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At the end of a long day on the trail when it’s time to set up camp
there are a few things to keep in mind to
ensure that you get a good, restful, nights
sleep.
While some outdoors people toss their tent at the first chance,
others spend as much time choosing the
perfect campsite as they do choosing a
house. Comfort is only one issue to
consider when choosing a campsite. Minimum
impact guidelines are also of importance and
will help protect the area for future users.
First let’s focus on our creature comforts:
Find an even spot. Soft
meadows are generally lumpy, wet, and filled
with mosquitoes. Rather than try to make a
camp here look for a level site with
duff, pine needles, mineral soil, sand, or
gravel. Once you have your sleeping pad down
you'll find that it's more comfortable to be
camped on a hard, flat surface that a soft,
bumpy one.
Find a flat spot. Spend
a few extra minutes to find a level
flat area.
Once you've spotted a possible home for the
night, lie down to check the slope. If you
can’t find a level spot try to lay out your
ground pad so that you’re perpendicular
rather than parallel to the slope. The idea
is that it’s easier to prop up your pad
along one side than to bring your entire
body to a level plane.
Look for overhead dangers. Look up to see if there is any danger from rocks
bouncing down a scree slope or branches and
trees that may be waiting to fall during the
night.
Stay dry by checking for good drainage. Look for
sites that
will drain, even in a downpour. Avoid flat
areas that lie in depressions. Avoid sandy
creek beds in canyons, they can be prone to
flash floods. I like to find flat areas at
the top of knolls or hills.
Sleep well without bugs. Warm, humid, and still nights bring out the worst in mosquitoes.
Heading for an exposed knoll might help you
find a breezy spot that can give some
relief.
Don’t blow away on windy nights. To keep your tent in one place when the breeze is getting strong, you'll want the wind at the back of your tent. If you can, set up
on the leeward side of a clump of bushes, or
behind a rock formation. Don’t let a calm
evening make you complacent. A still evening
can quickly become a windy night. Set up
your tent up right and use stakes and taut
guy lines.
The following Leave No Trace (LNT), minimum
impact skills will help ensure that you
leave no trace of your adventure for others
to find.
Campsites and water. Keep your
campsite a few hundred feet from water to
prevent inadvertently contaminating the
water.
Avoid fragile areas. Don't
camp in meadows. In alpine areas, several
years of growth can be destroyed by the
stomp of a booted foot.
Tread lightly with camp shoes. Once
you find the perfect campsite, change into
camp shoes. It's easier on your feet, and
the ground will thank you. Don’t go
barefoot.
Use established sites when possible. It's
nicer to find a spot with a few heavily used
sites than it is to come to a place with
signs of a hundred different sites scattered
every which way.
Practice leave-no-trace. Remove
all traces of your camp so the next party
that comes through sees no evidence of your
site.
The campfire. Campfires
leave scars and remove wood that is used for
shelter by animals. If you must make a fire
only use dead, downed wood, and always use
existing fire rings.
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