New to camping - please help!

[hfc2011]

Hello camper enthusiasts! Disclaimer: I have almost no camping experience. Nonetheless, I'm thrilled to be planning a camping trip for the summer where I will be visiting many different National Parks, National Forests, National Recreation Areas, and State Parks all throughout the country - some very popular (think: Yosemite), and others more obscure (think: Northern Minnesota). The first question I have, and please forgive my ignorance, relates to reserving campsites. How exactly does this work? Do I need reservations for each of these places if I am only going to be using a tent? If not, how do I go about finding a campsite and paying the camping fee? I assume that it is not like checking into the Holiday Inn where there is a welcome desk for every campsite, but maybe I am wrong. Primarily, my two goals are to 1.) always have a campsite available, and 2.) not break federal law (i.e., camping without paying the proper fee). However, I'm hesitant to make reservations because I would like to maintain flexibility (i.e., if I decide to stay an extra night somewhere it will not be a huge problem).

Any input would be very much appreciated.

[Bigdog57]

Re: New to camping - please help!

First, welcome to the friendliest camping forum on the Net! :cool:

My experience has been that tenter's can generally find a spot on a walk-up basis, but it may not be the BEST spot. Busy times, like holiday periods, of course this may not be true.
Some campgrounds here will take reservations but not allow you to pick the spot you want, others will. But my experience is strictly East Coast.
If one campground is full, you should be able to find another close by - always have an alternate or two mapped out.
Some campgrounds may not have a ranger/host on site when you get there, but will usually have the 'iron ranger' box to drop your payment in - definitely don't 'cheat'! :rolleyes:
Sounds like a great adventure in the making!

[Eaglebait Ranch]

Re: New to camping - please help!

AS Bigdog said, "Welcome to the friendliest camping forum on the Net!" There isn't a person here who isn't interested in making sure you enjoy your outdoors experience, at whatever level you are at with the outdoors.

Living on the west coast, I still found what Bigdog said accurate for where I have traveled here on the west coast. FYI, in a pinch, you shouldn't have much difficulty finding a place to park your tent. Anyone can "camp" on National Forest land or BLM land for 2 weeks, free. So, if you are having a problem finding an open campsite, keep this piece of information in mind. Granted, more than likely places we find to spend a night or two on NF land or BLM land are not as nice as a campground, but on the other hand, we have wound up next to beautiful lakes, steams, and unique forest trees.

When you decide to go to Yosemite, let me know. I worked in Yosemite for 10 summers, and know some fantastic places to go to there which tourists don't know about, which are easy walks to get to, and so devoid of people, you will never forget these spots.

If/when you decide to head over to southern Oregon or Nor. California, let me know and I can steer you to some beautiful places to visit.

With that, welcome, and njoy your ventures on the road.

[Money Man]

Re: New to camping - please help!

We camp every year in Cape Cod M**** and some places in NY. I use reserveamerica.com and it has maps of the campgrounds (atleast all the places I was looking to go). Best of luck, and I hope you enjoy your camping experiences.

[hfc2011]

Re: New to camping - please help!

Thanks for the welcome and great info! With all that in mind, I think I will avoid the nightmare of making a campsite reservation at two dozen places and take my chances. This will allow me to have greater trip flexibility which I think will enhance my experience.

"Eaglebait Ranch" - I would love to hear about these secret spots in Yosemite. I'm definitely trying to avoid the places that are overcrowded. I'll be heading there in late-August. In Oregon/North CA, the places I am thinking about visiting are Crater Lake NP and Redwood NP. Are those places ideal for camping? Which other places should I consider?

[garmp]

Re: New to camping - please help!

Well Bigdog is from the east and Eaglebait the west. I'm mid-west (MO) and these Gents pretty much covered it. Just be sure you have the appropriate supplies and equipment. My wife & I will head out with and end destination in sight and generally make reservations for that spot for a given period of time, and pending the time of year and week vs weekend. The to & from is the interesting part, cause we wing it. Break out the laptop, road atlas and the GPS and drive. But WHOA!!! If there's a brown sign denoting a waterfall, spring, canyon, campground or anything that sounds interesting, look out, cause we're turning.

We camp out of a full size van and prefer corp parks with electricity, but can boondock is needed. That's why I say be prepared and have the supplies. Worst case scenario you can always find a place for the night.

I generally do a lot of research online and have a pretty good idea of our route. Time permitting, I'll even trace the perspective route on Google Earth with a vigilant eye for perspective campsites not to far off the path and also for eateries/groceries.

Hope this helps, and enjoy the outdoors and this forum!

[shawnbebout]

Re: New to camping - please help!

Contact the local forest service or BLM offices. Ask for a Motor Vehicle Use Map (MVUM). These show where vehicle use is allowed up to 300' off the center line of the road for camping purposes only. Plus the gray shaded area is Federal Land, the white is private. If you camp on the gray, it is considered boondocking with no toilets and water. So be prepared.
http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_...rdb5165768.pdf
for reservations at campsites try checking this website.
http://www.recreation.gov/campground...ex=CampingSpot

[Eaglebait Ranch]

Re: New to camping - please help!

The to & from is the interesting part, cause we wing it. Break out the laptop, road atlas and the GPS and drive. But WHOA!!! If there's a brown sign denoting a waterfall, spring, canyon, campground or anything that sounds interesting, look out, cause we're turning.

That's what we do,too. It won't take too long before you won't have be taking "chances". Make sure you have maps of where you are and a good gps. What we do is find a National Forest, then zoom in on the edge of the forest looking for National Forest roads (they will have a letter/number combination for the name of the road). When we find one, we then zoom "out" looking to see if it goes to an interesting place (lake, rivers, creeks, ridge, etc). If none of those exist, we still can find a place that is quiet and peaceful for the night.