it’s beginning to feel a lot like car camping season
a collection of images from some favorite campsites throughout the years
words and photos: trevor anderson
Like many of us, I’m taking the time to sort through all of my car camping items. It's been a few months since I’ve been able to get out, but it’s looking like I’ll have a few free nights next week! So, in honor of car camping season I figured I’d share a few of my favorite campsites from the years.
The ease of car camping with a decent vehicle makes it, in my opinion, the most convenient form of seeing new places, while also bringing challenges when the tracks get a bit tough. However, it still is nice to load up the bike or a backpack and head out self-powered.
It’s no secret that a camp by water makes for a damn nice photo and a soothing sound to fall asleep to, but they can also come with a bit of headache if you’re in an area with bugs. Thankfully, this night at the foothills of the Sawtooths in Idaho we were able to set up and spend the night free of any annoying insects.
As noted in a previous article, the Eastern Sierra is a place like no other. The hillside below the peaks make for a great place to stop for the night. Here we were fortunate enough to find a nice, well used spot below the 14,505’ peak of Mt. Whitney. This was also when my truck had the bed built out in the back. While this did make for a pretty comfortable night’s sleep, the weight was a bit too much for the truck to drive as well as it could. The height of the bed platform in small trucks like mine also makes for a rather cramped bed. I have since moved on to a much smaller sliding drawer and a ground tent.
Nothing beats a good campfire — as long as you know where and when you are able to have them AND you put them out completely!
With some improvisation, and a cheap tarp, you don't need any sort of fancy ‘overlanding’ awning — although it would have been nicer if we did. We spent a good week at this spot on the outskirts of the small Colorado town of Fruita. Luckily we only had one evening of rain and we were able to stay relatively dry.
Remember, car camping can leave a serious negative impact on the land if not done correctly. Be sure to follow all rules for the trails you are traveling on, and be sure to Leave No Trace!