Travel /
Hiking and Camping Trails in Poland [51]
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Camping in Poland
It's all in the title of the thread. How does camping in Poland, work?
Here on the East Coast of the US, I have been camping primarily in three different areas. The Delaware Water Gap (PA), The Adirondacks (NY), and The Catskills (NY). Usually my trips are focused around a river, and involve a kayak or a canoe. The canoe is for carrying the big backpacks, equipment, and the 80L cooler for beer and food. Whoever gets the canoe will be slower, and much more tired than the rest, but it is an important job.
As we go down the river, we look for little brown signs that are nailed to trees facing the river. The signs have a maple leaf and a number on them, indicating a campsite. If there are already kayaks or canoes parked in front of the sign, we continue rowing until we find a site that's not occupied. If we can't find one by sundown, that's when people begin getting nasty (this is why it's important to be on the river by 8:30 AM latest).
At these marked sites, there is typically a fire ring prepared by a ranger (metal or made of rocks), and a nice clearing (ticks are a big problem here). No toilets or water. The sites are free to use. However, if you pay a small amount you can also book campsites online. Those are typically better set up.
The fine for camping "wild" is not large, but if you get a ranger who's in a bad mood, you may be forced to pack your things in the dark, after a long day, and follow the ranger to a preapproved site to rebuild your camp. This is for when camping on public land.
Camping on private land can get you into all sorts of trouble, including getting shot. It's not always clear if you are on public or private land.
So, how does it work in Poland?
