by Karen Nunn

Created on: February 21, 2010   Last Updated: March 27, 2010

When you are choosing a camp site, common sense should play a key role in your decision. Picking the wrong site and failure to properly prepare your site will make for a miserable trip and sleepless nights.  No one wants to be sleeping with a tree root in your back or wake up and realize you are bunched up at the bottom of your tent because you are not on level ground. What I will cover are just the basic but most important steps in choosing the right primitive to semi primitive campsite.  These guidelines are not meant for developed campgrounds as most of these requirements already in place. Keep in mind that there are more things to consider in choosing your campsite than the items I am covering but the other choices are mostly personal preference.

First off is to know the difference between primitive and semi primitive. A Primitive camp site is one that is not developed in any way. These are usually sites that you will either have to have an off road vehicle to reach or backpack to.  There is not running water or facilities of any kind.  A semi primitive site usually will have some form of running water but they also do not have any facilities. Basically you will need to decide if you want running water or not.  If you plan on having a campfire I would highly recommend a semi primitive site so you won’t need to pack in water for cooking and putting out your campfire. You also will need to check with your Forestry service regarding a permit for your campfire.

Think about your campfire ring and the proximity to water, the tent pad and if there is a cooking grate over it.  Your campfire will provide warmth for you and should be relatively close to your sleeping area but not too close where items such as clothing or your tent will catch on fire.  Make sure there is an adequate water supply nearby.  A semi primitive campground will have some kind of water supply or faucet but if there isn’t one available make sure there is a creek nearby or have a bucket of water sitting in the campfire area.  If you are going to cook over your campfire you will need some sort of grate and most primitive and semi primitive campsites do not supply these. You will need to pack one in with you.

Next you will need a flat area for your tent.  If you are camping in warm weather finding a flat spot under a tree will provide the shade needed to keep you cool.  When camping in cooler weather it is not advisable to set

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