A tent pad is a designated area at a campground site to a set up a tent. [1] [2] [3] It eliminates the need to find a suitable spot to pitch a tent. [2]
Often, a tent pad is a single row of timbers forming a square that retains the fill, resembling a sandbox. [1] In addition to wood, it can also be framed with cement or other material. [2] The framing allows the tent pad to be even and level on rough or sloping terrain and allows for more comfortable sleeping. [1] Some tent pads do not have framing, but instead are raised area of dirt that are sometimes topped with wood chips. [1] An open grassy area does not constitute a tent pad. [2]
Furthermore, a tent pad is often elevated about 4 to 6 inches. [2] [1] This elevation also prevents standing water from developing and reduces the risk of flooding when it rains since it has better drainage. [1]
The tent pad also makes it easier to stake a tent since there are no large rocks or tree roots in the fill. [1] The fill can be composed of sandy soil, dirt, gravel, sand and gravel mix, mulch, cement, or river rock. [1] [3]
Tent pads can come in a variety of sizes depending on the type of camping (e.g. backpacking, leisure camping) or region of the country. [1] There are no standard dimensions, but commons sizes include 8 feet x 8 feet, 10 feet x 10 feet, 12 feet x 12 feet, and 15 feet x 15 feet. [1] Some are oversized, greater than 15 square feet, designed to accommodate a large family tent. [1]
A campsite may have a designated tent pad, but otherwise a flat, durable surface like dirt or gravel would be a suitable alternative. [4] [3] Having a designated tent pad can help prevent damage to the vegetation of the area from staking or setting up the tents in other areas of the campsite. [1] [4]
Tent pads are most often found at developed campgrounds but can also be found in primitive and even wilderness campsites. [1]
Tent pads need to be maintained, otherwise erosion can occur and cause slopes and/or water channels to form. [1]
The Werrikimbe National Park is a protected national park located in the catchment zone of the Upper Hastings River in New South Wales, Australia. Gazetted in 1975, the 33,309-hectare (82,310-acre) park is situated approximately 486 kilometres (302 mi) north of Sydney, 65 kilometres (40 mi) north-west of Wauchope, and 90 kilometres (56 mi) east of Walcha on the eastern escarpment of the Great Dividing Range.
Camping is an outdoor activity involving overnight stays away from home with or without a shelter, such as a tent or a recreational vehicle. Typically participants leave developed areas to spend time outdoors in more natural ones in pursuit of activities providing them enjoyment. The night spent outdoors distinguishes camping from day-tripping, picnicking, and other similarly short-term recreational activities.
A campsite or camping pitch is a place used for overnight stay in an outdoor area. In UK English, a campsite is an area, usually divided into a number of pitches, where people can camp overnight using tents, camper vans or caravans; this UK English use of the word is synonymous with the US English expression campground. In American English, the term campsite generally means an area where an individual, family, group, or military unit can pitch a tent or park a camper; a campground may contain many campsites.
A tent is a shelter consisting of sheets of fabric or other material draped over, attached to a frame of poles or attached to a supporting rope. While smaller tents may be free-standing or attached to the ground, large tents are usually anchored using guy ropes tied to stakes or tent pegs. First used as portable homes by nomads, tents are now more often used for recreational camping and as temporary shelters.
Hamlin Beach State Park is a 1,287-acre (5.21 km2) state park located on the shore of Lake Ontario in the Town of Hamlin in Monroe County, New York, United States. The Lake Ontario State Parkway passes through the park.
The Chilkoot Trail is a 33-mile (53 km) trail through the Coast Mountains that leads from Dyea, Alaska, in the United States, to Bennett, British Columbia, in Canada.
Black Rock Mountain State Park is a 1,743-acre (705 ha) Georgia, United States, state park west of Mountain City in Rabun County, in the Blue Ridge Mountains. It is named after its sheer cliffs of dark-colored biotite gneiss. Astride the Eastern Continental Divide at an elevation of 3,640 feet (1,110 m), the park provides many scenic overlooks and 80-mile (130 km) vistas of the southern Appalachian Mountains. On a clear day, four states are visible: Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. In addition to Black Rock Mountain itself, the park includes four other peaks over 3,000 feet (910 m) in elevation, making it the state's highest state park. As of 2019, it was open to visitors year round.
A recreational vehicle park or caravan park is a place where people with recreational vehicles can stay overnight, or longer, in allotted spaces known as "sites" or "campsites". They are also referred to as campgrounds, though a true campground also provides facilities for tent camping; many facilities calling themselves "RV parks" also offer tent camping or cabins with limited facilities.
The Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) is a rail trail system in Maryland and Pennsylvania—the central trail of a network of long-distance hiker-biker trails throughout the Allegheny region of the Appalachian Mountains, connecting Washington, D.C. to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It consists of several smaller trails including the Allegheny Highlands Trail of Maryland, the Allegheny Highlands Trail of Pennsylvania and the Youghiogheny River Trail.
The Conecuh National Forest in southern Alabama covers 83,000 acres (340 km2), along the Alabama - Florida line in Covington and Escambia counties. Topography is level to moderately sloping, broad ridges with stream terraces and broad floodplains.
Gulf Islands National Seashore offers recreation opportunities and preserves natural and historic resources along the Gulf of Mexico barrier islands of Florida and Mississippi. The protected regions include mainland areas and parts of seven islands. Some islands along the Alabama coast were originally considered for inclusion, but none are part of the National Seashore.
Golden Ears Provincial Park is a Provincial park in British Columbia, Canada and is 555.9 square kilometres (214.6 sq mi). It is named after the prominent twin peaks which are commonly referred to as Golden Ears. The park's southern end is located on the northern edge of the district municipality of Maple Ridge on the north side of the Fraser River.
Kikomun Creek Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada.
Volkswagen Westfalia Camper was a conversion of Volkswagen Type 2 and then Volkswagen Type 2 (T3) sold from the early 1950s to 2003. Volkswagen subcontracted the modifications to the company Westfalia-Werke in Rheda-Wiedenbrück.
Hammock camping is a form of camping in which a camper sleeps in a suspended hammock rather than a conventional tent on the ground. Due to the absence of poles and the reduced amount of material used, they tend to be significantly lighter than a tent. Their reduced weight often results in less space inside than a similar occupancy tent. In foul weather, a tarp is suspended above the hammock to keep the rain off of the camper. Mosquito netting, sometimes integrated into the camping hammock itself, is also used as climatic conditions warrant. Camping hammocks are used by campers who are looking for lighter weight, protection from ground-dwelling insects, or other ground complications such as sloped ground, rocky terrain and flooded terrain.
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.
There are a total of nine designated, maintained campgrounds on the Chilkoot Trail, a 33-mile (53 km) trail through the Coast Mountains that leads from Dyea, Alaska, in the United States, to Bennett, British Columbia, in Canada.
DuPuis Management Area is a 21,875 acre protected area in northwestern Palm Beach County, Florida and southwestern Martin County, Florida. Recreational opportunities include hunting, horseback riding, cycling, camping, hiking, auto touring, and fishing. During hunting periods it is closed to other use. The property includes a visitor center. Dogs are not allowed on the property. The park includes 22 miles of hiking trails, including a stretch of the Ocean to Lake Trail. There is also an equestrian campground and 40 miles of horseback riding trails. The park is located off State Road 76. It is along the Ocean to Lake Trail.
The Mount Adams Recreation Area is a 21,000-acre (8,500 ha) recreation area in the U.S. state of Washington managed by the Yakama Nation Tribal Forestry Program. The area encompasses an ecologically complex and geologically active landscape. The region features the most rugged side of Mount Adams, including canyons and the Great Gap section of the Mount Adams circumnavigation route, a three-mile trail-less section over two great canyons and many difficult glacial creeks. At 12,276 feet (3,742 m), Mount Adams is one of the major Cascade mountains. The recreation area is on the east side of the mountain and is part of the Yakama Indian Reservation and includes the popular Bird Creek Meadows area.
Allis State Park is a state park in Brookfield, Vermont. Established in 1928, Allis State Park was the second state park to be created in Vermont. It is named for Wallace Allis, who willed his Bear Mountain Farm to the State of Vermont to be developed as a campground and recreational area. The park was developed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) beginning in 1932, which built the access roads, constructed a picnic shelter, picnic grounds and a campground. There is a fire/lookout tower on Bear Hill. Limited trash service, hot showers and running water are available. There are picnic tables, grills and fireplaces.