Embarking on a camping trip or overland adventure is an invigorating way to connect with nature. However, finding a campsite that suits your needs can sometimes be a challenge. In this article, we will guide you through the process of discovering the perfect campsite to optimize your camping experience. By considering factors such as location, amenities, and terrain suitability, you'll be well-equipped to find the ideal campsite for your next outdoor adventure.
Avoid "Best Camping Locations in XYZ" Style Blog Posts
When searching for the ideal campsite for your overlanding or camping journey, it's necessary to avoid relying on generic "best camping locations" blog posts. While they can provide a starting point, they rarely deliver on your expectations.
If you are exploring an area that is completely foreign to you, using online resources like this can point you in the direction of a suitable mountain range or a scenic waypoint for your adventure, but utilizing them beyond that can lead to frustration, disappointment and last minute scrambling for a new location.
Aside from the overcrowding of popular internet hot spots, the perfect campsite is truly elusive because what defines "perfect" is unique to the individual. Everyone's needs and tastes are so vastly different, what is perfect for one may be inaccessible or disappointing to another.
One group may desire a remote destination, with great fishing that requires a high clearance vehicle and a trail that challenges their technical skills. While the aforementioned group may rate this spot a 10, the blog they are reading may have been written by an individual who prefers to be close to home at a site with a wide open space for their children to play safely.
Likewise an overland blog about the top 7 best campsites in a given state could have been compiled by someone exploring in a purpose built off road built vehicle that embarks down trails that the readers current setup may not be currently equipped to handle.
The very best thing you can do is take control of your own search and consider factors that align with your unique requirements and goals.
Defining Your Overlanding Goals
To find the perfect campsite, it's crucial to determine the specific goals for your camping trip. Are you seeking a remote wilderness experience, a scenic waterfront location, or a site with nearby hiking trails? Consider the activities you enjoy and the type of camping experience you desire. Be honest with yourself and those going with you on what those goals are, and you will be uniquely suited to find what you are looking for.
For us the 3 factors we regularly consider when discussing a starting point for our search are weather, popularity and water.
Weather
We always recommend checking your forecast before embarking on any outdoor journey. In the planning stage predicting the immediate day to day weather a month or more in advance is highly improbable. In this stage weather considerations should be anchored around the season and the general temperature for that time of year.
Some of our favorite hidden gems are high in the mountains, and as enticing as it is to go and explore those on the first 90° weekend to escape the heat, the reality is those areas are likely still under 4-5 feet of snow at that time of year. Unless you were intentionally planning a snow camp, if you fail to consider the spring melt and subsequent runoff you could be in for an incredibly muddy if not outright cancelled camping trip.
The geography of where we live in the Rockies means that for us, snowpack and runoff are the biggest seasonal factors for identifying a premiere camp site. If you live in a mountainous area similar to us, then likewise you would need to consider that when planning your next overland trip.
Many of you may live in an area where the rainy season or windy season are bigger factors and those will be significantly more important for you to account for than snowpack when planning your destination. Determine the environmental factors that apply the most for your region, and account for them.
One of the quickest things that can ruin a trip is being ill prepared for the temperature. Pack too light and during those evening campfire chats the only thing you'll be hearing is the chattering of your teeth. Pack to warm and you'll be sweating on top of your sleeping back hoping for the smallest breeze to help take the edge off so you can get some sleep.
Luckily temperature range is the easiest thing to capture when planning your next trip. Depending on how off grid you plan on venturing, you may be able to simply google "Bear Lake average temperature - June" and instantly have a report outlining the average high and low temperatures (both of which you need) for any given month in that area.
The more off grid you go, the harder the aforementioned search becomes. If your destination doesn't immediately pull up, you will need three pieces of information for an accurate estimate. The average temperature of the closest town, the elevation of that town, and an estimated elevation of where you are planning on camping.
On average, with every 1000' you increase in elevation, the temperature drops 3.5°. With that information, it becomes easy math to estimate what the temperature will be where you are wanting to go. If the nearest town has an average high of 80° and a low of 50° at an elevation of 5000' and you plan on climbing to 9000' your math would look something like this.
9000'-5000'=4000'
4000/1000=4
4x3.5= 14° change
Estimated High: 80°-14° =66°
Estimated Low: 50°-14°=36°
Popularity
Most of the overlanders that I know personally tend to shy away from highly crowded areas when deciding on their destination. This may not be true for all of you, but whichever you prefer, the density of other campers is certainly something that you need to account for when planning your trip.
Generally speaking, established campgrounds, whether they are disbursed camping or improved state campgrounds are going to be more populated than something that takes a little more discovery. There are clear advantages to these types of campgrounds as they are often close to home, easily accessible, can provide amenities such as RV hookups and tend to exist next to established outdoor activities such as boating, rafting and hiking.
If you are searching for something a little more serene and secluded, your search should begin looking for the exact opposite. The further away you are from the city, the more grueling and inaccessible the trail is, and the further away from popular lakes and streams you are, the less likely you are to run into other campers and if you do come across other campers they wont be 15' from the entrance to your rooftop tent when you wake up in the morning.
Water
Proximity to water is perhaps one of the more divisive debates we have whenever discussing a future trip into the wilderness. Ultimately this preference will be down to the specific needs and wants of your group, but I will outline some of the considerations of camping near water.
The largest draw of camping near water are the activities. Even small lakes and ponds are great for paddle boarding, fishing, cooling off in the heat of the day, even just teaching the kids to skip rocks. From a relaxation standpoint, there really is nothing that compares to the picturesque backdrop of a mountain lake.
For some though, the crowded nature of lakes, the swaths of mosquitos that make it their home and the inherent safety risks for small children may be enough to cause them to shy away to a drier environment.
Harness the Power of Satellite View
Use the power of satellite technology to your advantage. Applications like Google Earth or satellite imagery on map platforms provide valuable insights into potential campsite locations. Look for indicators of scenic beauty, proximity to water sources, and suitable terrain for camping and overlanding. By utilizing satellite view, you can make informed decisions and narrow down your options before hitting the road.
Private and Public Property Maps
Once you have a general idea of where you want to go based on distance, seasonal limitations and the other needs you outlined in the earlier stages of discovery, you will need access to a digital map that overlays public and private land boundaries. Generally, unless you have express permission from a land owner you will need to limit your camp sites to BLM, National Forest, and State/National Park land. Each of which will have their own set of rules and guidelines with respect to camping.
In most areas you can search "STATE public land map". Often it will be housed on the Bureau of Land Management website. If you can find one that is an "interactive map", those tend to work the best for digital exploration.
Eagle View Campsite Search
Once you have isolated your search area to one with the right features, weather, and public access your next step is combing over satellite view. This can be as methodical or quick as you need it to be. In my free time I often find myself scrolling through miles and miles of satellite imagery, following dirt roads and streams in hopes of discovering the next hidden gem.
In general, I am looking for the following things.
An open area, where our group can open up their rooftop tents and still have room to setup the kitchen and sit around the camp fire comfortably.
A trail that is established, but not frequented. We at Pantheon follow the principles of leave no trace, and while we don't embark to forge our own trails we do try and avoid trails that look immaculately maintained and frequented often. To us this would indicate a populated camp area, which doesn't typically align with the goals of our overland trips.
Suitable geography. Even in the mountains the afternoon sun can become unbearable, so adequate trees for shade and water to cool off are often at the top of our list. While the presence of water may be obvious, adequate shade is harder to distinguish. Identifying well shaded areas on a satellite image comes primarily from experience and understanding your local foliage. For example, aspens and pines tend to be taller and fuller than cedar trees or other brush. If you can learn to identify the types of trees that grow in your area, you will be better equipped to pick out the hidden gems that no one else can see.
Trail Identification
Often the best way to start is simply pin your destination on your online map, and hit navigate. More often than not, even the most remote destinations the navigation system is able to get you 90% of the way there. From that point you just need to find the roads and trails that connect you the rest of the way.
Leave Room for Exploration
Often times the best made plans can fall short. You find a trail during your satellite exploration that appears to lead to the perfect spot. Despite hours of research, something unexpected makes the site not suitable.
Our personal group has ran into locked gates on the trail we planned on taking. Even though the destination we wanted to explore was public land, the trail was private. We've had mosquito infestations that were so unbearable we couldn't stay. One unfortunate realization that came too late one trip was that satellite view doesn't show you the slope of the site. What we thought was a fantastic hidden campground, was actually just a clearing in the trees on the side of a mountain. It doesn't matter how hard you try you can't set up your rooftop tent on a 30° slope.
If something like that happens and you are arriving just before dark you'll find yourself settling for the first habitable camp site you come across, just to be set up before dark.
Don't do that to yourself. One of the joys of overlanding and camping is the spirit of exploration. To maximize your chances of finding the perfect campsite, plan your journey with extra time for exploration. Arrive at your destination early and venture beyond the well-known sites. By leaving room for spontaneity and adventure, you may stumble upon hidden gems that perfectly match your vision.
Be Unrelenting
The search for the perfect campsite is an ongoing quest. Don't be disheartened if you don't find the ideal location on your first attempt. Embrace the journey and view each trip as an opportunity to learn and grow. Keep a record of your experiences, noting the highlights and challenges of each campsite. With persistence and an open mind, you'll gradually refine your search and discover the campsite that surpasses your expectations.
Finding the perfect campsite for any overlanding adventure requires careful consideration of your goals, limitations, and a strategic approach to planning. Remember, the journey itself is an integral part of the experience. With dedication and an adventurous spirit, you'll succumb to the siren song of overlanding and exploration, discovering the perfect campsite that will create memories to last a lifetime.