Porcupine.

If someone owns land on a public waterway, and they don't want tresspassers, why don't they put up a fence? That's what people do when their land borders a public road. I don't really see the difference...

That being said, I don't see why people need to drag themselves out of the banks of the river onto others property. Everyone thinks "I'm special" and doesn't follow the rules.

I just hope I get to float down this river before it is argued/coerced into private ownership by the land-owners, and make no mistake that is their ultimate goal...

Anyways, /rant
-Poo

It's because it is so pristine that the land owners want to keep it that way. The more people use it the more it gets trashed. Really, a fence? You don't have to put up a no trespass sign to show its private. If you don't live there its not yours. If you had to pick up trash out of your yard all the time you would get sick of it too. Due to its popularity its not what it was 10 years ago.

A fence would be washed out everytime the river took a rise.

^^This

You can just about bank money on it that some idiot in the not too distant future will stow away his spary can thinking how cool it will be to tag some of those big ancient bolders along the river.

JIMBO! Shame on you!Who even thinks like that!

People who live in the real world.

Wonderful Photos of the float trip--on my bucket list

Most people don't care about private land and the rights of land owners and will never respect signs or fences, no matter how many are put up. They don't care where they camp or where they trespass. There are several islands throughout this trip, I know it as well as anyone out there, I have 40+ days on that river. There is already names carved into that petragraph site, some of them from the 1940's I believe, more people are sure to do it. I took pics of this site from the water with my zoom lens the week after these guys were there.







I don't have any bright ideas of what will keep people honest but something needs to be done. The signs obviously aren't enough...

Me and a few friends of mine are in the midst of planning a float trip down the Devil's for some time late May early June. I am curious if there is a solid contact or resource that has any solid information/guide as to launch sites and campsites and or even rough float itineraries. I'm a firm believer of the leave no trace initiative and most of the information I've been reading/getting doesn't offer anything on how to avoid angering land owners by trespassing other than the obvious observe signs. I have been reading the TPWD site about trips down the river and understand the darp/camp ground fees. Mostly I am curious to hear from other people who have made this trip recently. Thanks

Great pictures. I hope for a legal visit someday.

Most of the comments, to this post have been concilatory to the Land Owners. I would like to take the other side of the argument. The land, with its pictographs, was there before the Land Owners, or their recent ancesters were born. Now the Land Owners say because they were their first, with the right amount of money, only they, or their invited guests are allowed to see, up close, this historical treasure. It may be legal to hord a historical tresure, but is it right? It is this kind of greed and unwillingness to care about others needs and concerns that is causeing most of the problems this country is experiencing.
Why be so negetive about people? Put up a honors donation box.

If you think landowners should just put in campsites and/or donation boxes, you need to spend some time talking to a good attorney and an insurance agent.

Besides the obvious problems with litter and people destroying historical artifacts, you take on financial liability if you allow people on your land that way. No one is willing to take on that risk for a few honor box dollars.

It's this simple:
If it ain't yours, don't mess with it.