Aspen Meadows in Golden Gate Canyon State Park is a great beginner-friendly camping option for an overnight trip from Denver. It’s one of my favorite places to camp because Golden Gate has the perfect combination of both seclusion and convenience. You’re only an hour from Denver, but also totally in the middle of nowhere with…
Category: Camping
Beginner’s guide to easy camping food
I’m a big advocate of keeping it simple while camping, but if you’ve never gone before it’s still hard to know where to start out. Hot dogs and Spaghetti-O’s are my go-to for dinner, but if you have room in the cooler and want to bring snacks to make things a bit healthier, have at…
An Un-Campground Guide: Affordable lodging in Moab
For the uninitiated (aka me before this month), spring is high season in Moab. This is because it’s hot as hell by June. If you go to Moab and you haven’t planned ahead and reserved a campsite, you’re left with first-come, first-serve options on BLM land along Highway 128. The good news is that these campsites…
Campground Guide: South Rim at Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
I became obsessed with going to Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park because of a poster in my office (this sounds weirder now that I’m writing it down) so we put it on our road trip itinerary last year. It’s one of the few national parks where you can still reserve a campsite by this time…
Beginner’s Gear Guide: Best Cooler for under $100
Coolers are a staple for any camping, road tripping, or day-drinking household. And while you can drop hundreds of dollars on a Yeti (and then constantly tell people it’s SO WORTH all that money), you could also just spend about $60 and get this one. We have put AO Coolers’ canvas cooler (36-pack size) to the test…
Campground Guide: Saddlehorn at Colorado National Monument
Saddlehorn helped us kick off our 2016 road trip around Colorado, and while the campground left a little to be desired (not a lot of privacy), the access to some of the most stunning scenery Colorado has to offer more than makes up for it (flushing toilets and running water didn’t hurt either). Fruita, the…
Campground Guide: Blue Mountain in the Pike National Forest
Despite the fact that our air mattress pump broke and we slept on the ground, Blue Mountain near Lake George is near and dear to my heart because it’s where I came up with the idea to start Outdoor Beginner. Plus, you can find a campsite easily on a summer weekend, even if you randomly…
Campground Guide: Platte River Campground in Pike National Forest
I’ve had this idea in my head for a while about camping on the river. I was envisioning a very zen experience with riverfront camping – waking up and opening up the tent to be right on the water. The fact that I learned it’s actually a horrible idea to pitch a tent that close…
Campground Guide – Big Meadows at Shenandoah National Park
Big Meadows is as close to an ideal first campground as you can get. With real bathrooms and a host of other amenities, it’s a great introduction to camping without sacrificing scenery. Here’s what you need to know before you go. Directions At just over two hours from DC, Big Meadows (and Shenandoah in general)…
