Our Nations forests are some of the most beautiful and varied as any country, and provide millions of people each year to enjoy nature’s wonders. You can find National Forest Camping of just about any kind, from thick Redwood and Sequoia groves where you can’t see any sunlight over head, to desert cactus that only the heartiest of creatures call home. The nice part is that you can camp anywhere in a National Forest that is not otherwise posted for free, called dispersed camping.
Dispersed camping is a great way to recognize our natural forest habitats. There are rare opportunities to see a diversity of different wildlife, from small mammals to larger carnivores, as well as many different species of birds. There are some things that you are going to need when doing this kind of camping. You will have to have a fire permit if you are going to have an open flame of any kind, and since these are very crude, you will have to bring your own source of clean drinking water, and you will have no lav facilities. You will either have take with you a portable toilet, or dig a hole at least six inches deep. You also have to camp at least a hundred feet from any water sources.
There are also assigned camping areas, some of these have charges , but these usually are full service campgrounds, with running water, full toilet facilities and trash containers. There are a number of free established campgrounds, which just have the basics. You will usually find a designated spot, it will have a table and a fire pit. There will be drop toilets, and perchance running water for dishes. You will still have to carry in your own drinking water. There are some other usually other safety restrictions as well, it truly depends on the campground and National Forest.
There are also some important things you need to know about camping in our National Forests as well. You need to have the expert equipment when you are out camping, and this take time to really deliberate about. There are some basic needs, shelter, cooking, warmth. You are going to have to have a tent of some sort, a cooking stove or other way to cook food, a place to store perishable items, and a good sleeping bag. You must also carry some kind of first aid kit at all times, because you just never know when you may need it.
You also have to buy camping equipment that goes along with the kinds of camping you most often do. For example, if you like to go up into the high country to camp, you should have a sleeping bag that will keep you warm even if the temperature drops to freezing. You want a tent that is low to the ground, and will resist up to winds and differing temperatures. You also want to have decent camping gear to be able to at least be comfortable when you are out and about.
There are going to be National Forest camping areas that don’t allow you to gather your own fire wood, or don’t allow fire pits or charcoal cooking. You have to find out where you are planning on camping, and check if there are these kinds of restrictions. You should find a quality propane stove to avoid these problems. There is propane cooking as well as a variety of different fuels. There are even some combination stoves, with accessories like the griddle and barbeque surfaces that can be interchanged with the actual stove top. The nice part about these waress is that everything folded all up into one compact package.
You also have to plan for the amount of people that are coming with you. If it is just you and your spouse or partner that are out camping, then you can use a smaller tent, sleeping bags that zip jointly, and just a one burner stove top. You could store the food for a couple of days in a small cooler. Family camping is going to require larger tents, more cooking capacity, large quantities of drinking water, and more food storage.
There are many different brands of camping equipment, with Coleman, North Face, and L.L. Bean among the most popular. You need to go to one of the many product comparison websites to compare features, warranties, and prices among them and choose the best overall product for your needs.
