Car Camping

“I'll admit, i've had some bad car-camping experiences. if this had been my first experience, it would have been my last.

First time at Zion, stayed in the Watchman campground. this place is a sh*t-hole(dumpsters overflowing and swarming w/bees) compared to the campgrounds at bryce. I came home from a long day of hiking and the two campsites next to me (one huge group) were gathered around the picnic table singing songs from "Willy Wonka &the CHocolate Factory". UGH! I was beside myself with grief and complained at the info booth. the only other site was treeless but i was desperate for quiet and i picked up my tent & walked it to this pitifully, vacant site. I tried to put my dissatisfaction out of my head but it was hard and i had a miserable time and with the exception of in incredible hike to the top of Angel's Landing, i have few good memories.

another time, in the northern catskills, i found a wonderful cmapsite. i was in heaven, never been happier. then a big ol' van pulls into the site next to me. piles of kids pour out of the vehicle and i felt my heart sink with the knowledge that my peaceful weekend was ruined. then some boys come over and start pissing right behind my site, in broad daylight. I didnt feel like policing my own backyard the whole weekend so i picked up and move elsewhere.

otherwise, i've had a great time car-camping and can't wait to teach my kids (if i ever have any) proper camping ettiquette.”

“Thats why I go backpacking”

“i hear ya. car camping has its merits but i know i will get to the point where i will be driven to the back country one of these days. for now, the car's gonna have to do.”

“With a little research you can find lots out of the way campgrounds. The ones the forest service call " Primitive". Piped water,pit toilets,fire pit and a picnic table is all you get.


I'll be taking the family to one in the Salmon river country ( Northen Ca, not Idaho) next week for some gold panning and day hikes to a couple of lakes. The Campground will either be empty or have maybe two other campers in it.”

“We found this old logging road that ran off to the backside of no-where and just played out, not even a turn around at the end of it.

A ways this side of it`s ending there was the nicest deep river you ever laid eyes on. It just begged to be explored and have a bait cast out into it`s many deep pockets.

I got some friends together that shared my love for wild things and places and off we go bent on a good time lost off on our own.

We set up camp and gather firewood for the cooking and for the long nights of laughter and talk that a fire seems to lend itself to. Ice chests are drug out, card tables placed, lanterns hung at the ready, tents up and stuff stowed away, we cut out to see what there is to see and do.

We`re gone for hours and come back to find we have company and it`s not goldy locks, not by a long shot it isn`t. It`s this rude creature in much need of a bath and some manners.

Seems he arrived and finding no one about the place, he just made himself to home and cooked up the better part of our bacon and eggs we were going to have for breakfast. He`d helped himself to what ever it was he wanted to drink, the cans strown and tossed off nearby like the place was his and he was remodeling.

He`d gone through all of our things and just left `em laying where he`d tossed `em off in his search.

Well, I`ve already made this a long story so, I`ll just make it short now. He got that bath he`d been needing and I was in the middle of teaching him manners 101 and my so called friends drug me up off of his neck.

Did I tell you this guy was rude,...well he was, he didn`t much more than get some air back in his lungs good and he was off like a shot, not so much as a thank you for the good time, or the food and drinks were nice or any pleasentries at all. If I didn`t know better you`d a thought he haddn`t been welcomed properly.

Come to think back on it, that wasn`t that bad of a car camping trip after all, I enjoyed it..lol”

“Belated thanks Big Foot. Can I send you a check?”

“Was that you man,....I`m so sorry, you come back now, ya hear.lol”

“I grew up RV camping, but it is a whole different animal now. Even in the "primitive" campsites in NJ, you get to listen to hip hop and hard rock from the car or truck stereo next door. So I've been researching the surrounding states of PA, VA and NY. The Adirondacks, PA state forests and VA George Wash forest have a lot of backcountry camping available to families who don't want to hike 10 miles to get away from everyone. You can hike many miles if you want, but you don't have to. Seems like safer soloing to me too.”

“damnit.
i have to take the kiddies camping over mothersday weekend and all the parks nearbyish London are already booked up. damndamndamn
i don't want to drive forever with them in the car with me. AGGGHHH!
i really thought it would be too soon for all the trailerpeople to be out.”

“how are the boys doing?

i shall offer a proactive "happy mothers day" helenka since i don't see you post that often!”

“thanks Jim
i don't post much but i usually lurk around here after work (when the rest of the world is asleep)

so after my little hissyfit, i had another look at the parks within a couple hours of london.
funny how all the(halfdecent) parks along warm, shallow lake erie are practically totally booked, but the parks (they're all nice) along deep and chilly lake huron are mostly empty.
i guess nobody wants to freeze their tushie off in iceberg lake.
i'm gonna have to do the wait & sea/flip-a-coin thing. if all else fails, i guess i'll have to take a trailer site :(
i can put our little backpacking tents in amongst the gigantic home-away-from-home trailers. LOL. maybe i could bring my hairdryer or an electric wok or something!”

“I'm goin car camping in Moab, UT this coming weekend - we're all pretty stoked about it.

The best part is the cooking - you can make some good food on those ole double burner stoves!

We're gonna be tourons at Canyonlands and Arches Nat. Park.”

“shutupihateyou

just kidding. i'm insanely jealous
last edited: 4/29/07 11:55:13 PM”

“:)

I'll post pics :)”

“yeah, me too.
of us dodging swarms of mosquitos as we dash out of the frigid lake covered in icicles”

“Where do you live that still has frozen lakes and icicles? NW Wisconsin was 82 yesterday. Way too hot.”

“Helinka, Lake Erie is still rather fridgid too.
Birch and I have never been able to get into the park campground near monroe on lake erie, always full. It fills up way in advance of the summer and it's just concrete pads w/ plugs, no trees to speak of, etc.
I could tell you about a cool rustic campground in Adrian, MI with a lake chok full of HUGE pike and Muskies. If the boys like to fish it's cool, and if they get onery you could always throw them in. ;)
The sites are all enclosed by foliage (which is full of poison ivy so stay back!), and no one else is there much. There is electric and pit toilets.”

“helinka!

good to see you around. what's your maximum drive time?”

“We car camp over mother's day weekend, but we camp in one of the pastures at my parents farm.

No crowds, our choice of sites, lots of critters... :)”

“Watch out for those tiny ticks!
>8^O”

“I am jealous Roam Around. The past two years we have gone to Arches but this year we are going to Maine/Nova Scotia. Be sure to hike out to Double O Arch and keep an eye out for mountain lions.”

“Maine should be pretty cool!”

“your spot sound interesting sass, but this time my drive time is two hours maximum cuz i'm being such a wussie. also cuz i'm gonna be going friday morning after work with no sleep. otherwise i would have tons of places to choose from.
my kids got together and voted on where to go...all parks along lake Huron were off the list :( J can't backpack or even hike very far (his legs are really bad right now) and so my options are limited.

and i know the lakes aren't frozen anymore, sillies. but the water's still really really cold. and the breeze coming off the lake is rather chilly too. of course, we're polarbears so who cares as long as the sun is out.”

“i don't know about up there but around here if the parks are full i usually have luck at the state forests...the RVers don't like to go "primative"”

“I carcamp a lot in the Fingerlakes N.F.,the Blueberry Patch camp. has only 9 sites and I rarely have had a problem there.But if you want your own space there are places scattered around near the roads with a firering and table with nobody within a mile or so of theese spots you can be as loud or as quiet as you want. I love this place.”

“here ya go lumberjack.


if this is the only way you can get out, don't knock it!


we have been car camping this summer and plan on going again this weekend.”

“puke!!!! Ban Mapleleaf!!!!! ;)”

“Hey! There are merits to car camping! Like dragging in a cooler full of brewskies, big, bright gas lanterns and fresh steaks every night!”

“also like being able to spend the weekend visitng son while he is working at scout camp.
so stick that in your hat and smoke it!”

“i like car camping. means i can hike further during the day without cuz i don't have to haul stuff. ;-)”

“Bunch of commie pinko car campers .... :P

glad to hear someone is getting out somehow.”

“I agree, Happyclicker. It's also good for camping with kids.”

“HC - when lugging that camera of yours I can see why you would not want to do any real hik... err backpacking”

“Yup, we do this exclusively 7 months of the year. Great way to get the kids out and its the only way to get my wife out there. No, it doesn't give you great mountaintop views (at least not at most of the car camping sites near where we live) but we are still out in the woods!

And the week every year camped 20 feet from the ocean is awesome.”

“Yeah, oceanside car camping is where it is at. The campsites tend to be smaller and there is usually lots of space to spread out. Plus, I like the evening fog in CA.

I'm car camping this weekend with about 50 of my closest friends...”

“Two weekends ago I had the same thing happen. No problem though, I own a big ol' jeep. I was actually able to drive up the small creek bed (only about 1.5' deep) to find a little secluded spot. I cut down a little sapling for a lean to, dug a fire pit and there you go. I had a great weekend alone. The best part is that because I was so alone nobody was there to spook the squirrels. I shot 9 of those little guys!! Some animal lucked upon a feast after I left.”

“I hope you didn't cover up that fire pit, it would save the next people a lot of work.”

“dude you must be an idiot, haven't you heard of leave no trace? I wish some people would at least try to be more environmentaly sensitive”

“I think only an idiot would dig a nice fire pit and then just cover it up. What a waste!”

“you know I might have jumped on you and I want to apologize. You have me thinking. I never seen it that way before. Reduce, recycle and reuse. In the future I will leave it for future generations of hikers to enjoy.”

“Hay Ditskussintreebeerd - when you smell my stinky butt be VERRY CARFUL be cuz I got butt werms and that is a senstive invriomet! BOL!”

“Were you typing with your nose? That's hilarious!”

“Hog - i tend not to lug all the photographic equipment with me when i backpack...wouldn't leave much room for the essentials...like beer.”

“I love kar kamping! Every activity has it's place and time and kar kamping is no exception. To snub kar kamping as less than worthy because one backpacks is like heckling joggers for not running the marathon every time they run. :P”

“Damn, I want to go camping with happyclicker. She knows how to prioritize.”

“Second that chili!”

“it doesn't give you great mountaintop views
techntrek
12:25:23 PM
7/24/07


you may not wake up to the view, but you can cover a lot of milage car camping. no heavy backpacks.”

“Very true! I put on enough mileage every day keeping up with the kids.”

“I'm going car camping this weekend - to a cabin in da woods.

It's one of our favorite places, just outside Baxter Park with a gorgeous view of Katahdin and most likely some meeses in the pond in front of us...some of my TT buddies have been there...”

“I'm looking for a nice freebie or cheap-cheap car camp site where I could take the wife Friday night. She has agreed to traipse into the shelter on Saturday for the shelter party. We had originally planned to camp fri and sat night in NY but that fell through. Any body got any suggestions?

What are the sites at at the Delaware Water Gap like? Too crowded to get in last minute? We can't do an online reserve cause we don't have plastic.
last edited: 7/25/07 1:23:43 PM”