Camping is a form of outdoor recreation or outdoor education involving overnight stays with a basic temporary shelter such as a tent. Camping can also include a recreational vehicle, sheltered cabins, a permanent tent, a shelter such as a bivy or tarp, or no shelter at all. Typically, participants leave developed areas to spend time outdoors, in pursuit of activities providing them enjoyment or in a form of educational experience. Spending the night away from home distinguishes camping from day-tripping, picnicking, and other outdoor activities.
Campsite, campground, and camping pitch are all related terms regarding a place used for camping. The usage differs between British English and American English.
The freedom to roam, or "everyman's right", is the general public's right to access certain public or privately owned land, lakes, and rivers for recreation and exercise. The right is sometimes called the right of public access to the wilderness or the "right to roam".
Gorges State Park is a 7,709-acre (31.20 km2) North Carolina state park in Transylvania County, North Carolina in the United States and along with other conservation lands is part of a 100,000+ acre conservation corridor stretching some 80 miles along the NC/SC state line. The land, along Jocassee Gorges, was purchased by the state from Duke Energy Corporation in 1999. It is North Carolina's westernmost state park and one of the state's newest. The park is adjacent to part of the Pisgah National Forest and the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission's Toxaway Game Land. Gorges State Park provides the principal access to the Horsepasture River on these adjoining public lands.
Curecanti National Recreation Area is a National Park Service unit located on the Gunnison River in western Colorado. Established in 1965, Curecanti National Recreation Area is responsible for developing and managing recreational facilities on three reservoirs, Blue Mesa Reservoir, Morrow Point Reservoir and Crystal Reservoir, constructed on the upper Gunnison River in the 1960s by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to better utilize the vital waters of the Colorado River and its major tributaries. A popular destination for boating and fishing, Curecanti offers visitors two marinas, traditional and group campgrounds, hiking trails, boat launches, and boat-in campsites. The state's premiere lake trout and Kokanee salmon fisheries, Curecanti is a popular destination for boating and fishing, and is also a popular area for ice-fishing in the winter months.
The Prescott National Forest is a 1.25 million-acre United States National Forest located in north central Arizona in the vicinity of Prescott. The forest is located in the mountains southwest of Flagstaff and north of Phoenix in Yavapai County, with a small portion extending into southwestern Coconino County.
The San Bernardino National Forest is a United States National Forest in Southern California encompassing 823,816 acres (3,333.87 km2) of which 677,982 acres (2,743.70 km2) are federal. The forest is made up of two main divisions, the eastern portion of the San Gabriel Mountains and the San Bernardino Mountains on the easternmost of the Transverse Ranges, and the San Jacinto and Santa Rosa Mountains on the northernmost of the Peninsular Ranges. Elevations range from 2,000 to 11,499 feet. The forest includes seven wilderness areas: San Gorgonio, Cucamonga, San Jacinto, South Fork, Santa Rosa, Cahuilla Mountain and Bighorn Mountain. Forest headquarters are located in the city of San Bernardino. There are district offices in Lytle Creek, Idyllwild, and Fawnskin.
Hunts Pond State Park is a former state park in Chenango County, New York, United States. The former park is located in the town of New Berlin, west of Route 8 and southwest of the village of New Berlin. It has been managed since 2011 as part of Hunts Pond State Forest.
Lincoln National Forest is a unit of the U.S. Forest Service located in southern New Mexico. The Lincoln National Forest covers an extensive 1.1 million acres in southeastern New Mexico. Established by Presidential Proclamation in 1902 as the Lincoln Forest Reserve, the 1,103,897 acres (4,467.31 km2) forest begins near the Texas border and contains lands in parts of Chaves, Eddy, Lincoln, and Otero counties. The Lincoln National Forest is home to three major mountain ranges: Sacramento, Guadalupe and Capitan. The three Ranger Districts within the forest contain all or part of a total of four mountain ranges, and include a variety of different environmental areas, from desert to heavily forested mountains and sub-alpine grasslands. Clean air, water, and soil are necessary elements that the National Forests contribute to the environment. Established to balance conservation, resource management, and recreation, the lands of the Lincoln National Forest include important local timber resources, protected wilderness areas, and popular recreation and winter sports areas. The forest headquarters is located in Alamogordo, N.M. with local offices in Carlsbad, Cloudcroft, and Ruidoso.
The Sam Houston National Forest, one of four National Forests in Texas, is located 50 miles north of Houston. The forest is administered together with the other three United States National Forests and two National Grasslands located entirely in Texas, from common offices in Lufkin, Texas. The units include Angelina, Davy Crockett, Sabine, and Sam Houston National Forests, plus Caddo National Grassland and Lyndon B. Johnson National Grassland. There are local ranger district offices located in New Waverly. It is located in portions of three Texas counties including Montgomery, San Jacinto, and Walker.
According to the California Protected Areas Database (CPAD), in the state of California, United States, there are over 14,000 inventoried protected areas administered by public agencies and non-profits. In addition, there are private conservation areas and other easements. They include almost one-third of California's scenic coastline, including coastal wetlands, estuaries, beaches, and dune systems. The California State Parks system alone has 270 units and covers 1.3 million acres (5,300 km2), with over 280 miles (450 km) of coastline, 625 miles (1,006 km) of lake and river frontage, nearly 18,000 campsites, and 3,000 miles (5,000 km) of hiking, biking, and equestrian trails.
Colt Creek State Park is a Florida State Park in Central Florida, 16 miles (26 km) north of Lakeland off of State Road 471. This 5,067 acre park nestled within the Green Swamp Wilderness Area and named after one of the tributaries that flows through the property was opened to the public on January 20, 2007. Composed mainly of pine flatwoods, cypress domes and open pasture land, this piece of pristine wilderness is home to many animal species including the American bald eagle, Southern fox squirrel, gopher tortoise, white-tailed deer, wild turkey and bobcat.
Camping is a popular activity for both New Zealand residents and for some of the two million foreign tourists arriving every year. Campsites of different standards, generally in conjunction with other forms of accommodation, are offered by holiday park operators throughout New Zealand. The facilities at these campsites vary from just a basic toilet to a full range of camp ground amenities.
The Christmas Valley Sand Dunes are a natural sand dune complex covering 11,000 acres (45 km2) of public lands east of Christmas Valley in Lake County, Oregon, United States, about 100 miles (160 km) southeast of Bend. The area is accessible via the Christmas Valley National Back Country Byway. The dunes are up to 60 feet (18 m) high. It is the largest inland shifting sand dune system in the Pacific Northwest. The dunes are composed mostly of ash and pumice from the eruption of Mount Mazama that formed Crater Lake 7,000 years ago. Approximately 8,900 acres (36 km2) of dunes are open to vehicles.
Otter River State Forest is a publicly owned forest and recreational preserve located in the towns of Templeton, Winchendon, and Royalston in Massachusetts managed by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. The state forest encompasses the land surrounding the junction of the Otter and Millers rivers. Habitats include freshwater marsh, northern hardwood stands, and pine groves planted by the Civilian Conservation Corps to reforest former farmlands.
Sleeping Giant Wilderness Study Area is a non-motorized recreation area located on the west side of the Missouri River and Holter Lake located about 30 miles (48 km) north of Helena, Montana. Designated as a wilderness study area in 1981, the Sleeping Giant Wilderness Study Area contains approximately 6,666 acres (2,698 ha) of nearly roadless land, about half of which is forested. A portion of the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail is contained inside the study area.
Ponderosa State Park is a public recreation area and state park occupying a peninsula in Payette Lake on the northeast edge of McCall in Valley County, Idaho, United States. The park's 1,515 acres (613 ha) include a second unit, called North Beach, located six miles (9.7 km) north of McCall at the northern extremity of the lake. Ponderosa is a popular park for day use and camping. In 2020, the park recorded 392,417 day users and 78,081 campers making it the 5th most visited state park in Idaho that year. There is a motor vehicle entry fee of $7.00 per vehicle, per day for both Idaho residents and non-residents. Idaho residents can purchase an Idaho State Parks Passport for $10 per vehicle, per year which will give them unlimited access to Ponderosa State Park and any other state park for the year.
West Malpais Wilderness is a designated Wilderness Area managed by the U. S. Bureau of Land Management [BLM] located south of Grants, NM in Cibola County, New Mexico. Established in 1987, the 35,940-acre West Malpais Wilderness is located within the larger El Malpais National Conservation Area, a 231,230-acre BLM-managed area created in 1987 to protect the Grants Lava Flow, the Las Ventanas Chacoan Archeological Site, and other significant natural and cultural resources in Western New Mexico. One of two Wilderness Areas in the Conservation Area, the 35,940 acre West Malpais area is open to hiking, backpacking, horseback riding, and "Leave No Trace" primitive camping, and contains a short section of the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail.
Griswold Scout Reservation (GSR) is a 3,500-acre (14 km2) reservation for Scouting located near Gilmanton Ironworks, New Hampshire, and operated by the Daniel Webster Council of the Boy Scouts of America. It comprises two camps, Hidden Valley Scout Camp and Camp Bell, which both run an eight-week summer camping program. Founded in 1971, Griswold Scout Reservation serves Venturing crews and Scouts BSA troops all across New England.
The Dyrt is consumer subscription software for camping, and the largest source of information for campgrounds throughout the United States, via a website and mobile app. The content on The Dyrt is user-generated as campers post photos, videos and reviews about campgrounds in the US. This content draws in 30 million visits per year. Campers can also book campsites on The Dyrt, which is commission-free for campground owners. The Dyrt PRO, a premium service that costs $36 annually, allows campers to access PRO maps that show free camping on public lands, download maps for offline use and plan camping road trips.
