Went to a camping in the Laurentians in Québec (Ste-Agathe) and there were those things near some camp sites. The sites are only accessible by footpaths. No car access. And if you bring a bike, you have to walk it up a hill, so I doubt they are bike racks.
EDIT: I have sent an email to the park and they have been kind enough to reply. It’s just a type of fireplace with a grate. They didn’t give more info than just this. Thanks to everyone for pitching in!
Where is the news on this one?!
I’ve just got a reply and edited the post. It is indeed a fireplace with a grill. Just that nobody uses them.
I thought I’d go back soon but it may take a few more weeks so I sent them an email a few hours ago. If I don’t have an answer I’ll ask in person, maybe in a few days, maybe in a few weeks.
looks like a grill to me.
The concrete isn’t discolored like it would be for a grill.
Maybe everyone else who has ever been there was just as confused as OP, and never realised it’s a grill, so it’s a grill that just hasn’t ever been used.
This was a correct guess. I asked the park and the answer is that it’s an old type of fireplace with a grill.
That and/or its just been very rarely used as a grill.
If its been months or years between sporadic uses… wind and rain could wash away light, non consistently repeated burn marks.
My guess is some construction team at some point had some extra materials laying around, and either got bored and just fucked around and made this, or got very vague instructions for something approximating a grill, and this was ‘good enough’.
Assuming this pic is recent… thats a lot of wear and erosion, and vegetative growth on this thing, I’d spitball guess its 60+ years old, it looks roughly similar to some campgrounds I’ve been at with firepits that were built in like the 1950s or 60s.
Could it be a grill that hasn’t been used in a long time? It really looks like a grill, but I’m confused in that there is an obvious circle-of-rocks firepit clearly visible in the bacground.
I would second this guess.
If not a grill, could be a good work surface for a pot or pan
it holds firewood (but not right now)
Its trying it’s best, ok.
Hmm. Possibly to place gathered firewood so it doesn’t get under foot?
Second on firewood storage.
The sides keep it all in one place, while the top lets you throw a tarp over it to keep wood dry in the rain.
It’s definitely not a bike rack, the cross bars would stop it working.
It’s definitely not a grill. The concrete would be discoloured, and the base is all wrong.
Yes, precisely couldn’t pin point why it wasn’t a bike option, thanks, your point on the grill is exactly why I had crossed it off the list of possibilities as well.
I’ve been putting my tarp over wood directly—didn’t realize I was doing it wrong :)
If it had no top, the poles could damage the tarp, or it would be a pain to tuck it in around it.
OP, none of the answers here are satisfactory. Please ask the rangers and update this post because this is fascinating.
Google Lens wasn’t helpful, it compares it to things like drains and fences built around old markers (it specifically thought it was a Mason-Dixon line marker which is obviously incorrect). But this is not protecting anything and not a drain.
My guess is, if it’s not something to tie a horse to, is maybe it’s something to put animal feed in? But that’s a wild guess, I don’t really think it’s right. Like shove a hay bake in. But you said only accessible by walking, so I really doubt it.
It looks like a park but it’s a municipal camping with a forested area for tents. I will ask the employees when I go back, but I’m afraid they may also not know. I’m also tempted to call and ask directly but this gives me a reason to make another cycling trip “in the north”.
how can I make sure to not miss the update??
I hope you’ll post what you learn as a new message in this community, so we all see it.
Salt lick. Hunters use em for attracting animals. Takes time. You drop a big block of askt on the thing… that be my best guess at that.
OP said there is one at each camping spot and you can see the camp fire right there. That seems very close to be a spot for a salt lick.
10/10 I jump the gun on that one. I read the words food and got way to excited.
Could it just be a deteriorated bench?
I’m surprised that no one has said “concrete anchor for an unfinished building structure”. Doesn’t this look like someone laid the foundation for a tower or building or something with the concrete anchor underground, and this is a tie-in area for the additional rebar structure of either a column or a wall that could have joined here? The metal configuration here looks a lot like what’s inside concrete pillars but we usually don’t see it
Vertical Rack for storing clay tool molds. Keep an eye out for a friendly seraph. They’re clearly in the iron age at this point.
I definitely did not expect a wholesome vintage story reference here. Thank you for the smile, kind person.
I’d assume it’s for wood if there are designated fire areas for each camp. I could see it being even more useful for wet wood, allowing you to set it near the fire to dry out.
Nice steady pic. Especially with sasquatch looking on… waiting to tie his mule up before taking a dip in the stream?
I didn’t know a sasquatch could take the form of a white birch!
Usually Sasquatch is blurry.
bike rack
Unlikely. I don’t see anything showing scale, but it looks to me like the cross bars would prevent bike wheels from entering the slots.
Does a typical cooler for under that?
This is to make sure your carry on fits on the trail (jk)
Is the area prone to bears? Could be the remnants of a small bear box for a cooler or something that went over it, either some sort of information kiosk or storage/waste box that’s no longer there.
Oh you can put your weed in it
Is there cross country skiing there in the winter?
There are hiking and cross country skiing trails very close. However the camp sites are closed in winter.
As a non-skiier, I need more information please!
During the winter they might groom these trails for cross country skiers. And if it’s next to a table it would be a rack you can place your skis while you take a break and have a bite to eat or something
![[SOLVED] On a camp site only accessible on foot](https://lemmy.ca/pictrs/image/fac81363-f229-4e5f-be2f-63c8d8691a54.jpeg){kind=link}