Guide To Travel: Camp Scaredy-Cat (Including Must-Have Apps For Finding a Campsite)

Then

Growing up, my family would cart our tent all over the country to camp on vacation.

Partly, this was because our family enjoyed hiking and camping. My mom is uber outdoorsy. The kind of person who brings home twigs, skulls, and interesting leaves to create art pieces for the wall. For her last birthday, I got her a mounted insect for the display cabinet.

My dad must be outdoorsy, too, although his idea of a perfect day outside usually includes a beach or pool.

The other part, which I discerned later on, was that it’s expensive to take a vacation and we needed to pinch pennies where we could. Campsites are just inherently cheaper.

Whatever the reason, I’m glad we did it because some of my most vivid vacation memories are from camping:

Watching my parents running around in the pouring rain trying to set up camp while my brother and I sat comfortable in the rental car, eating those tiny boxes of sugary cereal we were only allowed to eat on vacation.

Waking in the pre-dawn to go to the bathroom and finding the campsite bathing in the quiet radiance of stars.

My mom and I sleeping in the van with the heat on in Arizona because the 112-degree heat broke in the night, dipping the temperatures into the low 50s, and my dad and brother stole all the blankets.

Opening the tent flap one morning and coming face-to-face with a deer peeing.

For me, the nostalgia of summer hearkens to many things: long days playing Power Rangers in the neighborhood, swimming well past sunset in the haunting underwater lights of grammie and grandpa’s pool, days down the shore with dad, hikes in the rain, ball games, and even double sessions for sports. It’s also the smell of a campfire, the toastiness of a sleeping bag pulled over my head, and the creepy yet soothing sound of quiet outside the tent.

Now

Because of these outdoor adventures in childhood, my brother and I both have a great appreciation of the outdoors.

He is much more active in his fondness, trekking and camping frequently. He has also hiked some of the highest peaks in the world, including one incredible-looking trip to Antarctica that I am very happy to have seen pictures of but also would never want to do myself.

I’m much more passive in my love. I say I love camping more often than actually I do it. My hikes are no more than a few miles in length so I can be back at home for dinner. I spend a lot of time outside walking around my city or sitting on the porch enjoying the fresh air, but I’m not sure I can truly say I’m “outdoorsy” anymore.

But, once in a while, I still get the urge to capture my younger self’s experiences.

In the beginning of summer this year, with the lockdown at its strictest, I was feeling whimsical and convinced my partner to set up our tent in the dining room one weekend to pretty great effect, I have to say. It was fun and satisfied my urge for camping—for a time.

When campgrounds began to open back up, a lot of people I know headed for them. With flights limited—and safety inconsistent and questionable—people in the U.S. and abroad turned to more socially-distant adventures.

Shoshone National Forest in Wyoming reported that some campsites that would normally be at 60 percent capacity during the week were at 100 percent capacity all summer season, leading to the decision to extend the season at certain sites. RV rentals also got a boost this summer, though some people found that traveling this way was a little more difficult than anticipated (I just found this helpful article if you’re thinking about renting an RV for the first time).

Growing up, we usually stayed in state parks, which generally offer affordable, well-kept campgrounds with the understanding that you’ll likely be within eyeline (and earshot) of several other groups. My friends like to trek 15 miles into the wilderness and camp with the hope of seeing no other souls.

I like something in between.

When it was time to actually get the H-E-double hockey sticks out of the house in early June, we turned to an app that my partner had used to find campsites in the past: Hipcamp.

Camping in Someone Else’s Backyard

Hipcamp matches campers in the U.S. with small, private campsites and allows you to book the sites right through the app or website. Think Airbnb for campers. While glamping is a search option, for the typical campsite, prices are affordable because you’re basically renting a space on someone’s farm or open land. Locations can be limited, though, especially depending on your state or region.

I had been waiting to talk about Hipcamp until we checked out a second campsite, but now that summer’s over and we never found time to get away again, I figured I should share camping information before my favorite time to camp—autumn—was gone, too.

Before our night away in rural western Pennsylvania, I’d only camped in state or national park campgrounds or on the property of a family member or friend. I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect and I had the same kind of jitters I get when I’m looking at a new apartment or arriving at an Airbnb. Will it look like the pictures? Will I like it?

The short answer is: Yes, it did, and yes, I did.

We stayed at a site called Footbridge Haven Farm, which we picked for being an easy drive and its proximity to a creek because L and I think everything is better with a water view. The campsite was really cute and well-equipped with a covered pavilion, a tire swing, fire pit, outhouse, and a couple of areas for setting up the tent. Since we visited, the post has been updated and a second, cheaper listing added that looks like it’s just a tent site without the extra accommodations. The price for the main site has gone up, but still seems reasonable for everything it offers, especially if you go in with friends/another couple/have a family.

Overall, it was a really great experience and we were surprised to discover a trail that led right to a park next door with trails and a playground.

Now, was it true camping? The adventurer in me would say no. There was street noise and barking dogs. The adjacent park was there, of course, but this was still during lockdown, so we didn’t hear much over there. We were far from the hosts farmhouse, on the opposite side of a field (which had pigs in it!) but we were also surprisingly close to the neighbors, which made me a little paranoid. What do they think of people camping back here?

At the same time, we heard coyotes howling in the night. Something made a nest in the outhouse overnight. The awful not-scary-at-all spooky stories I read before bed still left me a little nervous in the dark. If we turned our back to the neighbors, it felt like we could be way out there, alone.

I would say that camping at this site was akin to camping out at my grandparents’ farm, or even my own rural-ish backyard growing up. It was a literal breath of fresh air and an escape from the city, even if it wasn’t a 10-mile hike in.

We’ve been really cautious since the pandemic began, keeping strict boundaries for our safety and others. The benefit of camping on a private site was that we didn’t have to worry about what safety precautions other campers at a public campground were taking. We had the site completely to ourselves and we knew where we’d been.

The Wrap-Up

I have so much respect for park officials who have been working with skeleton crews to maintain campsites and keep up with demand in a record camping season. Thank you for providing so many people a needed reprieve from the monotony of lockdown.

I may not be as outdoorsy as I once was, but the benefits of being in nature are clear. I returned from our night away energized and optimistic even though I was running on a lot of carbs and very little sleep (thanks, ghost stories).

For much of the U.S., autumn is a great season to camp because the chillier but not frigid nights make you appreciate the campfire and cozy sleeping bag even more. Don’t forget to check the forecast so you can be prepared with the right gear, but don’t let a little chill scare you away!

Visit your favorite camping spot (and let us know what it is down in the comments!) or use one of the apps above to find a new one.

Happy camping!

Until next time, Mel