Wilderness & Backcountry Camping

Two people wearing backpacks hike among purple flowers
Away from the crowds -- backpacking offers opportunities for solitude.

NPS Photo

Are you ready for the total outdoor experience? To get one with nature? Imagine a trip with simply you, your pal, your tent, and the great outdoors. Take the plunge, and adventure past the campground and lot attendant. Rely on your own skills to survive on anything nature throws your way. Of course, you'll want to visit the How to Camp section get-go for the vital, in-depth info you demand to make information technology in the wilderness. But once you head out, you but might detect yourself hooked on the natural wonders and confinement of backcountry camping. Examples of backcountry camping adventures include:

  • Backpacking
  • Water trips (rafts, canoes, boats)
  • Climbing (rock, mount, ice)

Civilities
The swell matter almost backcountry camping ground is that you get to choose the amenities y'all want to bring with you, albeit very limited (y'all can't bring everything and the kitchen sink with you). Some priceless amenities come up standard with backcountry camping:

  • Fresh air
  • Forests
  • Mountains and amazing geology
  • Clear rivers and lakes
  • Vast oceans and coastlines
  • Open spaces
  • Nighttime skies similar you've never seen
  • Natural sounds like you've never heard
  • Wilderness
  • Wildlife viewing

What to Expect
When y'all venture into the backcountry, you lot enter a globe filled with challenge, confinement, and excitement, and many people thrive off of this experience. Yet, backcountry camping isn't for everyone; the comforts of everyday life are gone. Here's what you can expect.

  • Program, programme, programme - It'due south critical to spend time developing a comprehensive program if you lot want to enjoy an exciting and safe experience. Be certain that others camping with you hold to the programme. Know your limits and your level of experience and so you choose the correct trip for y'all and your companions. Some basic planning steps include:
  1. Bank check ahead of time about any necessary permits and park regulations.
  2. Decide where you are going and how long you'll be camping. Include each origin and destination.
  3. Brand a list of the gear you'll need to take with y'all.
  4. Effigy out how far you lot'll travel, both in full and each 24-hour interval. Business relationship for changes in elevation.
  5. Try to anticipate the concrete and mental status of you and others in your party, as well as any ecology factors y'all might confront.
  6. Pull together emergency contact information of everyone in your political party (names, phone numbers, electronic mail, insurance data, etc.) but in case.
  7. Document whatever vehicle, vessel, or bicycle data such equally year, make, model, colour, and license plate info you will be taking and using on your trip.
  8. Almost importantly, you need to share a detailed itinerary with someone at home in the event of an emergency. Information technology'south also a good thought to leave a copy in your vehicle for Rangers to discover in case of emergency.
  9. Once you terminate your trip, allow your emergency contacts know you've finished and that you are safe. If the park has a cheque out policy, let Rangers know your trip has ended.
  • Examination your gear before yous go - You should test your equipment prior to your trip for a smooth backcountry hazard. Brand certain that you know how to employ your gear, that it works properly, and that you have the right components (for example the right fuel for your stove or batteries for your headlamp). Try on your haversack and hiking boots and go on a test hike to make sure they fit correctly.
  • Stick to your travel itinerary - Don't change plans midway through your trip. If something bad happens, your emergency contacts will exist able to share your travel plan with park rangers. They volition have more than knowledge on where to expect for you. If you encounter weather condition that may have changed out in the wilderness that may require a modify in your itinerary, consider heading dorsum and trying again another time when weather improve.
  • Take a companion - Accidents happen, even to experienced backcountry travelers, and so the best practice is to travel with others. The best insurance for a safe and enjoyable trip rests with your ability to exercise good judgment, avoid unnecessary risks, and presume responsibility. Bringing others with y'all can exist an accountability and condom internet. Too, shared experiences are also some of the most memorable ones.
  • Practice good stewardship - A common rule of thumb is to leave the expanse cleaner than you constitute it. After all, you chose to feel the backcountry for a reason. Preserve the backcountry for the enjoyment of others by protecting the habitat of resident plants and animals. Know and exercise Go out No Trace principles.
  • Expect any atmospheric condition - Weather conditions can modify chop-chop, specially in the mountains. Exist prepared for a diverseness of conditions including farthermost temperatures and lightning, as well as wet or windy conditions. Larn more...
  • Know the wildlife - You're inbound natural habitats, which could include a variety of animals. Store your food properly and keep a safe distance from wildlife. Ever check and adhere to park-specific rules and regulations about interacting with animals.
  • Identify potential hazards - You may meet a wide array of environmental conditions when you lot head out on your trail. Exercise some enquiry ahead of time to find out if there is the potential for rockfalls, flash floods, avalanches or other hazards that y'all may encounter. Take a programme in place and then y'all know what to practise if you encounter these hazards on your trip.
  • Do situational awareness - Don't fall into the trap of poor decision making, practice situational awareness -- be aware of what'due south going on. Know what the weather is doing, the terrain you are traveling in and the concrete capability of you and others to go along safely. Park Rangers are trained in search and rescue operations, simply we hope you'll never demand to call on them. Search and rescue teams put their own lives on the line to salvage others, merely these operations take a tremendous price on park resources, friends, and family unit.
  • Acquire more than -- See our Staying Rubber section for boosted information.

Call back to programme for anything, programme for everything, accept fun, and be careful!

Three men unload backpacks from a car
Backcountry camping is exciting and challenging -- always plan and be prepared before heading out.

NPS Photo

Last updated: June 7, 2019