Camping Etiquette
Most of us plan our camping trips in advance. We spend time sorting and packing our supplies and equipment. We daydream about our adventure and all the good times we’ll have on this camping trip. The day comes for our long awaited camping adventure in a beautiful national forest with family and friends. It is so disappointing when others make our time in the forest less than enjoyable. Here are some guidelines you might see posted in a Forest Service campground. Okay, most are common sense and reflect the “Golden Rule” but just in case here’s a reminder.
DO be respectful of your neighbors. Introduce yourself to your neighbors if the opportunity arises.
DO keep your pet on a leash and under control. There are people who don’t like or are afraid of dogs, especially if they are “small elephant-size”.
DO pick up after your pet. Bring a bunch of those plastic vegetable/fruit bags from the grocery store and use them to scoop up your pet’s deposits. Everyone will appreciate your actions.
DO keep your fire under control. Bonfires are great for a homecoming football game but aren’t not appropriate in a national forest campground. And always fully extinguish your campfire when sleeping or leaving your campsite. It is dangerous to leave a fire unattended.
DO minimize noise around the campfire late at night. Sitting around a campfire is one of the best parts of camping but not everyone wants to stay up late.
DO NOT scatter coals in surrounding vegetation or in a dumpster – a too common behavior that causes fires.
DO NOT leave trash around your campsite. It attracts local residents, from mice to raccoons to bear, and that is not a good thing.
DO NOT wash your dishes, hair, or whatever at the campground’s water spigots. Fill your water container at the spigot and take it back to your site. No one wants to deal with the muddy mess you leave behind, to say nothing of the risk of contaminating the water source.
DO NOT walk through the campsite of others. Many people find it intrusive and offensive.
