Appreciation post: That ranger at Badlands who yelled at me for using a tripod

I was out at Badlands National Park last August trying to get a shot of the Milky Way over the rock formations. Some ranger drove up at 2 AM and told me I couldn't use a tripod on the boardwalk because it was a 'safety hazard' after sunset. Honestly, it pissed me off at first but now I see his point. I just carry a small beanbag now and set the camera on the ground or a rail instead. Has anyone else run into weird rules at state parks that forced you to change your whole setup?

3 comments

3 Comments

kai_ramirez389h ago

Respectfully gotta disagree here. Honestly, a beanbag on the ground works fine for a lot of shots but a tripod gives you way more control over composition and sharpness, especially at 2 AM. Ngl, that ranger yelling at you seems like a bit much - they could have just explained the rule nicely instead of making it a whole thing. Tbh, I've set up a tripod on the boardwalk plenty of times at other parks and never had an issue, so this feels like one ranger being overzealous. Maybe just pick a less busy spot next time and keep the tripod low to avoid blocking the path.

samreed5h ago

See both sides here but honestly, you should have just asked if there was a spot off the boardwalk where you could set up instead of getting yelled at. The ranger probably gets a ton of people ignoring the rules at night and is tired of dealing with it. I get that a tripod gives better control, especially for astro shots, but blocking a boardwalk at 2 AM is still a bad look. Beanbag trick is solid though, I might have to steal that for my next trip. Ever tried those little tabletop tripods? They're super low profile and might work better for you than a beanbag.

parker_hall57h ago

So are we really complaining that a ranger is doing their job now? I mean, you're out there in a national park at 2 AM on a boardwalk designed to protect fragile ground, and they're supposed to just let you set up a tripod that people could trip over in the dark? I've seen someone bite it hard on a boardwalk during the day, at night that's a lawsuit waiting to happen. Parks have these rules for a reason, maybe it's not the ranger being a jerk but you not planning ahead. The beanbag fix shows you just needed to adapt instead of blaming them.