one yet. ;)

But back closer to the subject... if there are boxes when entering Private/Semi-Private land (many times in conjunction with AZ Trust Land) I ALWAYS sign in & out. I do this not only to stay legal, but by doing so help keep those lands open to the public. The way I see it is if we abuse access to private property we'll cause the owner to prevent future access.

Due to so much abuse over many years, it took me 6 months of emails, phone calls and eventually a one-to-one visit to get authorization to spend one specific day on some private land in the Dripping Springs Mountains. Not wanting to have to grovel for more time, I bagged the 4 peaks in the area on the same day.

I do not sign in or answer probing questions from quizzing forest service workers. A chance and decision one has to make. Those with loved ones might make another.

sidhayes wrote:I do not sign in or answer probing questions from quizzing forest service workers. A chance and decision one has to make. Those with loved ones might make another.

So, you have no loved ones... at all? That would be very sad.


OK, I know this is an old thread, but I just saw it and I can answer most of the concerns I read here. This is the real low down on the sign-in sheets:

There are two reasons why everyone should want to sign-in. The first is for your benefit. If you don't return from a hike and you signed in with your destination, that's a great starting point for SAR (who, in my experience, has been pretty darn prompt and thorough and most people come out alive). You'll be glad you did if you're sitting out there with a snake bite or your arm is pinned beneath a boulder and you're contemplating amputation. ;) If you haven't signed in, then we don't know if you even made it to the trailhead.

The second reason is because more visitors equals more funding for trail maintenance crews. The Forest Service is not one of your wealthier government agencies... more like the government's love child. They have to beg for every dollar they get and it helps if they've logged a lot of visitors.

As far as privacy concerns, I can fully appreciate those who are reluctant to give any personal information because govt spying is a thing (I'm assuming you don't have Facebook accts.). But, I can assure you that few eyes will ever see it - just the guy who tallys the number of visitors and other HAZers looking to see who else is out there... and SAR, if someone goes missing that day. Your info remains in the pencil and paper format and is not logged into any computer, so that's as far as it goes. I would be much more concerned about what secrets your smartphone is giving away.

Signing in is good for everyone and bad for no one. Hope this helps.

I do not sign in or answer probing questions from quizzing forest service workers.

Probing questions??????? Really! What's probing about asking the entry time & date, the exit time & date, destination and number in the hiking party.

I'm a volunteer with the Forest Service and I request hikers to take advantage of the sign-in lists at the trailheads. These lists are then counted and tallied and that determines how extensively the trails are used and money for trail maintenance is allocated to those trails getting the most use.

Often Sheriff's deputies will stop and look at the lists after hours to see if anyone has failed to sign out and may be lost, injured or in trouble. Sign in and sign out, it only takes a few minutes out of your time but it could save your life

Every one of the questions, is probing, and none of your business. I feel sure that your request, however nicely asked, if not answered, will elicit suspicions, as "what is he hiding"?

Ah, reminds me of that old song, "For What it's Worth" by Buffalo Springfield. ;)

snakemarks wrote:The second reason is because more visitors equals more funding for trail maintenance crews. The Forest Service is not one of your wealthier government agencies... more like the government's love child. They have to beg for every dollar they get and it helps if they've logged a lot of visitors.

Same deal for BLM areas around here. A few (very few) have sign-in sheets, and I always use them. Around here, Red Rocks gets all the love and most of the money, but has to share some with other locations in the same area. It can't hurt to show people are actually visiting the other areas.

BTW, the sign-in sheets I've seen don't even have a space for your name, so I'm not sure why people are so paranoid about that

azbackpackr wrote:

Outdoor Lover wrote:I generally sign in when there's a Box simply because I'm Hiking so much alone....Sometimes, I can't even leave specifics at Home because I tend to not make up my mind what I'm Hiking until I get there so I tend to just leave a generalization of my location at Home...The Superstitions, the Mogollon Rim, etc, etc....The only thing about signing in when I'm alone is that sometimes I wonder if some Creep reads those Sheets and is looking for an opportunity....But, whatever, I've not had any problems to this Point with anyone on a Trail and if I do in the Future, well, let's just say that I won't make it easy for them....

Pam, I just put my first initial and last name. That way if there is a SAR issue they can figure out who it is, but no random creep would know if male or female.

Most people just write a last name, some write their HAZ name.

I've started using my HAZ name on registers!

I owe it to my family to be alive, and I also like being alive, so I take all reasonable precautions I can think of when hiking. That includes signing registers.

My wife gets a link to the HAZ description of every hike I do (that's not a routine work-out), and I use a DeLorme InReach that sends her GPS pings every 10 or 20 minutes, in addition to giving me an extra method of calling for help in case there's no cellphone coverage. Sure I envy crazy thrill-seekers every now and then, who doesn't, but my motto is still the same: no needless risks.

After all of the people writing that they sign in for family, SARS, or some other issue, I feel the need to point out that I stopped signing at the boxes after the FS stopped replacing the paper, and they became filled with scraps of useless trash. I signed all the time when I moved to Flag in 2006, but by 2007, I had stopped because no one changed the paper. I even mention the paper being used up at Elden, in my Mormon MT description. The FS couldn't keep up, so the box became useless.

As I've mentioned before, a person can become a sort of stealth volunteer. At Pole Knoll near Greer I used to take a sheet of the sign-in paper back home with me, copy it, then white out the names and make a lot of new blank copies. I'd replace the 3 ring binder (usual cost at Family Squalor or Squalor General - $1). I also had a box of those little doughnut-shaped hole-reinforcement stickers, which I sometimes used to improve the whole thing. I also kept a supply of maps in the box. After my "treatment" the notebook, papers and such would last for months in good condition, which told me that the FS had been ignoring that sign-in for years.

Why did I do this? Well, Pole Knoll is reasonably popular, but like most hiking areas in the Springerville Ranger district it was largely ignored, many of the loops were not kept maintained, and no new maps were made after they added the paved road and picnic tables, etc., which changed the configuration of a couple of trails. You can complain, but you have to pick your battles. Sometimes it's easier to fix small things yourself. It's public land, it's MY trail, I can contribute something.

Also to note: When the FS has a change of personnel often a lot of the knowledge of small things goes with the departing employee. And they have a lot of turnover. So, the current people might not even know they need a new map, for instance. They might not have compared the current map with what is actually there.

Anyway, I couldn't stand the mess, so I fixed it.

@azbackpackr
That's awesome of you, Liz!

@azbackpackr
Please park your home this winter next to the Superstition Wilderness as it needs a little love and care as well. :whistle:

Thanks, guys. I really said all that to give others the idea they can do it, too. As for parking my motorhome in AJ, or thereabouts, who knows? Maybe sometime in the future I'd consider it, especially if I could find a place on private property for really cheap (I've had a couple such offers in Tucson and Yuma). But this coming winter I'll be down on the river, exploring the Mojave Desert, and paddling the river around Topock, etc.

big_load wrote:In some places, TH records are used to guide the allocation of resources for maintenance, etc.

This statement exactly

Jim_H wrote:I saw an old hike description I wrote where I reference a trailhead sign-in sheet and box. I don't think I have seen any in the Coronado, or the Lincoln, but I remember them a lot around Flagstaff. I can't recall either way in other National Forests. Do people sign those things? and Why? I know I did when I first moved to Flag, but stopped long ago.

For that matter, are the sign-in boxes still around? I guess the Humphrey Trail still has one, but what about Elden, and many other trailheads?

I hike in the Superstitions. there is a sign-up sheet at both the Peralta and First Water Trails.