Pack up the car, load the cooler, grab the sleeping bags and head for a campground.
It is among the first tentative steps into the great outdoors for many people and for even the most hard-core outdoor enthusiast it can be a quick path to re-establishing a lost connection with Mother Nature. We're talking car camping here -- loading up the minivan with the basics of food, clothing and shelter and heading for the hills.
With two national forests -- the Lewis and Clark and the Helena -- within easy driving range, there is a mapful of camping opportunities that do not require a backpack and a long walk or a four-wheel drive gas-guzzler to reach.












