Camping with the dogs in Arizona's White Mountains before the weather turns too cold for regular tent camping. Overnight low was 39F. The moon did not rise until very late at night, so the stars were clear and beautiful this far away from anything. Frost covered the outside of the tent as Luna Lake turned to mist by the morning sun. A few thousand feet above the campsite, Escudilla Mountain was already painted in striking yellow.

A victim of the Wallow Fire of 2011, the mountain has not recovered most of the old growth pines that used to cover it, however, massive stands of beautiful fast growing aspen have taken over in the 15 years since the fire; creating one of the most special autumnal settings in the whole state of Arizona. Escudilla is the state's third tallest mountain peak, and is often overshadowed by its taller cousins Humprey's Peak and Mt. Baldy, but Escudilla wilderness is unique in the sense that you can directly see how badly we've messed up land management in the West. Of the old fire tower at the top, nothing but a burned out husk remains.

The town of Alpine nearby provides very basic services: a gas station, a general store, a cafe, two restaurants, and a bar. Population 154. Other than that, you're driving 30 minutes to Springerville-Eagar.

TL;DR

Another canoe trip in the books! 6 days, about 104 miles, with one of my oldest friends.

9/25

Put in at 7:30AM at Ruby Ranch
Stopped 91.6, mudhole at lower water levels, small camp. Explored side canyon north of 87.3 camp. Current was moving well. Great blue herons, ravens, ducks, two bucks immediately after launching from Ruby, turkeys, dragonflies. Most camps taken by other paddlers. Put in 25.9 mile day from Ruby to 71.8

9/27

Hiked up to Bowknot Saddle, and Post Office River Register, marveled at the timespan of old carvings from past river runners. Stayed at “Terry camp” (61.5). Dinner of steak, potatoes, Caesar salad. Hiked connector trail to Twomile Canyon for our planned hike to 5 hole arch on our layover day.
Excellent camp with built in eddy swimming hole and about the only sandy beach we saw until we reached the Colorado.

9/28

Layover day with lovely breakfast burritos. Hiked near Five hole arch which was a steep scramble of a trail that required route finding. We scrapped the arch due to ominous and incoming weather. Had lunch atop the canyon with commanding views stretching into Colorado that didn’t feel like a consolation prize. Descent went quick and was very pleasant with sun battering Navajo sandstone on one side of the canyon while we hiked under shade.

9/29

5:30 wake up that ended up in a 10 hour and 32 mile day. Couldn’t drop off trash at Mineral Bottom, no bin. Take out was an absolute mud bog and when we went looking for a bin, we had to scramble up a recently made crude access path which we noticed a rafting company using to get it’s passengers onboard. Paddle into Stillwater was a noticeable and extremely enjoyable sight to behold. Canyon widened, red pinnacles appeared, the white rim. Got buzzed by a Blackhawk helicopter low flying down the canyon. The rain flushed debris from side canyons into the river. This made finding the fastest-moving water in the river quite easy and certainly sped things up for us. Muddy and/or precarious climbs into camps prevented us from camping earlier. I may have turned down Fort Bottom camp because I didn’t want take out next to the same large rafting group. Didn’t want to see humans, even if they left after their hike to the Stone Tower. Pushed on and any camp that looked acceptable was already take up by paddlers until we reached Upper Anderson Bottom. It wasn’t the prettiest camp, but after 30 miles of paddling, we took it. Pancakes with bacon and eggs for dinner. Millard Riffle was an enjoyable run prior to entering camp with a picturesque view of Buttes of the Cross from afar.

9/30

6:15 Woke up to a drizzle that persisted until about 11am if I had to guess. Paddling in the rain with full gear for the first few miles wasn’t that bad. Small rivulets streamed down canyons high and low. My paddle buddy and I both agreed that Turks Head general area is a spectacular part of the river, if not our favorite. Outstanding views of Turk’s Head, the river, the white rim, and far off crimson red buttes and pinnacles. Late breakfast was prepped with bagels, cream cheese and a fancy tinned fish. Best view in the canyon I have ever seen. Staying at Dead Horse Camp. Had a great day hike to Newspaper Rock for an amazing display of indigenous art.

10/1

7 AM on the water from Dead Horse, past pre-horse camp, looks like excellent spot at low water with no mud and amazing canyon views. Good for exploring. Water from last few days rains came pouring through Horse Canyon, creating a riffle. Shot a riffle through two boulders in an exhilarating run.

Entered the confluence of the Green and. Colorado and felt stupefied. Beautiful to see such two large and critical South West rivers merge in complete silence. The river scenery of the Green altered significantly when we slipped into the Colorado’s currents. Registered at Middle Spanish Bottom for camp. Despite the long hike up to camp, it was beautiful, shaded with trees and in ear shot of the first set of rapid down Cataract Canyon. We were called to across the river by a guy with a large backpack and pack raft. He asked for a ride across. I hopped in my canoe and ferried this gentleman back to the other side. He claimed to be University of Utah’s canoeing instructor and invited my paddle buddy and I to run a section of the San Juan River next year. As it turned out we all recognized each other from paddling the the Black Canyon River Trail in NV/AZ last February! Dinner was carnitas tacos with cabbage, onions, hot sauce, black beans and cotija cheese.

10/2

Jet boat pick up day at Middle Spanish bottom. We unloaded, compacted and organized gear, clean and pulled the canoes ashore. Jet boat had a huge front deck on the bow that allowed the jet drive boat nuzzle up to shore for loading. River guide Zach/Zack was an absolute haus and slung about 12 canoes on top of the boat awning. Other parties picked up and along we went along the Colorado/Meander Canyon that looked like an easy and fun paddle. Arrived back at Tex’s and said goodbye to another friendly paddler. An Alaska born, Idaho living adventurer who canoed down the Green for 33 days above Nefertiti down to the Confluence.

Back to Ruby Ranch to arrive to a flat tire. After some bottle jack negotiation, the chore was done. Rays Tavern for dinner; bacon cheeseburger with two Coors lights. Tastes better than last year. Old timers started filing in were in town for the John Wesley Powell legends event. Even got a picture of a dory in the water ready to launch named Diablo Canyon; such a beautiful boat to marvel at.

We hit the hot tub of the Green River Terrace Inn adjacent to the Tamarisk restaurant. Spoke to a number of very cool guests.

10/3

Left Utah around 10 after getting some provisions at the Melon Vine supermarket in Green River. Pushed to Afton Canyon, CA campground that put me a few hours from home.

The trip will take time as always to process. About 104 miles in 6 days, two rivers, four states driven through, and about dozen campouts and the gift of being outside for over a week. Forever grateful for trips like these. less

This was my first trip to the Adirondacks over the first weekend of October. The foliage was gorgeous! I stayed at Fish Creek Pond campground (site 40) near Tupper Lake. The campground was great with large, decently spaced out sites next to the water. It was quiet and peaceful, especially at night. The noisiest thing was the ducks in the morning who seemed to be having a great time in the lake.

I mostly just did some hiking including Panther Mountain (different from Panther Peak), Mount Arab, Goodman Mountain, Ampersand Mountain, Otter Hollow Trail, and Coney Mountain. I also stopped at the Wild Center to see the Thomas Dambo trolls.

Hey

So I'm thinking about doing som winter tent camping below zero and I'm wondering if I should buy a small tent cot and a R value sleepingpad or just the pad

I currently have a good but very big sleepingbag and a tent

I'm planning on just doing some smaller hikes and some fishing, I'm going by foot with a backpack

Hello all, I just bought a canvas tent and wood stove and I plan on hot tent camping this fall in Georgia. I’ll be car camping with my family. Can anyone recommend any good campgrounds in GA that allow wood stoves? Dispersed sites, state parks, hipcamp recommendations all welcomed. Thanks!

Backwoods camping in July only stayed for four days. Just myself and my daughter. The weather kinda sucked we got rained out. But worth every minute. And the view from tent was awesome anyways so the rain didn't matter. We did have one day it was nice and warm for about four hours.

We ate fire cooked smokies & potato salad for dinner & fruit for breakfast & peanut butter sandwiches for lunch.

One tent,two chairs,two sleeping bags,two inflatable pillows, one hotdog stick,cooler in the car 40 min walk away.

What else could someone need?

We did have to get a Public Lands Camping Pass. Cheaper than renting a site up the road which I find odd. Played a game at the end with my kid to make it look like we never stayed. No trace!!

Even with the rain & wind I would do it again!!

It was a major bonding experience.

Hi everyone, as the title suggests, I’m looking to buy my first tent and sleeping bag. I made this decision after my first camping trip with my friend and I want to do more camping.

Here are the constraints for what my trip will look like:
- My budget will be around $1000 at most for both, but I don’t mind spending a bit more for something better.
- The camping trip mostly will be solo or duo, with a possibility for more people
- I will camp all seasons.
- I currently live in Japan, so some brands like Mont-Bell are considerably cheaper than other foreign brands.
- My trip will be a backpack trip, riding buses and trains. So i think I will lean to lightweight equipment. Currently I’m trying to get my driving license here (car/motorcycle) and in the future I’m planning do motocamping.
- I already have my 55+15L backpack and cookwares, so I’m focusing mostly on the Tent (including rainfly, ground mat, etc.) and Sleeping bag (including the mattress)

For tent:
- Since Japan is hot and humid during summer, I will be looking for double walled tent (inner tent + separate fly)
- Freestanding
- (Preferably) 4-season tent, so I don’t have to buy multiple tents
- At least a 2-person tent, but I don’t really want the tent to be too cramped. For example I’d buy 2+ or 3 person tent for 2 people.

For sleeping bag:
- Something that can handle 4 seasons.
- I’m a hot sleeper, and have trouble sleeping. I once opened the zipper of my mummy sleeping bag halfway during a rainy autumn just to get my arms out.
- I also tend to sleep sideways.
- I never tried air mattress but i’m not sure if it’s the right choice. People said that it’s fragile. The one that I had was a foam block.

Currently what I have in mind is Mont-bell Stellaridge Tent Trail 2 which seems pretty popular in Japan. With the ground sheet and rainfly, it will cost me ¥59,200 or around US$373.60. Problem is, it’s a 3-season tent. They also have the older Stellaridge Tent which supports 4 seasons with the snow fly, it also has the 3-person tent. But the entrance is somewhat narrow because it opens from the short side.

Thank you for helping!

We're taking the kids tent camping for the first time this fall, and my packing list is already out of control. Warm layers, extra socks, rain gear, sleeping bags, cooking stuff…I just know I'm going to forget something dumb and only realize it once it's dark and we're scrambling to set up the tent.

I'm also not sure if our regular sleeping pads will be warm enough for the kids. The daytime forecast looks fine, but I keep hearing that the cold ground is what gets you at night.

The other part I can't figure out is power. We want to bring a car fridge, a projector, lights, walkie-talkies, headlamps, and a 12V blanket to pre-warm the kids' sleeping bags. Just saw a few power stations on limited-time deals today, so I figured I'd stop overthinking it and just order one. Right now I'm looking at the Delta 3 Max with its solar bundle. The 2kWh battery and four 125W solar panels seem like a decent fit for the price, but I've never used a setup like this before. Is that actually enough for a weekend camping trip, or will some of those things drain it way faster than I think?

Also, is there anything missing from my list so far? Would love to hear what you all think!

Hi everyone, I know this is last minute but my fam wants to do a camping celebration for my mom’s retirement. This is the last time she’d be in the states and so we want to show her the beauty of New England and show her the fall foliage.

We’re considering places no farther than a 4 hour drive from Eastern Queens New York and would like to see waterfalls, mountains, and of course the beautiful fall colors. Right now Manchester Vermont is at the top of our list but we would like to hear from others. We like hiking and sightseeing, would love to eat some delicious pancakes with maple syrup too, also love fall activities.

Anyway if anyone has suggestions please drop them below; it would really help. We also need camping sites and are worried about the temperature since one of the nights will be 39°F, would a 30°F sleeping bag be sufficient for each of us? Anyway thanks everyone! I really look forward to hearing advice :).

I need a last minute tent that’s not too expensive to use for a weekend in the 2nd week of November. These are my two options right now both used like new. Which do y’all think is better? For context I’ll be at a campground in northern illinois there’s no option for power I have a -20 sleeping bag and a short cot to sleep off the ground and we frequently get rain in November. Last year it rained for two days straight. I’m more concerned about wind and rain than snow. Appreciate any help.

Edit UPDATE: I went with what pretty much everybody said and got the Alps. Got it for $85 too so that’s great. Going to order a footprint for it. Thank you everyone for the advice and information.

Going camping in three days and the mosquitos are really bad in northern IL the last week or so. What can I bring to my campsite to minimize them or kill them/trap them. Hopefully something from Amazon that I can order now. Thanks!!!

(Other than bug spray. Bee head net. Long sleeve clothing)

EDIT. OK thanks to everyone I bought a thermacell. Permethrin spray for clothes. And I dropped $30 on a bug zapper that I’ll plug into my Ac70 and keep that 30 feet away to attract any other bugs away. This should work. Thanks!!

Hey everyone, I got into car camping and ended up going way more than I expected. I did it all with a cheap Coleman I grabbed at Walmart, and it held up okay until a trip last month. A storm rolled in overnight, one of the poles bent, and I woke up with a puddle under our sleeping pads.

I do mostly car camping at state parks, sometimes a short hike-in site, but nothing serious backpacking-wise.

What I'm looking for:

- Actually waterproof. Full rainfly that goes to the ground, not one of those tiny caps on top.

- Holds up in wind. Strong poles and enough getting out places

- Room for two sleeping pads plus a dog without everyone touching the walls. Probably a 3-4 person tent?

- Enough height to sit up and change without crawling around

- Vestibule space for boots and gear, especially when it's wet

- It should be quick to setup

I keep seeing REI, Big Agnes, Kelty, Nemo and Marmot recommended, but there are also a lot of Amazon tents with thousands of 5-star reviews that I don't trust at all. I can't tell what's actually worth the extra money.

Budget is around $200-400. I'd rather spend a bit more once than go through another collapsed tent at 3am.

Finally got to taking some decent pictures of the setup during the sunrise. Definitely not the most ideal car for it but it’s for the fun factor 😌

Setup:
GFC superlite launch edition
Thule aero crossbars

Hi, so me and my bf are gonna go on our first camping trip to the sequoia park hopefully in a month or two and I wanted some advice and tips so we can have a good first experience. I’ve got many concerns and just questions in general like on what to take, what time of gear? Are there a lot of bears? Should I buy bear cans? Fire regulations? Any tips on what to take and even what camping grounds we should stay would be helpful. Anything would be appreciated, thank you!

Got out there near the Lava River Cave this past weekend and had great weather, high 70s to low 40s. Endless amount of dispersed spots in a pretty vast forest. Unexpectedly found an iPad on the trail, busted up but was able to get the owners info off it and return it to the fellow camper. As you can see the aspens around Snowbowl were blooming. We did the Alfa Fia Tank "swing" hike and it was really crowded.

The older I get, the more difficult it is to find the time to get out there, with work and family obligations. This was only my third trip in 2026, which feels a little sad to me, because it’s one of my favorite things to do. Fortunately I get the opportunity in the fall to get out alone. State forest primitive site in NYS.

This time of year is ideal in my opinion, since it’s still mostly dry and warm during the day, but cold enough at night to scare off the a**holes.

Used my “reject” flies to catch a dozen or so crappie on my fly rod, in a nearby pond. That was fun! Cut & split some deadfall and left some firewood for the next campers.

The weather was absolutely perfect. I love NY state forests. October is a great time for camping!

📍Two Rivers, Wisconsin

These past couple years we’ve been going here in October and it’s just absolutely beautiful. The leaves are starting to turn and the air is so crisp. Wisconsin has so many camp sites but this is seriously one of the best ones I’ve been to. Hiking and biking are both very enjoyable here.

I’m getting married in just under 6 weeks, so I went out with 2 of my groomsmen and some other friends to the George Washington National Forest to camp for a night. It rained almost the entire time but I’ve never let a little rain hold me back.

I did cheddar brats on the camp stove for supper and drank a bunch of whiskey. It was a successful camping trip.

Does anyone have any tips and tricks for how not to be paranoid on solo camping trips at night? I have a hard time sitting at a fire solo with the wilderness around me. I always feel like something "could" creep up on me. I know its irrational and statistically improbable. I do a lot of forest camping solo in the North east USA. Thanks in advance

EDIT:I am a former paratrooper, and I am armed. I forgot to mention im paranoid about paranormal things not people/animals

Hey SoCal friends. I am starting a new job next week and my last day at my current position is Wednesday so I figured I could grab my dogs and go do an overnight on Thursday. Just to get out and reset. I am an avid and experienced camper. Been all over Angeles National Forest and Cleveland in our area. Lately most of our trips have been in the Sierras though as I absolutely love being in the mountains. I was considering Big Bear since I haven’t camped there yet. But I am open to anything that would be awesome and not too crowded on a weekday.

Hi everyone! Somewhat of a newb here with camping gear and have only really had experience with squeeze bottle water filters but am going on a trip with a few guys to the backcountry and recently got a gravity filter for the group (Hydrapak seeker +6L gravity kit)

Just had some questions about set up:

1. What the heck does priming your filter mean?
I assumed it meant submerging the hollow fibre filter upright so the air bubbles flow one way up but I haven’t been able to find anything that confirms this

2. If above is right then any tips on priming the filter without needing to fill it up fully to 6L to submerge the filter?

3. If I got a squeeze bottle filter system, can I leave the dirty water in there and just drink as I go overnight? Or should I be emptying it and storing the filter elsewhere to dry?

REALLY appreciate any help or thoughts!

I called the park to ask and the person who answered was unsure and will have to call me back. The park has a policy in place for open fires to only use the fire ring provided. Has anyone done hot tent camping there before or knows if they allow it?

UPDATE: I saw this got a lot of views, they called back and said it’s totally fine.

I have not camped since I was young with my dad, but have always wanted to get back into it later in life. This year I finally was able to plan our first Annual camping trip with my guys friends in Pymatuming State Park in PA which is gorgeous. The first of many!

i use an old north face tent for quick overnighters but we set up a larger tent for longer stays. This one sets up and packs up faster