What makes a good camping spot

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Animals This frog mysteriously re-evolved a full set of teeth. Animals Wild Cities Wild parakeets have taken a liking to London. Animals Wild Cities Morocco has 3 million stray dogs. Meet the people trying to help. Animals Whales eat three times more than previously thought. Rain has the potential to cause problems as well. If you camp in a low spot, it may collect water during a storm, or worse, that water could wash you away during a flash flood. Higher ground tends to drain better, and as a bonus, it'll stay warmer at night since cooler air tends to sink into depressed areas.

Finally, consider how well your campsite is protected from lightning if storms are threatening. Avoid high points, exposed areas and taller trees in favor of areas partway down a slope that aren't likely to flood. Some campgrounds allow you to reserve a campsite online, giving you first crack at a location with coveted features like privacy and easy access to the bathhouse.

If you're hiking, determine where you're allowed to camp before you set out, and plan to arrive there a couple of hours before dark. This will give you time to find an ideal campsite and pitch your tent while it's still light outside. If you've done any camping at all, you're probably familiar with the Leave No Trace principles, which are designed to protect recreational resources on natural lands.

If possible, set up camp in an established spot. If you can't find one of those, be careful in creating a new site -- select a durable surface like a rock slab or forest duff , which is the ground cover in a forest consisting of leaves, needles, twigs and bark. While you're milling around camp, wear soft-soled shoes, not your hiking boots, since those are liable to compact the soil which makes it hard for plants to grow.

It's best to avoid building a fire if there's no established fire ring. But if you really want one, just make sure to collect firewood from the ground, completely burn all the wood, and scatter the cool ashes. Finally, try not to camp in one place for more than a few days. When you leave, pack out your trash and replace anything you moved so it looks like you were never there.

You should also consider how your presence might affect animal activity in the area. Look for natural paths through the forest known as game trails where animals regularly travel. Placing a tent along one of these routes may block nervous woodland creatures from finding their way to a water source or other necessity. Also, nuisances from animals can be avoided if a campsite is properly selected.

To avoid pests like mosquitoes , stay away from areas where both water and wind remain stagnant. Occasionally, larger animals like raccoons, possums, skunks, or even bears may wander into your camp, usually just out of curiosity. To reduce the chance of such encounters, avoid camping along game trails and be sure to cook, wash dishes and hang food at least feet 61 meters downwind from your tent.

And remember: Don't feed the animals! When they get used to -- or habituated to -- human contact they can become a greater nuisance or danger to people. These tips are great for three seasons out of the year, when the temperatures are up and the ground is clear. But what about camping in the snow? In , a Riverton, Utah, family vacationing in the state's Wasatch-Cache National Forest pulled off at an undeveloped highway turnout and pitched a tent in a lakeside stand of lodgepole pines.

While the group was sleeping, a tree fell on the tent, instantly killing the father and leaving the mother and a daughter with minor injuries. The lodgepole pine, which had a characteristically small root base, was further weakened because it was dead and fell on the unsuspecting campers despite the fact that no wind was reported in the area that night.

This tragedy highlights the danger posed by hazardous trees known as "widowmakers," just one of many important factors to consider when selecting a campsite. The good thing about camping in the snow is that you won't impact the environment as much -- since it's coated in a cold, white cushion.

The bad thing is that that cold, white cushion is hard on your body. With a few simple tips, though, you can set up a campsite that will keep you safe and warm even during the darkest depths of winter. Many of the same factors that influence summer campsite selection will affect the decision in the winter. You can camp on the snow or on any bare ground showing through the snow, but not if it's supporting significant plant life. As with summer camping, you should choose a relatively flat spot so you and your sleeping bag won't slide downhill in the middle of the night.

Check local regulations, but in most cases that means simply finding a vacant campsite off of a forest service road, which are usually a lot prettier and much less crowded than a major established campground. Look for fire rings left by previous campers to save you some work and limit your footprint. Nothing kills good camp vibes like a thunderstorm, but it doesn't have to ruin your trip if you're prepared. I once spent the night on a picnic table in the Grand Canyon because I neglected to do this.

Most manufacturers sell footprints like this one for the REI Half Dome 2 separately, but you can also get by with a good old fashioned tarp. Before your trip, pick up some proper tent stakes like these from MSR —they stand up to a lot more abuse than the ones that come with most tents, and then you can use the old ones as extras in case you get a lot of wind and really need to stake things down.

Mosquitos suck, but pick the right spot and you can avoid them altogether. That's easier said than done in the South or North Woods: basically, you want to be in either a desert or very dry, high-alpine environment. When you buy something using the retail links in our stories, we may earn a small commission. Outside does not accept money for editorial gear reviews. Read more about our policy. Search Search.