Many of us are moving into the last month or so of winter, and there is plenty of winter fun left to be had. Nonetheless, it is the perfect time to start reserving campsites. Particularly those coveted hotspots that will require a reservation. If you’ve never started your summer planning this early, you should. Rather than just showing up at a campground and taking whatever is available, you should start putting some thought into the different types of camping you could expose your friends and family to. The modern camper has more options than ever before. Let’s take a closer look at your options.
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Reserved Campsites
Campgrounds often have a mix of first-come, first-served sites and reserved sites. Rather than just show up with no control over where you stay, you should do a little research to find the best spot in the campground. Often times the super duper nice sites on the water or in a secluded area will be reservation only.
In this picture you can see that the campsites right on the water are reservable. It’s not that the other ones aren’t good too, but wouldn’t you like to be on the water? I would.
Group Sites
If you’re anything like me, camping in a large group means that you’re probably going to make a little bit of noise. This is why I’ll spend some time researching campgrounds in a Custom Google Map. When you make a custom map, you get a simple set of tools that allows you to measure distances. I’ll look at the campground map first to orient myself, and then open Google Maps.
In the picture above, the picnic table is the group campsite and the house is the main campground. I was pleased to find out that they’re almost a mile apart. This gave me the confidence I was looking for when I decided to invite a few rowdy friends. We were so far away from the main area that we had our own serene bay (complete with a dock) to turn up the tunes an extra notch.
Camper Cabins – Your Personal Time Share
I’ve always viewed camper cabins as a budget time share. Why do people get a time share? They don’t want to maintain a piece of property, they want to get away from it all for awhile, etc. If buying land and building a cabin is just more than you can handle or afford, I suggest scoping out camper cabins within a three hour radius of your house. They’re usually one third the cost of a hotel, and you still get a grand outdoor experience. After a few years you’ll discover several favorites that you’ll return to year after year. It’s affordable, and it provides a great experience (especially for kids).
Yurts
Yurts are becoming more popular each year. I suspect it’s because they fall somewhere between a tent and a cabin, and as a weekend user you get the best of both. You get to be immersed in the sounds of the forest while benefiting from a semi-permanent structure with a floor, beds and heat. You still have a sense of security (important for some), but still get to leave the familiar surroundings of your home. Yurts are great fun.
Camping is about exploring new places, but it’s also fun to try out different accommodations. If you’ve always stayed in a tent, I urge you to try a few of the other options that are out there. You’re guaranteed to have fun exploring something new.
