John Muir once said, “The mountains are calling and I must go.”

But for the metropolitan adventurers among us…are rooftops close enough?

Brooklyn sculpture artist Thomas Stevenson has pioneered a new kind of “rugged” adventure in the concrete jungle of New York. Titled Bivouac NY, his project invites urban explorers to sign up for one of his fifteen hour-long, post-work rooftop camping trips.

“My art practice is focused on presence,” Stevenson told Sierra by phone. The meaningful personal interactions that occur when a group of strangers share the same space are at the heart of Bivouac.

The cost of a shared meal, interesting company, an awesome view, and not having a shower for a night is zilch—the artist offers the excursions free of charge. The only requisites involve promptly meeting at a designated location in NYC, bringing one food item to share, not bringing electronics, and dealing with a downstairs toilet as the only amenity for the night.

A visit to California’s deserts inspired the idea. “I thought, ‘What can I do in New York City, where I live, to create the same environmental expanse?’”

Stevenson got his answer by looking up. Rooftop vistas are still vistas, he said. They’re just obscured at street level.

In 2011 he designed and built six canvas tents, which he considers standalone art pieces as well as a means to create what he calls social sculpture: “[The tent] is not a fulfilled art project until people interact with it,” he said.

Would Muir approve? A rooftop campout may seem pretty posh compared to traditional camping, but past participants describe it as a memorable out-of-doors experience.  Perhaps the seclusion of rooftops can be a way to get away from it all, without having to get too far at all (the camping locations are located near subway stations).

“People get it. The project is about stepping out of your traditional day to day here in New York City,” Stevenson said. “It’s not a big ask—it’s not hiking Yosemite.”  But like camping in Yosemite these days, each jaunt requires months of advanced planning, and he sets up the trips only a few times a year.

The defacto camp counselor and park ranger, Stevenson noted that he’s become good friends with many participants, some of whom have come back for more. And while a campfire is impossible for his crew, they do have a camp stove over which they share a communal meal. Maybe urban camping isn’t such a paradox after all.

Follow Sierra on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and YouTube.