Coyote Broad:

Practical Resources & Inspiration
For Women Who Travel (or Want to!)

 

Advice for Traveling Around the USA & Camping Along the Way.

How campgrounds are priced, how to know what a campground offers just by the type of land it's on, how to know which are open, etc.

• Private campgrounds, like KOA: $$$ 
  
• State parks and national parks: $$ - $$$
  
• Public utility-funded/power company-funded campgrounds: $$
  
• Designated campgrounds in national forests, state forests and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land: $
• County lands / parks with camping: $ - $$
  
• Wild / primitive camping in national forests or on BLM land: $0
• Wild / primitive camping on private land: possibly get shot by the land owner.
  

• Most campgrounds are not open year round. Unless a campground is closed for maintenance, it will, for sure, be open for high season, starting the last weekend in May before the last Monday in May (Memorial Day) and through the last weekend in September before the last Monday in September (Labor Day). Most campgrounds are open at least the weekend before Memorial Day weekend and the weekend after Labor Day. Many are open starting in April and going through mid October. The only way to be SURE of a campground being open outside of high season is to look at the official web site.
   
  
• In many states, during high season, it is impossible to get a campsite anywhere on a weekend without a reservation WEEKS in advance. This is the case for most of Oregon. In fact, on Labor Day weekend one year, we ended up having to camp on the side of a forest road because even the rough camping spots in the national forest we were at were full. On weekdays during high season, many state parks in popular places, like Oregon, are also reserved weeks in advance. It's why, in the Pacific Northwest, we usually don't go on our annual two-week camping trip until the state of Labor Day weekend (and we have a reservation for the first two nights). 
   
  
• National parks, national forests, national grasslands, national monuments and Bureau of Land Management lands are all public lands managed by the federal government. Most have camp sites - not all do. Often, a paper or even an online map will just show that there is a national forest or BLM land somewhere, but not tell you that there are campsites there - you may be able to find out that there are camp sites only when you start driving/riding through the area. But since wild / rough camping is allowed in national forests and BLM land, I don't mind taking the chance of heading to the area assuming we'll camp. 
   
  
• You are not permitted to camp rough - outside of designated camp sites and camp grounds - in national parks. That includes a prohibition on camping in parking lots. You are permitted to camp rough in national forests and BLM-managed lands, unless there is signage that says otherwise, and it's usually quite easy to find a site that someone else has used - just go down a dirt road in a national forest or BLM land and you will find such. Rough camping does not have an official, metal-lined fire pit nor a picnic table. Rough camping is free - you do not have to pay a fee to camp rough, but you may need to have a pass to be on the land. Forest Service regions offer localized passes and you can find information about those on the respective forest and grassland websites. But your best bet is to buy an annual inter-agency pass: it makes things way easier and more economical, and it gives you access to all national public lands, including national parks (it covers your entrance fee). And by buying a pass, you are providing essential funds to help maintain the land.
   
  
• State parks are managed by an individual state government (Kentucky, Oregon, etc.). An inter-agency pass for national parks, national forests, etc. will NOT get you into a state park, or vice versa. Many, but NOT all, state parks offer camping. State park camping is WAY more expensive than camping in a national forest, but you get far more services (often, a heated bathroom with showers and flush toilets - maybe even wi-fi!). You are not permitted to camp rough in a state park - outside of designated camp sites and camp grounds - in state parks. That includes a prohibition on camping in parking lots. Camp sites are sometimes right next to each other, with no privacy - but that's how the camping in national parks is as well. State parks also may have different pricing for in-state than out-of-state. Always check the price before you set up, because sometimes, the pricing is absolutely OUTRAGEOUS for out-of-state tent campers (you would pay the same for a hotel room). 
   
  
• In general: camping in state parks is the most expensive of public land camping because it offers the most amenities - flush toilet, showers, perhaps even a tiny grocery store, possibly swimming or an historic site, maybe a museum, and maybe even wi-fi. Again, always check the price before you set up, because sometimes, the pricing is absolutely OUTRAGEOUS for out-of-state tent campers (you would pay the same for a hotel room).
   
  
• The pay station for most campgrounds is unstaffed: it's just a lock box and another box of pay envelopes, next to an information board near the entrance. If a campground has a host, it is likely they do NOT handle payment. More and more campsites are allowing people to pay with credit cards. If you have a US bank account, take your checkbook - that's the easiest way to pay at campgrounds. If you don't, have plenty of cash, in small bills. And please DO pay - don't be a dick. That money is essential for the campground upkeep.
   
  
• Camping rough / wild on BLM or national forest land is usually legal and the cheapest option, as it's free, but you have no picnic table, not even a pit toilet.
   
  
• National parks usually offer bathrooms with flush toilets, as well as faucets with drinking water, in the drive-in camping area, but no showers (or they have them but they cost extra), and pit toilets in back country camping areas (which you are not allowed to go to by vehible - hike in only).
   
  
• Most national forest campgrounds have only pit toilets, not flush toilets, and may or may not have a faucet with drinking water or a water pump, but they are usually in a really scenic spot an have a good amount of space between campsites (it's why they are my favorite).
   
  
• Public utiliy-funded campgrounds, or power company campgrounds, are found near dams that generate electricity. Examples include Hell's Canyon Park in Idaho (excellent campground) and Lake Harriet in Oregon. These usually feel a lot like a state park campground but are usually cheaper and smaller. Campers are usually packed in rather tight.
   
  
• In Oregon, there are campgrounds for people with horses, and usually, there will be some camp sites for the horseless as well. These are hidden jewels, overlooked by most folks. And often, they are reservable! Usually just a pit toilet, but in high season, they have a water pump.
   
  
• In Washington State, there are also campgrounds managed by the Washington state Department of Natural Resources (it's NOT the same as a state park). DNR manages 80 campgrounds across the state and the only way to pay to be at one is to have a one-day or one-year Washington State Discover Pass - and you can only do that via your phone at the campsite (there's no way to pay otherwise). I've stayed in just one - it was lovely and there was a pit toilet (no paper though).
   
  
• Some state parks have cabins. In Oregon, many state parks also have yurts. These accommodations have at least beds (not bedding), table and chairs, lights and heat. Most don' t have their own bathrooms. These are often booked weeks, even months, in advance, but if you are a tent camper and you are looking for a break in putting up and taking down the tent, especially in the rain, look into this online. Even just one night in such can be a much needed respite from your tent.
   
  
• Some national forests and other public lands have old forest service cabins or fire lookouts you can rent. These are wonderfully remote but also pricey, and these are often rented out weeks or months in advance, especially on weekends. But they are packed with character and are super comfy.
   
  
• In high season in the USA, from the Thursday before Memorial Day weekend (Memorial Day is the last Monday in May) through Labor Day (that's the first Monday in September), every reservable camp site that's on the coast or in a coastal state, or in or near a National Park, is reserved many, many days in advance, even weeks in advance, and the first-come, first-served sites in these places may fill up by 10 in the morning. This is also true of most state park campgrounds. Know your camping or other accommodation options in advance for the places where you will travel, and if you can make reservations, do it! That said, we have often found a campsite on a holiday weekend, when Monday is the holiday, if we show up at such a campground on a Sunday night - a few people always go home early.
   
  
• If all you are going to have time to do is to drive through a national park and have a look around from a parking lot, then look online at what all of the lookout points and popular stops in national parks offer. For instance, there really isn't much to see by just driving through Yosemite National Park - if all you want to do is drive through and stop at a few places for a few minutes, choose another, free pass to get over the Sierras. I don't think Mount Rainer National Park is worth just a drive in-drive out visit - I think you need to plan for at least three hours of hiking, in addition to getting there and back, in order to make a visit worth it. By contrast, I think it's totally worth it to pay the entrance fee and just drive through Crater Lake National Park. No matter how much time you want to spend in a national park, know what there is to see and do there well before you arrive. Is there a not-to-be-missed ranger program you would want to see? If you aren't going to hike or see a program, is the view spectacular and worth the crowds and the drive in a long line of traffic? A little online research will tell you this. You may find that driving through a national park, or to just a popular viewpoint, isn't worth the traffic jam, smog, noise and wait time. 
   
  
• Download national park and national forest maps before you leave on your trip, or buy paper versions. You want maps that show all paved roads in the park or forest, as well as all camp sites in the park or forest. You may want maps that show hiking too; many maps will tell you if hikes are easy, moderate or hard, approximately how long they will take, and what there is to see. Getting a national park map at the entrance isn't really helpful, and you don't want to waste time in a national park parking lot trying to figure out which hike to take.
   
  
• For a national park in a coastal state, or for a really popular national park elsewhere (Mount Rainier, Yellowstone, Yosemite, Arches, etc.), during high season, you need to get in line at the entrance to enter the park by 9 a.m. on Thursday, Friday, Saturday or Sunday - much earlier is better. If you aren't there by 9 a.m., don't bother going at all. 
   
  
• Some places in the USA - very few, however - have county parks that offer camping. These may offer bathrooms with flush toilets and may offer showers as well - or not. Camp sites are often right next to each other, with no privacy - but not always: Wilkerson county park in Clark County, Oregon,  and some of the county parks in Josephine County, are destination campgrounds - beautiful!. Tillamook County in Oregon has SIX county campgrounds, and Trask River Campground is one of our very favorites of all campgrounds. 
   
  
• Private campgrounds vary hugely in terms of price, amenities and quality. Some even offer Wi-fi. Not all allow tent camping. Some force tents to be right up almost right up against each other. Many don't allow people to sleep in their cars or trucks. I hate them but, sometimes, you just don't have any choice.
   
  
• If there is a sign on the road to a campground that warns that there are hairpin turns, warns against vehicles of a certain size using the road, warns against anything pulling a trailer using the road, etc., BELIEVE THE SIGN. These signs are never exaggerations. If you ignore a sign that says "vehicles pulling trailers are NOT advised", and you decide to pull your trailer down that road, I hope you can get a cell phone signal for when you have to call to be rescued.
  

I believe strongly in travelers looking out for each other, especially people who are camping. I have offered to share our campsite more than once, when I see some bicyclist or motorcyclist circling the full campground we're lucky enough to have a place in, and others have offered to share their campsite with us under similar circumstances. In Yellowstone, we arrived to find out campground under several feet of snow - we were traveling by motorcycle and had a tent. As we stood there wondering what to do, a nearby family decided they didn't want to camp after all - after clearing the snow off the driveway to their campsite - and I asked if they would give us their site so we could pitch our tent in that driveway, and they so graciously agreed, and even said they would take care of everything back at the office for us. My point: be kind to each other out there. Offer help. Look around for people who might need help, especially in remote areas.

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 Quick Links 

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Index of resources for women travelers (how to get started, health & safety considerations, packing suggestions, transportation options, etc.
 
Advice for camping with your dogs in the USA.

Advice for Traveling Around the USA & Camping Along the Way.
 
Saving Money with Park Passes in the USA
 
Advice for women motorcycle riders and travelers
 
transire benefaciendo: "to travel along while doing good." advice for those wanting to make their travel more than sight-seeing and shopping.

Where I've been
A list of all of the states in the USA and all of the countries I have lived in or traveled in, the farthest North I've been by land, the nearest I've been to the equator, various other stats. This includes all of the places I have traveled to and through via motorcycle. If a place has a link, then the link goes to my travelogue about the place

Some of my favorite photos from my travels. Very hard to pick favorites.

Advice for Hotels, Hostels & Campgrounds in Transitional & Developing Countries: the Qualities of Great, Cheap Accommodations

how to support my resources to help YOU

                  

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