08.20.09
Looking For A Great Spot To Camp
One of the most important things to consider when going camping is where you’re going to place your campsite. Since you’ll be spending a good amount of time there – cooking, eating, sleeping, and relaxing, at the least – it’s important to choose a good spot to set up camp. But what makes a good spot for a campsite? What sort of things should you look for?
The first thing to look for in a camping spot is a large area of reasonably clear, level ground. The size of your campsite will depend on several factors – how many people are camping with you, the thickness of the trees and growth in the area, the terrain you’re camping in, etc – but you want to find clear spot that is at least 10 to 15 yards square.
Reasonably clear means as little growth, rocks and trees as possible. You’ll probably never find a spot that is completely clear, but look around a bit until you find something good. You also want the spot to be level – you don’t want your tent mate to be laying on top of you all night because you both keep sliding down to the low end of the tent.
A handy trick for spotting a good campsite is looking for fire rings that other people have used. If someone else has already built a fire in that spot, chances are good that they were able to camp there. On top of that, if you can use existing fire rings, that will lower the impact you have on the area during your trip and that’s good for everyone.
Another thing to consider in a campsite is the weather forecast for the days you’ll be camping. If it is going to be windy or rain heavily, you’ll want keep that in mind. Having some trees or a large hill near your campsite can help shelter from wind, and if the rainfall is going to be significant, then looking for high ground will definitely be beneficial. You don’t want to camp on low ground and get flooded in the middle of the night.
The last thing to consider is whether you can find any evidence of insects or wild animals in the area. Setting your tent up on top of a snakes’ nest would not be a smart thing, and grilling your food with a bear cave nearby wouldn’t be either. Chances are good that nothing bad will happen, but keep your eyes open for these things anyway.
Consider all of these things carefully as you look around and soon you’ll be sitting by your campfire and enjoying the outdoors.
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