Minnesota state parks - Fall Camping

"The fall color season brings visitors out for events and programs or to hike, camp and enjoy the scenic beauty of our state parks," said Courtland Nelson, director of the DNR Division of Parks and Recreation. Nelson said that of the 67 Minnesota state parks and recreation areas that offer camping, all but four have camping this fall. The four parks are: Old Mill in northwestern Minnesota, Monson Lake in west central Minnesota, Kilen Woods and Lake Louise in southern Minnesota. Red River State Recreation Area in East Grand Forks will keep their campground open through Sept. 30 when it will close for the season.

Biking, hiking and camping on the dry side of the Cascades

Wenatchee Confluence State Park is one of many dry-side parks that offer opportunities for one (or maybe even two) more camping trips before the rains come and the tent, tarps and RV are put away for the year. State parks such as Pearrygin Lake, Yakima Sportsman and Lake Wenatchee still offer sun if not the 90-degree temps of summer. Plus, in fall, it's a heck of a lot easier to get a campsite at such parks. No need to reserve a site months in advance; just show up and you should have the pick of the sites, perhaps even that primo spot that in summer you could only dream about landing.

Rethinking camping

The Mount Hood National Forest's White River Station campground offers a no-frills deal: 10 bucks gets you a picnic table made from a split log, a fire pit, a dusty patch to pitch a tent, a nearby outhouse and a mesmerizing view of the gurgling White River and forested slopes glowing in the sun. But it's a deal that may not last. The U.S. Forest Service is rethinking how many recreation facilities it can keep up as funding for campgrounds, picnic areas and trails dries up. As the Mount Hood forest considers its choices, smaller, less-used sites such as this one may get farmed out to concessionaires or volunteers -- or even closed.

Camping in Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks

After a five-hour haul up to Sequoia National Park with a tent and cooler stuffed for a weekend camping sojourn in big-tree country, you wouldn't dream of pulling into Lodgepole campground at dusk without a reservation. More than 200 chock-a-block campsites occupy this unofficial Mission Control for car campers in one of the country's most popular parks. And on a warm evening in late summer, with the world's largest tree hulking just minutes down the road and a 20% chance of isolated thunderstorms hovering somewhere above the western Sierra, you can bet that every one of them will be occupied by a friendly family grilling slabs of meat under a dome of cloudless sky.

Paddling down the river

The Flint River has been one of Molloy’s favorite waterways to paddle on this trip, as well as the Chattanooga River, the Okefenokee Swamp and the Altamaha river. “That’s the cool thing about Georgia — the diversity,” Molloy said. The fruit of Molloy’s labor will be published through Falcon Press in 2008. “The book’s going to come out next spring,” Molloy said. Molloy stumbled across his profession while attending the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tenn., when a college chum invited him on a camping trip.

Camping In Canada

KOA plans to keep adding upscale features to all of its camps so that they resemble the 1,000 Islands/ Ivy Lea site in Ontario, Canada. Here, campers can watch the latest and classic movies at the movie theater, soak in the 21-foot hot tub with a waterfall, work out in the fitness center or play videogames in the large arcade. The site also organizes daily events such as ice cream socials and barbecues. Though there is enough at the campsite to keep vacationers entertained, the area also offers plenty to do. There are 40 golf courses nearby such at the 18-hole Smuggler's Glen built among the rolling hills the region is known for. Travelers can also boat and fish on the St. Lawrence River, hike on nature trails and visit Boldt and Jorstadt Castles.

A suggestion for late summer camping and trout fishing

Now that the big, busy, crowd-packed Labor Day weekend is behind us, and if you're looking for a nice quiet, late summer weekend of camping and fishing, my suggestion is a location not that far from here that is known as Lundy Lake, Calif. If you're not familiar with Lundy, you are probably asking yourself, "What is Lunday Lake and where in the heck is it?"

Camping trips now include wireless Internet

It turned out that the great outdoors offered much of what we had remembered, and then some. I couldn't recall sharing our days under the sun and nights under the stars with so many people. Much to my dismay, this appeared to be our new normal. We were expecting our second child at the time, and I couldn't see the three, soon to be four of us out on a canoe or kayak trip any time soon. Ironically, the Internet is a useful tool when booking a campsite. After finding many parks were too full to accommodate our impromptu plan, we discovered a website that turned out to be somewhat indicative of the campground itself. Multi-coloured lights glittered and flashed - virtual stars, I think. Unbelievably, this park also boasted Free! Wireless! Internet access.

Camping in Kenya

Naivasha — forget the volcanic dust — has become one of the convenient weekend getaway destinations, perhaps because it is only 45 minutes from Nairobi and it has turned out to be synonymous with campers. Camping is an outdoor experience that is slowly catching on with the urban youth who take drives to the nearest sites on weekends. According to Waruguru Gichuki of Downtreader Adventures, it is common to see people headed to Naivasha to camp every weekend.

How to Camp Like a Millionaire

Today, in my final salute to Action August, I focus on the gear and goodies that turn a mere camping trip into a luxurious experience.
Whether you're traveling on foot or by boat, the main idea in ultimate camping is not to be lugging stuff for long. So you can dispense with all this ultra-light nonsense. Go ahead -- bring along every conceivable camping luxury item.