by Perry McCarney

Created on: February 25, 2009   Last Updated: August 14, 2010

Selecting a good campsite can be crucial to not only enjoying our backpacking adventure, but surviving it. It should be hoped that natural areas are appropriately protected from too much encroachment by humanity's spread; as such they may be prone to avalanches of snow, rockfalls and flash flooding, as well as encounters with native and sometimes exotic wildlife that may be potentially dangerous, particularly to the inexperienced backpacker.

This is as it should be; it is our responsibility to be prepared for ourselves and those in our care. If you do not know the ways of the wild, either don't go there or seek professional guidance before you do, especially if you are taking others with you, and most definitely if those others include children! Don't make presumptions about any aspect of your adventure, check every detail!

On well utilized trails in popular regions there will often be cabins or huts provided by the local, state or federal/national park services of the nation they lie within. Or there may be designated camping grounds that you are obliged to use. Camping outside these, except in emergency situations, may well be illegal so it definitely pays to check out the local rules before you start.

Accommodations and areas set aside for people's overnight use will almost certainly be located in areas unlikely to be impacted by natural disasters, although in today's world of ongoing climate change this may not be as certain as it was 20 years ago. Even when camping within a designated camping ground, your decision on where to pitch your tent can be the difference between having a great experience or a "I never want to do this again" one. Something an experienced outdoors person introducing a new loved one to the joys of camping may wish to be particularly aware of if they wish to share the adventure a second time.

Before starting, you should always check on the expected weather conditions and therefore the viability of your intended trip with the local park service. Where such is non-existent, try the local tourism bureau. These groups will be delighted to provide you with all the information you need; after all, finding backpackers that manage to get themselves into trouble is far more labor intensive and costly to their budgets than providing you with the information to safely see you through your visit in the first place. Not to mention the emotional cost experienced by both professional and volunteer searchers who find someone too late.

A designated camping

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