| ather is almost upon us and it's been an unusually | | | | campgrounds. GoCampingAmerica provides |
| chilly winter this year. For those who are outdoors | | | | information and links to tourist attractions and |
| enthusiasts camping season is just about here, | | | | recreational activities, nature preserves, national |
| and it's time to begin making preparations for the | | | | monuments and wildlife refuges. A big drawback is |
| first camping trip of the season. | | | | that it does not, include information on State and |
| Planning the trip can be almost as fun as taking | | | | National Forest campgrounds. |
| the actual trip, and the internet provides some | | | | Reserve America - ReserveAmerica.com: |
| great resources for finding places to go and things | | | | Great for looking up Federal, State and Private |
| to do. It's still good though to combine what's | | | | campgrounds and is probably the best there is for |
| available online, with old fashioned tools such as a | | | | making reservations. This site is easy to use, and |
| good Atlas and travel magazines. | | | | does a really good job of showing park amenities, |
| Actually, an Atlas is a better place to start in my | | | | whether or not they accept pets, available |
| opinion, because you can easily page through | | | | recreational activities, address/directions/maps to |
| states, and areas you think you might want to | | | | parks, campground maps, site types (Tent, RV, |
| visit and just look for the darker green areas that | | | | Combo), size of RV each site can handle, and |
| show where the National Parks are. Atlases also | | | | availability of sites by date and date range. It also |
| show campground locations, and you can see if | | | | shows availability of handicap access, and what |
| there are nearby rivers or lakes if you like water | | | | hunting and fishing licenses are needed for each |
| sports. | | | | state. Another useful feature, is a listing of |
| Once you've determined where you want to go, | | | | Federal, State, Private and Local agencies which |
| the next step is to look at what's online. In | | | | run the parks. There is a minimal fee to make |
| addition to using Google, Yahoo, ASK, BING or | | | | reservations, but using the site for research is |
| whatever your favorite search engine is, there | | | | free. |
| are some other really great online sources for | | | | Other Resources & Planning your Route: |
| doing your camping research that are free. | | | | Other great sources of information include: |
| CampingUSA: | | | | camping forums, camping blogs and some of the |
| This website provides campgrounds by state and | | | | social networking sites. Get involved in the |
| City. It shows campgrounds within 50 miles of a | | | | conversations and ask questions. There is a good |
| given city or you can search campground names. | | | | chance someone has been where you are going, |
| Campgrounds must link back from their websites | | | | and has an answer. |
| to show up on CampingUSA, so you might not | | | | Once you've figured out where to go, you'll want |
| get results on campgrounds that have no website. | | | | to take a look at the route to take. Are there |
| US National Forest Campground Guide | | | | any interesting places along the way worth |
| (forestcamping.com): | | | | seeing? Follow the same process, check your |
| This site provides campground descriptions for | | | | Atlas, look at travel magazines, travel sites, and |
| National Forests and National Parks. it shows | | | | do searches online to see what's available for a |
| availability of recreational activities (boating, | | | | short side trip or two along the way. This can |
| canoeing, rafting, kayaking, hiking, fishing etc.) the | | | | make the trek that much more fun and |
| number of campsites (Tent, RV, combination), | | | | interesting. Then Use Google Maps, Map Quest, an |
| ability to make reservations, prices, trail & hiking | | | | Atlas or a GPS to figure out your route and |
| information, Information on land passes (for | | | | figure out how much time you want to spend on |
| disabled, retired and annual fees), volunteer | | | | side trips. |
| programs and campground descriptions, and | | | | Have Fun! |
| pictures. Lookups on this site can be done by | | | | There is a huge amount of information out there |
| state or by national forest or grassland regions. | | | | that makes planning a trip almost as fun as the |
| Go Camping America: | | | | trip itself. So pull out an Atlas. Read travel |
| We're tent campers, and this is geared primarily | | | | magazines. Figure out where you want to go. Do |
| toward RVers, but there is some really good | | | | some online research. Plan your route. Make your |
| information on this site. GoCampingAmerica is built | | | | reservations, pack your camping gear and have |
| on paid listings. It shows private parks and | | | | fun. |