10 Reasons Fall Camping Is The Best!

Have you tried to get a campsite reservation this summer? A nightmare. And why would you want to jockey for the last available site, probably the one wedged behind the dump station, wait in line for a tepid shower, deal with the noise of idling RV’s, and swat bugs during prime evening hours?

The absolute best time to camp? After Labor Day. Here are 10 reasons why fall camping beats the pants off summer camping:

1. Fewer bugs! While insects, especially pesky wasps, may bother you on sun-warmed fall days, the cool evenings chase away most flying and biting critters, allowing for long campfire evenings, stargazing, and even open-air hammock sleeping.

2. Milder weather. Fall sunshine warms but doesn’t cook you, the way midsummer heat can. This makes all sorts of vigorous activities more enjoyable, including hiking, biking and even paddling. From my many years living in the Midwest, it seems that the fall season more reliably delivers stretches of mild and dry weather than any other season.

3. Better sleep. As enjoyable as tent camping is, getting good sleep in a tent can be challenging, and even more so during oppressive summer heat and humidity. Cool and dry fall air will provide better ventilation in your tent, so you’re more likely to wake up rested and refreshed.

4. Less crowds, so you can enjoy the sounds of nature and not your neighbors’ conversations (or partake in their musical tastes).

5. As fall gets well underway, it’s easier to book a choice tent site. Last October, we got the entire state campground in lower northern Michigan to ourselves. How’s that for privacy?

6. Avoid public showers. Since you’re less likely to get uncomfortably hot, you can easily go a couple of days without a shower, and if you do need one, the showers are far more likely to be cleaner and less crowded.

7. Spectacular midwestern foliage, misty morning fog, and prairie grasses at their best.

8. The campfire is ever so much more enjoyable on a cool fall evening than on a hot summer night.

9. Everything is more cozy: your sweater, your sleeping bag, your nice hot campfire food, and your human or canine tent-mates!

10. Chance of first snow! Imagine biking in your t-shirt on a glorious fall day, spending a night in your snug, warm sleeping bag, and waking up to a frosty campsite dusted with fresh snow. I guarantee your morning coffee will be the best you ever had!