Trailhead register

From Trail-Finder -- Dedicated to getting you outside

Many backcountry trailheads, or even long day hiking trailheads, have trailhead registers. These are usually simple notebooks where you record your name, the date, your destination, your anticipated return time, and car license number. Upon your return, you normally sign out, and add any comments about the trail or your hiking experience. Using these registers is usually optional, and have both advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages:

• If a ranger finds your car, sees that you're not due back yet, it probably won't get towed.
• If you're lost or injured and unable to return on your own, search parties know where you were headed, so you'll likely be found sooner.

Disadvantages:

• Anyone can look at the trailhead register to see that you're not due back for hours, even days, and know that it's probably safe to break into or steal your car with no risk of getting caught by the owner.

If you're concerned about the trail, it's probably best to sign in. If you're not concerned about it, then its usually up to you. If the trail is big enough to have a trailhead register, it's probably big enough to have park rangers not too far away. Don't hesitate to ask them any questions about the trail or risks, including risks to your car. They'd much rather answer the same question a hundred times than have to rescue even one unprepared hiker.

A safer variation on the standard trailhead register is a pad of pre-printed forms with a lockbox. Fill out the form, drop it into the box, and you have all the advantages without any of the risks. If a park is serious enough to set these up, use them!