Monday, March 10, 2008

Car Camping, Official Campsites, and Unofficial Campsites

Now is the time to start planning trips for this spring and summer. With so many new hikers unfamiliar with the different types of camping, I thought I would help explain.

Car Camping - Easiest - You literally camp next to your car. You don't have to carry anything. This allows you to bring just about anything. So go ahead and bring your pillow, books, and other items to make your trip more enjoyable. Normally you are camping at official campgrounds.
Example: Watchman campground at Zion.

Official Campgrounds - moderate - I am writing about campgrounds you have to backpack to get to. You need to carry anything the campground does not provide. Many campgrounds have some amenities. Leave the books, pillows, etc. at home.
Example: Campground at Havasupai.

Unofficial Campgrounds -
toughest - Generally these are backpacks into an area of interest. You make your own campsite. There is nothing but you and the mountains. You have to be self sufficient. Don't take anything that is not essential. Many times mountain climbers backpack into a base camp and from there bag nearby peaks.
Example: Dusy Basin in the Sierra

4 comments:

  1. Thats a good summary of different types of campgrounds. Camping next to your car is most convenient if its a family holiday. Car camping tends to also include essential amenities such as showers and a local food store.

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  2. With spring break coming up car camping is a definite must for me. There is no other way I can get all the sleeping bags, tents, coolers, and junk my kids bring along.

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  3. I go for the unofficial campsites. I love to try challenges and unofficial campsites is such a challenge to true campers. DO you agree with me?

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  4. Nice article. I hope more people could create blogs like this that are literally pleasurable to read. With the nonsense topics flying round over the internet, it is rare to read a webpage like this. Now I am starting to recall all our family camping trips and try to plot it among the types you presented in this article.

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