Camping is one of the best ways to connect with nature and let go of the many burdens of our high-tech, high-speed lives. The outdoors offers fresh air, wildlife, abundant trails, backcountry lean-tos, and truly breathtaking vistas. It’s healthy to head into the woods for some good ol’ nature’s medicine and let Mother Nature heal your mind and soul for a night or two. Once you take care of the basics of shelter, food, and water, it’s just you and the stars (and maybe a few friends, a guitar, and a pint or two of whiskey). But before you head out into the night with your sleeping bag in your backpack and tent under your arm, there are a few things you should consider for a more enjoyable trip.
before you go
To fully enjoy your experience and for safety’s sake, you should plan ahead and prepare before heading out for any overnight outdoor experience. Make sure you leave adequate time for your excursion, and check the weather beforehand. Leave word with someone as to where you are traveling, and make sure you are tackling a trip within your physical capabilities. If heading far into the woods, bring a map, and know how to read it.
choosing your tent site
There are several factors that make for a comfortable and convenient camping site. Before laying your bag down for the night, know that backcountry visitors staying above 1,500 feet must camp in established tent sites or lean-tos. Ideally, your campsite will also not be too far from water—or too close. DEC regulations require that camping is at least 150 feet from water, trails, or roads. Accessible water is crucial because you will need to purify water and refill your drinking bottles, boil water for cooking, and use water to wash your dirty dishes. Never throw the dirty dishwater back into the source; any food or waste should be disposed away from the water to make sure to not contaminate it. If you are staying a few nights, water also helps keep your body clean, and, if it is hot, you can swim in it! So, being near water is good.
Also, shade is ideal. Tents can really capture the sun’s heat. It’s pretty uncomfortable to wake up in a pool of your own sweat with the sun beating down on you at 7am.
You will also want to find an area that is clear of twigs, rocks, and debris that may make sleeping uncomfortable. And make sure to put your tent far enough from the fire that it doesn’t risk any stray ashes landing on it and burning a hole (or worse, burning you!). Pine trees make for good spots to sleep beneath, as they are nice and shady with a soft bed of needles.
essentials to bring
Being prepared is half the work when camping. Bring these essentials to have a safe and frustration-free experience:
MESS KIT & CAMP STOVE
A mess kit and camp stove can be found at camp stores like Kenco. Mess kits contain pans that double as plates and pots that double as bowls and other necessary utensils. This little kitchen in a bag will come in handy at every meal.
WATER PURIFIER
Found at any camping store, this lightweight gadget is important when you are going overnight away from your car. It will enable you to pump pure water into your drinking bottles from the nearest stream or river. Also, plan to bring some fresh water with you. If car camping, you can just load up with a few gallons of water.
HEADLAMP
A headlamp allows you to be more active in the dark than a traditional flashlight for things like late night cooking or last-minute tent adjustments. Go hands-free!
FOLDING SAW
A lightweight folding saw will come in handy when cutting small- to medium-sized logs for your campfire. You’ll need a lot of wood if you want to keep the fire going all night. However, it is important to note that it is not legal to cut live trees, and that in some places you are not even allowed to collect dead wood. For car camping, it is best to purchase wood at the Ranger’s fee station or just outside the campground. Because of the risk of invasive insects, it is illegal in NY to transport untreated firewood more than 50 miles.
UTILITY KNIFE
This is the perfect camping tool. It’ll cut your food for eating, it’ll whittle your sticks for hot dogs, it’ll be a wine opener or scissors or even a toothpick. You never know what amazing solutions one of these little knives will have to your far-from-home woes.
FIRST-AID KIT
Keep the essentials, like Band-aids, first aid ointments and tapes, and antiseptic cleaners, on hand for any cuts out in nature that need cleansing and protection.
LIGHTER AND MATCHES
Bring a plastic bag with a lighter and matches in it to make sure they stay dry in bad weather. These will be extremely helpful when starting your fire!
TOILET PAPER
This comes in really handy, and Wag bags or similar are now recommended for backcountry visitors. The use of these devices goes a long way in reducing our impact on heavily used areas. Or carry a small trowel to dig a small hole for poo. The hole should be nine-inches deep and toilet paper should mostly be burned before being swept into the hole (with your poo) and buried. TP used for pee should be placed in a ziplock bag and carried out.
fire-making tips
Bring a small bag with dryer fluff or newspaper to help you start your fire easier. Gather many sticks of different sizes—small twigs, branches, and medium to large logs. Dry, dead branches will burn best. If it was raining recently, then get creative, and look under overhangs or peel wet bark off small twigs that are dry on one side.
Make a teepee of sticks over your starter material (newspaper or dryer lint). Begin the teepee with your smallest kindling on the inside, and then create another layer with slightly larger sticks, and continue with even larger sticks. Kindling used to make your teepee should not contain any wood that is fatter than your thumb. Leave a little opening to insert your lighter, and ignite the paper.
Once the paper is lit and the teepee is burning, you can slowly add larger pieces. As a good bed of coal is formed, begin to add logs. Be responsible, and don’t make the fire any larger than you need it to be. Also, make sure it is 100% out before leaving. You can put it out with water, snow, sand, or by pulling it apart and letting it burn out. Make sure it is cool to the touch before leaving, as it can smolder underground in organic material or roots and cause a forest fire. The DEC allows use of established fire pits only. You could also avoid the impact all together and simply use a small backpacking stove.
food on the fire
Food truly does taste better when you are camping. Maybe it is the hard work that goes into preparing to camp and eat in the woods; maybe it is the simplicity of camping food ingredients; or maybe it is the taste of nature and the fire that gets into the food. Whatever it is, it’s good. Flatbread pizza is one of my simple favorites by the fire. You can use your favorite pita and some tomato paste (since it is more concentrated, it will be smaller and lighter to carry), a ball of mozzarella, some fresh basil, and whatever toppings you like. Lay the pita on a grate and add some of the sauce, cheese, and toppings spread on top of it. Put it over a low flame. Rotate it while it cooks, and when the cheese melts—enjoy the smoked flatbread pizza.
Roasted garlic and potatoes are a super side to any camping dish. All you have to do is stick the potato and garlic right into the coals, rotate them every few minutes, and then smash them together for a hearty, healthy, smoky treat. Dried tea and dried soup packets are great for warming you up if the night gets cool. And they are very light for carrying to a site and extremely simple. Just add water, heat, and enjoy! There is a reason that some things become tradition—s’mores are just perfect to eat next to a campfire. Just lay your graham cracker with a square of chocolate (I prefer dark chocolate with almonds) on a stone near the fire while you roast your marshmallow on a stick that you’ve carved into a point. Once your marshmallow is ready, slide it onto your graham cracker (which now has slightly melted chocolate), using another graham cracker as the spatula to situate it properly and to top the dessert sandwich. Just be warned, you’ll want to lick all of that sweetness off of your fingers so nearby animals aren’t tempted!
When packing food for camping, plan out each meal, and think about dry foods, like instant oatmeal (since it’s light and compact). Also, don’t forget high-energy snacks, like GORP (good ole’ raisins and peanuts).
hanging a bear bag
We live and play in a wilderness that we know we share with black bears. They are typically not going to hurt you or want to go near you, but if they are hungry and smell food, you are at risk. That is why you should always have a bear-proof spot for your food and smelly toiletries that may attract this big mammal at night while you are sleeping. If car camping, you can put your food and toiletries in a locked car. But if in the backcountry, you’ll need to get your food and toiletries up in a bag suspended between trees.
Put all of your fragrant things into backpacks or cinch sacks (or purchase a bear canister or “ursa sack”) and grab your 100-foot long rope. Head about 50 feet from the campsite and look for a horizontal branch that is at least 15 feet from the ground. Look for a fist-sized rock to attach to one end of the rope. Throw the rock over the branch, pulling the string halfway over. Use the rock-free end of the rope to attach the food bags. Pull the end with the rock until the food rises. The bag should be at least ten feet high and about four feet from the tree trunk (since bears can climb). Then tie the end of the rope to a tree trunk for security overnight. In the morning, you’ll be excited to search for your bag and release it back to the ground for breakfast.
leave no trace
It is extremely important that we work together to respect our natural parks and to make an effort to have a minimal impact on plant and animal life as we hike, eat, camp, and recreate. Always pack out what you pack in, and leave plants, rocks, and other natural objects in the forest. And, for your safety and the animals’ sake, never follow, approach, or feed wildlife—only observe wildlife from a distance.
LEAVE NO TRACE OUTDOOR ETHICS
• Plan ahead and prepare
• Travel and camp on durable surfaces
• Dispose of waste properly
• Leave what you find
• Minimize campfire impacts
• Respect wildlife
• Be considerate of other visitors
a few places to camp
Whether you are looking for a short and easy hike near your car or a several-day thru-hike with lean-tos for camping along the way, the Hudson Valley is the perfect destination. There is a plethora of camping spots to suit your interests and skill level. You can camp near lakes, mountains, or caves. You can go near your car with lots of families or head to remote areas miles into the woods. If you are just starting out, you might want to try “car camping” first. That way, you don’t need to know everything in the book about preparation, as you can simply get to your car in a few steps and get anything you need. Here are just a few local recommendations:
BEAR SPRING MOUNTAIN CAMPGROUND
is located in the western end of the Catskill Forest Preserve. The campgrounds, beach, boat rental, and multi-use trail system offer fun for all ages. For the horse riding enthusiast, Spruce Grove camping and trail system is a one-of-a-kind facility in the Catskill region. This region is also known for its excellent hunting and fishing.
There are 41 tent and trailer sites; picnic area with tables, grills, playground, horseshoe pits, volleyball and pavilion rental; rowboat, canoe, kayak and paddle boat rentals; firewood sales; trailer dump station; recycling center; flush toilets and hot showers at Launt Pond Area; boat launch; sand beach; 24 horse tie stalls and horse accessible ramp; and 24 miles of multi-use trails. Reserve at dec.ny.gov/places/bear-spring-mountain-campground-and-day-use-area.
GUNKS CAMPGROUND
(or Samuel F. Pryor III Shawangunk Gateway Campground ) is run by the American Alpine Club and is located on the south side of Route 299 in Gardiner; it’s within walking distance to the Mohonk Preserve Visitor Center (and the Mountain Brauhaus for delicious food and beer). Located on 50 acres, campers have 50 campsites and five vehicle sites from which to choose. Campground amenities include a central gathering and cooking area, bathhouse facilities with hot showers, and a covered pavilion for campers to hang out during rainy weather. Reservations are required at americanalpineclub.org/gunks-campground#
MONGAUP POND STATE CAMPGROUND
offers a 120-acre lake, the largest body of water in Catskills Park, outside of the New York City reservoirs. Surrounded by Forest Preserve land, the park offers hiking and snowmobiling. Large, wooded campsites, some on the lake, appeal to campers who enjoy a dense forest environment and seclusion. Swimming in the lake, relaxing in the picnic area, and renting boats are popular pastimes here. The park has campsites; a picnic area with tables, grills, and pavilions; pay phones; restrooms with showers; a trailer dump station; a recycling center; and a sand beach. Most park facilities are handicapped-accessible.
BACK COUNTRY
As you gain experience, you can use the latest New York/New Jersey Trail Conference maps to look for lean-tos to stay in off of the main trails. Lean-to sites usually come with designated fire pits and a privy. These three-sided shelters also often have other perks, like extra wood, tools, grates, or a hiker’s journal—and you can hike without having to carry your tent!
The Hudson Valley is truly graced by natural beauty. Remember to take time from our busy lives to connect with our surroundings, to feel the earth beneath our feet, and smell the forest and warm breeze. Nature can renew your soul, rouse your creativity, and provide a shift in perspective. Get out there and explore! There is so much to see and discover!
